debt ratio

Definition
Debt capital divided by total assets. This will tell you how much the company relies on debt to finance assets. When calculating this ratio, it is conventional to consider both current and non-current debt and assets. In general, the lower the company's reliance on debt for asset formation, the less risky the company is since excessive debt can lead to a very heavy interest and principal repayment burden. However, when a company chooses to forgo debt and rely largely on equity, they are also giving up the tax reduction effect of interest payments. Thus, a company will have to consider both risk and tax issues when deciding on an optimal debt ratio.




debt ratio is ...
... part of the
Accounting subject.


Related Terms

equity multiplier -  More
equity injection -  More


debt ratio appears in the definitions of these other terms on BusinessDictionary.com

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