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.
Role of Debt-to-Equity Ratio in Company Profitability
The average D/E ratio among S&P 500 companies is approximately 1.6. 2 Each industry will vary in its average based on how capital-intensive it is and how much debt is needed to operate.
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.
The debt-to-equity (D/E) ratio is a metric that provides insight into a company's use of debt. In general, a company with a high D/E ratio is considered a higher risk to lenders and investors because it suggests that the company is financing a significant amount of its potential growth through borrowing.
The higher your debt-to-equity ratio, the worse the organization's financial situation might be. Having a high debt-to-equity ratio essentially means the company finances its operations through accumulating debt rather than funds it earns. Although this isn't always bad, it often indicates higher financial risk.
Tesla, Inc. (TSLA) had Debt to Equity Ratio of 0.07 for the most recently reported fiscal year, ending 2022-12-31.
Apple Long Term Debt to Equity is quite stable at the moment as compared to the past year. The company's current value of Long Term Debt to Equity is estimated at 0.77. Debt to Equity Ratio is expected to rise to 2.35 this year, although the value of Average Equity will most likely fall to about 114.9 B.
A debt to equity ratio can be below 1, equal to 1, or greater than 1. A ratio of 1 means that both creditors and shareholders contribute equally to the assets of the business. A ratio greater than 1 implies that the majority of the assets are funded through debt.
Based on Apple's financial statement as of February 3, 2023, long-term debt is at $99.63 billion and current debt is at $11.48 billion, amounting to $111.11 billion in total debt.
Generally speaking, a debt-to-equity or debt-to-assets ratio below 1.0 would be seen as relatively safe, whereas ratios of 2.0 or higher would be considered risky. Some industries, such as banking, are known for having much higher debt-to-equity ratios than others.
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 debt to equity ratio of 5 means that debt holders have a 5 times more claim on assets than equity holders. A high debt to equity ratio usually means that a company has been aggressive in financing growth with debt and often results in volatile earnings.
Ways to reduce debt-to-equity ratio
One of the most effective ways to do this is to increase revenue. Then, as your company's equity increases, you can use the funds to pay off debts or purchase new assets, thereby keeping your debt-to-equity ratio stable. Effective inventory management is also important.
Overall, however, a D/E ratio of 1.5 or lower is considered desirable, and a ratio higher than 2 is considered less favorable.
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.
Debt always prevails. Even if an interest passes both the debt and equity test, it is treated as a debt interest. This is called the tie-breaker rule.
Currently, Ford has a total long-term debt of $140 billion, while GM is right behind with $115 billion in the same category. Tesla, on the other hand, has just $5 billion in long-term debt, and plenty of cash to show for it.
However, because it has a cash reserve of US$8.47b, its net debt is less, at about US$39.9b.
In general, if your debt-to-equity ratio is too high, it's a signal that your company may be in financial distress and unable to pay your debtors. But if it's too low, it's a sign that your company is over-relying on equity to finance your business, which can be costly and inefficient.
The ideal debt to equity ratio is 2:1. This means that at no given point of time should the debt be more than twice the equity because it becomes riskier to pay back and hence there is a fear of bankruptcy.
Key Takeaways
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.
Generally speaking, a debt-to-equity ratio of between 1 and 1.5 is considered 'good'. A higher ratio suggests that debt is being used to finance business growth. This is considered a riskier prospect.
What Is Amazon.com's Net Debt? The image below, which you can click on for greater detail, shows that at December 2022 Amazon.com had debt of US$85.1b, up from US$57.7b in one year. However, because it has a cash reserve of US$70.0b, its net debt is less, at about US$15.1b.
Johnson & Johnson Debt to Equity Ratio: 0.7465 for March 31, 2023.