Debt-To-Equity Ratio Explained
A company has numerous selections to think about in order to finance its functioning.
If the company in question is a corporation, its shareholders voluntary purchased a part of its stock.
The corporation is thus financed with the profits it makes from selling shares.
In the early days of a specific business, this can be the only way to acquire sufficient financing.
As the company grows and matures from a small enterprise into a major interest, it has to accomplish financing in a different way.
There are numerous ways to do this, however, the most popular way is for the company to borrow money in order to finance a temporary operation.
The hope is that the company will benefit enough to not only take a surplus to the shareholders but repay the loan, as well.
This is an inherently risky business.
The one tool a company has to pay attention to in order to determine the amount of money it may safely borrow is the debt-to-equity ratio.
The ratio is computed by taking the total amount of the company's liabilities and dividing it by the total sum of the equity held by the shareholders.
The outcome is a single-digit or a decimal number.
For instance, a very conservative ratio is 0.
5, while a risky ratio is 2.
This may not appear like much of a difference until you remember that the ratio deals with potentially hundreds of millions of dollars in profits or losses.
The ratio shows executives and shareholders where the company's financing is coming from.
To stay in the previous case, a ratio higher than one means that the company is being financed by outstanding debt.
A ratio lower than one means that the company is being financed by equity rather than debt.
Based on the overall financial position of the business in question, either of these ratios can be equally tenable.
Another factor to take into consideration is the kind of industry the company is in.
Businesses in capital-intensive industries like car manufacturing usually have high debt-to-equity ratios because of the simple fact that the company needs to obtain many materials before it can make cars.
Since the manufacturing of cars is the company's main source of income, the company is financed through debt out of necessity.
The company has to incur debt in order to acquire the funds which, in turn, are needed to buy the raw materials necessary in order to manufacture cars.
In other industries, it is silly to use a high debt-to-equity ratio.
Companies that make personal computers, for example, typically have debt-to-equity ratios at 0.
5 or even less.
This is because it does not cost nearly as much to make a car as it does to make a computer.
Disclaimer: This article is provided for educational and informational purposes only and should not be considered a substitute for professional and/or financial advice.
The information found in this article is provided "AS IS", and all warranties, express or implied, are disclaimed by the author.
If the company in question is a corporation, its shareholders voluntary purchased a part of its stock.
The corporation is thus financed with the profits it makes from selling shares.
In the early days of a specific business, this can be the only way to acquire sufficient financing.
As the company grows and matures from a small enterprise into a major interest, it has to accomplish financing in a different way.
There are numerous ways to do this, however, the most popular way is for the company to borrow money in order to finance a temporary operation.
The hope is that the company will benefit enough to not only take a surplus to the shareholders but repay the loan, as well.
This is an inherently risky business.
The one tool a company has to pay attention to in order to determine the amount of money it may safely borrow is the debt-to-equity ratio.
The ratio is computed by taking the total amount of the company's liabilities and dividing it by the total sum of the equity held by the shareholders.
The outcome is a single-digit or a decimal number.
For instance, a very conservative ratio is 0.
5, while a risky ratio is 2.
This may not appear like much of a difference until you remember that the ratio deals with potentially hundreds of millions of dollars in profits or losses.
The ratio shows executives and shareholders where the company's financing is coming from.
To stay in the previous case, a ratio higher than one means that the company is being financed by outstanding debt.
A ratio lower than one means that the company is being financed by equity rather than debt.
Based on the overall financial position of the business in question, either of these ratios can be equally tenable.
Another factor to take into consideration is the kind of industry the company is in.
Businesses in capital-intensive industries like car manufacturing usually have high debt-to-equity ratios because of the simple fact that the company needs to obtain many materials before it can make cars.
Since the manufacturing of cars is the company's main source of income, the company is financed through debt out of necessity.
The company has to incur debt in order to acquire the funds which, in turn, are needed to buy the raw materials necessary in order to manufacture cars.
In other industries, it is silly to use a high debt-to-equity ratio.
Companies that make personal computers, for example, typically have debt-to-equity ratios at 0.
5 or even less.
This is because it does not cost nearly as much to make a car as it does to make a computer.
Disclaimer: This article is provided for educational and informational purposes only and should not be considered a substitute for professional and/or financial advice.
The information found in this article is provided "AS IS", and all warranties, express or implied, are disclaimed by the author.
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