Does higher debt mean higher risk?
A high debt-to-equity ratio comes with high risk. If the ratio is high, it means that the company is lending capital from others to finance its growth. As a result, lenders and Investors often lean towards the company which has a lower debt-to-equity ratio.
As a business takes on more and more debt, its probability of defaulting on its debt increases. This is because more debt equals higher interest payments.
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.
A high debt to equity ratio indicates a business using debt to finance its growth. Companies that invest large amounts of money in assets and operations (capital-intensive companies) often have a higher debt ratio.
The debt-to-equity (D/E) ratio is a commonly used measure of a company's capital structure and can provide insight into its level of risk. A company with a high proportion of debt in its capital structure may be considered riskier for investors, but may also have greater potential for growth.
Unlike equity, debt must at some point be repaid. Interest is a fixed cost which raises the company's break-even point. High interest costs during difficult financial periods can increase the risk of insolvency.
The main distinguishing factor between equity vs debt funds is risk e.g. equity has a higher risk profile compared to debt. Investors should understand that risk and return are directly related, in other words, you have to take more risk to get higher returns.
However, a debt ratio greater than one indicates a more risky financial future, while a lower debt ratio, generally around 0.5, implies your business is on good financial ground and has the potential for longevity. Tip: Be sure to divide liabilities into assets, otherwise, your results will be inaccurate.
What's considered too much debt is relative and varies by person based on the financial situation. There's no specific definition of “a lot of debt” — $10,000 might be a high amount of debt to one person, for example, but a very manageable debt for someone else.
Debt financing is generally considered to be less risky than equity financing because lenders have a legal right to be repaid. However, equity investors have the potential to earn higher returns if the company is successful. The level of risk and return associated with debt and equity financing varies.
What is a bad debt ratio?
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 Bottom Line
The total debt-to-total assets ratio compares the total amount of liabilities of a company to all of its assets. The ratio is used to measure how leveraged the company is, as higher ratios indicate more debt is used as opposed to equity capital.
Debt is often favorable to issuing equity capital, but too much debt can increase the risk of default or even bankruptcy. Operating leverage and financial leverage are two key metrics that investors should analyze to understand the relative amount of debt a firm has and if they can service it.
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.
The higher a company's debt-to-total assets ratio, the more it is said to be leveraged. Highly leveraged companies carry more risk of missing debt payments should their revenues decline, and it is harder to raise new debt to get through a downturn.
35% or less: Looking Good - Relative to your income, your debt is at a manageable level. You most likely have money left over for saving or spending after you've paid your bills. Lenders generally view a lower DTI as favorable.
Debt provides an opportunity to extend your cash runway between raise rounds. If your burn rate leaves you without enough time and funds until more capital can be raised, debt is a worthwhile consideration. Working to increase sales and reduce expenses is also worthwhile, but results are not guaranteed.
In general, a lower D/E ratio is preferred as it indicates less debt on a company's balance sheet.
Indeed, debt has a real cost to it, the interest payable. But equity has a hidden cost, the financial return shareholders expect to make. This hidden cost of equity is higher than that of debt since equity is a riskier investment. Interest cost can be deducted from income, lowering its post-tax cost further.
Tesla, Inc. (TSLA) had Debt to Equity Ratio of 0.08 for the most recently reported fiscal year, ending 2023-12-31.
Is 0.5 a good debt-to-equity ratio?
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.
This result may be considered postive or negative, depending on the industry standard for companies of similar size and activity. For creditors, a lower debt-to-asset ratio is preferred as it means shareholders have contributed a large portion of the funds to the business, and thus creditors are more likely to be paid.
Credello: Studies show that Millennials often have debt. The average amount is almost $30K. Some have more, while others have less, but it's a sobering number. There are actions you can take if you're a Millennial and you're carrying this much debt.
Gen Z (up to age 26): 20.8% have no loan, 72.4% have one loan, 6.3% have two loans; average monthly payment is $429. Millennials (27-42): 36.8% have no auto loan, 52.9% have one, 9.3% have two; average monthly payment is $547.
It will take 41 months to pay off $30,000 with payments of $1,000 per month, assuming the average credit card APR of around 18%. The time it takes to repay a balance depends on how often you make payments, how big your payments are and what the interest rate charged by the lender is.
