What is a really bad debt-to-equity ratio?
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.
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.
Interpreting the Debt Ratio
If the ratio is over 1, a company has more debt than assets. If the ratio is below 1, the company has more assets than debt. Broadly speaking, ratios of 60% (0.6) or more are considered high, while ratios of 40% (0.4) or less are considered low.
A debt ratio between 30% and 36% is also considered good. It's when you're approaching 40% that you have to be very, very vigilant. With a threshold like that, you're a greater risk to lenders. You may already be having trouble making your payments each month.
2. 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.
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.
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.
A company's debt ratio can be calculated by dividing total debt by total assets. A debt ratio of greater than 1.0 or 100% means a company has more debt than assets while a debt ratio of less than 100% indicates that a company has more assets than debt.
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. While a low debt ratio suggests greater creditworthiness, there is also risk associated with a company carrying too little debt.
Conversely, a debt ratio above 0.6 or 0.7 (60-70%) is a higher risk and may discourage investment. The highest possible ratio is 1.0, which shows that a company can sell all of its assets to cover its debts, leaving no assets after the sale.
How much bad debt is acceptable?
Generally speaking, a good debt-to-income ratio is anything less than or equal to 36%. Meanwhile, any ratio above 43% is considered too high.
If your business debt exceeds 30 percent of your business capital, this is another signal you're carrying too much debt. The best accounting software can help you track your business debt, manage your cash flow, and better understand your business' financial situation.
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.
Apple has a total shareholder equity of $74.1B and total debt of $108.0B, which brings its debt-to-equity ratio to 145.8%. Its total assets and total liabilities are $353.5B and $279.4B respectively.
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.
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.
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.
A zero debt-to-equity (D/E) ratio means that a company has no debt, and its financing is entirely derived from equity or shareholders' investments. In general, having a zero D/E ratio could be viewed positively because it indicates that the company has a low financial risk and does not have to pay any interest on debt.
Debt-to-equity ratio values tend to land between 0.1 (almost no debt relative to equity) and 0.9 (very high levels of debt relative to equity). Most companies aim for a ratio between these two extremes, both for reasons of economic sustainability and to attract investors or lenders.
Whether 1.25 is good largely depends on the industry in which the company operates. If you're in a capital intensive industry, then 1.25 may be considered a low debt to equity ratio. But if other companies don't have much debt, 1.25 might be high.
Why is a 1.2 debt-to-equity ratio good?
With a debt to equity ratio of 1.2, investing is less risky for the lenders because the business is not highly leveraged — meaning it isn't primarily financed with debt.
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.
50% or more: Take Action - You may have limited funds to save or spend. With more than half your income going toward debt payments, you may not have much money left to save, spend, or handle unforeseen expenses. With this DTI ratio, lenders may limit your borrowing options.
| Generation | Average total debt (2023) | Average total debt (2022) |
|---|---|---|
| Millenial (27-42) | $125,047 | $115,784 |
| Gen X (43-57) | $157,556 | $154,658 |
| Baby Boomer (58-77) | $94,880 | $96,087 |
| Silent Generation (78+) | $38,600 | $39,345 |
Your ratio tells you how much debt you have per $1.00 of equity. A ratio of 0.5 means that you have $0.50 of debt for every $1.00 in equity. A ratio above 1.0 indicates more debt than equity. So, a ratio of 1.5 means you have $1.50 of debt for every $1.00 in equity.
