What does debt-to-equity ratio tell you?
The debt-to-equity (D/E) ratio compares a company's total liabilities with its shareholder equity and can be used to assess the extent of its reliance on debt. D/E ratios vary by industry and are best used to compare direct competitors or to measure change in the company's reliance on debt over time.
Generally, a good debt to equity ratio is around 1 to 1.5. However, the ideal debt to equity ratio will vary depending on the industry, as some industries use more debt financing than others.
The debt-to-equity (D/E) ratio reflects a company's debt status. A high D/E ratio is considered risky for lenders and investors because it suggests that the company is financing a significant amount of its potential growth through borrowing.
Generally, a lower ratio is better, as it implies that the company is in less debt and is less risky for lenders and investors. A debt-to-equity ratio of 0.5 or below is considered good.
The debt to equity ratio shows a company's debt as a percentage of its shareholder's equity. If the debt to equity ratio is less than 1.0, then the firm is generally less risky than firms whose debt to equity ratio is greater than 1.0.
What is a bad debt-to-equity ratio? When the ratio is more around 5, 6 or 7, that's a much higher level of debt, and the bank will pay attention to that. “It doesn't mean the company has a problem, but you have to look at why their debt load is so high,” says Lemieux.
A good debt to equity ratio is around 1 to 1.5. However, the ideal debt to equity ratio will vary depending on the industry because some industries use more debt financing than others. Capital-intensive industries like the financial and manufacturing industries often have higher ratios that can be greater than 2.
The optimal debt-to-equity ratio will tend to vary widely by industry, but the general consensus is that it should not be above a level of 2.0. While some very large companies in fixed asset-heavy industries (such as mining or manufacturing) may have ratios higher than 2, these are the exception rather than the rule.
A debt-to-equity ratio of 1.5 would indicate that the company in question has $1.50 of debt for every $1 of equity. To illustrate, suppose the company had assets of $2 million and liabilities of $1.2 million. Since equity is equal to assets minus liabilities, the company's equity would be $800,000.
The lower value of the debt-to-equity ratio is considered favourable, as it indicates a reduced risk. So, if the ratio of debt to equity is 0.5, that means that the company has half its liabilities because it has equity.
What is too high of a debt-to-equity ratio?
Generally, a good debt-to-equity ratio is anything lower than 1.0. A ratio of 2.0 or higher is usually considered risky. If a debt-to-equity ratio is negative, it means that the company has more liabilities than assets—this company would be considered extremely risky.
Importance of the debt-to-equity ratio for investors
If a business has too much debt, it may not have enough cash to fund growth or pay dividends. If it can't make its payments, it could file for bankruptcy — potentially leaving equity holders with nothing.
While this may sound like an attractive financial position, it's not necessarily always good. On the positive side, a zero debt-to-equity ratio can mean that a company has a strong financial position, is not burdened with debt payments, and has greater flexibility in its financial management.
Tesla, Inc. (TSLA) had Debt to Equity Ratio of 0.08 for the most recently reported fiscal year, ending 2023-12-31.
A debt ratio below 0.5 is typically considered good, as it signifies that debt represents less than half of total assets. A debt ratio of 0.75 suggests a relatively high level of financial leverage, with debt constituting 75% of total assets.
From a pure risk perspective, debt ratios of 0.4 or lower are considered better, while a debt ratio of 0.6 or higher makes it more difficult to borrow money.
Yes, a D/E ratio of 50% or 0.5 is very good. This means it is a low-debt business and the company's equity is twice as high as its debts.
Most lenders say a DTI of 36% is acceptable, but they want to lend you money, so they're willing to cut some slack. Many financial advisors say a DTI higher than 35% means you have too much debt. Others stretch the boundaries up to the 49% mark.
The bad debt to sales ratio represents the fraction of uncollectible accounts receivables in a year compared to total sales. For example, if a company's revenue is $100,000 and it's unable to collect $3,000, the bad debt to sales ratio is (3,000/100,000=0.03).
The maximum acceptable debt-to-equity ratio for more companies is between 1.5-2 or less. Large companies having a value higher than 2 of the debt-to-equity ratio is acceptable. 3. A debt-to-equity ratio indicates that a company may not be able to generate enough cash to satisfy its debt obligations.
What does debt equity ratio of 0.4 mean?
Most lenders hesitate to lend to someone with a debt to equity/asset ratio over 40%. Over 40% is considered a bad debt equity ratio for banks. Similarly, a good debt to asset ratio typically falls below 0.4 or 40%. This means that your total debt is less than 40% of your total assets.
The ratio is the number of times debt is to equity. Therefore, if a financial corporation's ratio is 2.5 it means that the debt outstanding is 2.5 times larger than their equity. Higher debt can result in volatile earnings due to additional interest expense as well as increased vulnerability to business downturns.
Example of Debt to Equity Ratio
A corporation with $1,200,000 of liabilities and $2,000,000 of stockholders' equity will have a debt to equity ratio of 0.6:1. A corporation with total liabilities of $1,200,000 and stockholders' equity of $400,000 will have a debt to equity ratio of 3:1.
Good debt-to-equity ratio for businesses
Many investors prefer a company's debt-to-equity ratio to stay below 2—that is, they believe it is important for a company's debts to be only double their equity at most. Some investors are more comfortable investing when a company's debt-to-equity ratio doesn't exceed 1 to 1.5.
A debt-to-equity ratio of 1.0 means that for every dollar of equity a company has, it uses $1 of debt to run the business. A debt-to-equity ratio of 2.0 means that for every $1 of equity a company has, it taps into $2 of financing. A debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75 equates to 75 cents borrowed for every $1 of equity.
