Total Debt-to-Total Assets Ratio: Meaning, Formula, and What's Good (2024)

What Is the Total Debt-to-Total Assets Ratio?

The debt ratio, or total debt-to-total assets, is calculated by dividing a company's total debt by its total assets. It is also called the debt-to-assets ratio. It is a leverage ratio that defines how much debt a company carries compared to the value of the assets it owns.

Using this metric, analysts can compare one company's leverage with that of other companies in the same industry. This information can reflect how financially stable a company is. The higher the ratio, the higher the degree of leverage (DoL). Depending on averages for the industry, there could be a higher risk of investing in that company compared to another.

Key Takeaways

  • The total debt-to-total assets ratio is calculated by dividing a company's total debt by its total assets.
  • This ratio shows the degree to which a company has used debt to finance its assets.
  • The calculation considers all of the company's debt, not just loans and bonds payable, and all assets, including intangibles.
  • If a company has a total debt-to-total assets ratio of 0.4, 40% of its assets are financed by creditors, and 60% are financed by owners' (shareholders') equity.
  • The ratio does not inform users of the composition of assets nor how a single company's ratio may compare to others in the same industry.

Total Debt-to-Total Assets Ratio: Meaning, Formula, and What's Good (1)

Understanding the Total Debt-to-Total Assets Ratio

The total debt-to-total assets ratio analyzes a company's balance sheet. The calculation includes long-term and short-term debt (borrowings maturing within one year) of the company. It also encompasses all assets—both tangible and intangible.

It indicates how much debt is used to carry a firm's assets, and how those assets might be used to service that debt. Therefore, it measures a firm's degree of leverage.

Debt servicing payments must be made under all circ*mstances, otherwise, the company would breach its debt covenants and run the risk of being forced into bankruptcy by creditors. While other liabilities, such as accounts payable and long-term leases, can be negotiated to some extent, there is very little “wiggle room” with debt covenants.

A company with a high degree of leverage may thus find it more difficult to stay afloat during a recession than one with low leverage.

Total Debt-to-Total Assets Formula

The total debt-to-total assets formula is the quotient of total debt divided by total assets. As shown below, total debt includes both short-term and long-term liabilities.

TD/TA=Short-TermDebt+Long-TermDebtTotalAssets\begin{aligned} &\text{TD/TA} = \frac{ \text{Short-Term Debt} + \text{Long-Term Debt} }{ \text{Total Assets} } \\ \end{aligned}TD/TA=TotalAssetsShort-TermDebt+Long-TermDebt

This calculation generally results in ratios of less than 1.0 (100%).

What Does the Total Debt-to-Total AssetsRatio Tell You?

Total debt-to-total assets is a measure of the company's assets that are financed by debt rather than equity. If the calculation yields a result greater than 1, this means the company is technically insolvent as it has more liabilities than all of its assets combined. A result of 0.5 (or 50%) means that 50% of the company's assets are financed using debt (with the other half being financed through equity).

Leverage Trends

When calculated over several years, this leverage ratio can show a company's use of leverage as a function of time. For example, a ratio that drops 0.1% every year for ten years would show that as a company ages, it reduces its use of leverage.

Ability to Meet Debts

Investors use the ratio to evaluate whether the company has enough funds to meet its current debt obligations and to assess whether it can pay a return on its investment. Creditors use the ratio to see how much debt the company already has and whether the company can repay its existing debts. This will determine whether additional loans will be extended to the firm.

A total debt-to-total asset ratio greater than one means that if the company were to cease operating, not all debtors would receive payment on their holdings.

Real-World Example of the Total Debt-to-Total Assets Ratio

Let's examine the total debt-to-total assets ratio for three companies:

  • Alphabet, Inc. (Google), as of its fiscal quarter ending March 31, 2022.
  • Costco Wholesale, as of its fiscal quarter ending May 8, 2022.
  • Hertz Global Holdings, as of its fiscal quarter ending March 31, 2022.
Debt to Assets Comparison
(Data in millions)GoogleCostcoHertz
Total Debt$107,633$31,845$18,239
Total Assets$359,268$63,852$20,941
Total Debt to Assets0.300.500.87

Here's what each company's ratio can tell you about it:

  • Google is not weighed down by debt obligations and will likely be able to secure additional capital at potentially lower rates compared to the other two companies. Although its debt balance is more than three times higher than Costco, it carries proportionally less debt to total assets compared to the other two companies.
  • Costco has been financed nearly evenly split between debt and equity. This means the company carries roughly the same amount of debt as it does in retained earnings, common stock, and net income.
  • Hertz is known for carrying a high degree of debt on its balance sheet. Although its debt balance is smaller than the other two companies, almost 90% of all the assets it owns are financed. Hertz has the lowest degree of flexibility of these three companies as it has legal obligations to fulfill (whereas Google has flexibility regarding dividend distributions to shareholders).

It's also important to understand the size, industry, and goals of each company to interpret their total debt-to-total assets. Google is no longer a technology start-up; it is an established company with proven revenue models that make it easier to attract investors. Meanwhile, Hertz is a much smaller company that may not be as enticing to shareholders. Hertz may find investor demands are too great to secure financing, turning to financial institutions for capital instead.

Total debt-to-total assets may be reported as a decimal or a percentage. For example, Google's .30 total debt-to-total assets may also be communicated as 30%. This means that 30% of Google's assets are financed through debt.

Limitations of the Total Debt-to-Total Assets Ratio

One shortcoming of the total debt-to-total assets ratio is that it does not provide any indication of asset quality since it lumps all tangible and intangible assets together.

For example, in the example above, Hertz reported $2.9 billion in intangible assets, $1.3 billion in PPE, and $1.04 billion in goodwill as part of its total $20.9 billion of assets. Therefore, the company had more debt ($18.2 billion) on its books than all of its $15.7 billion current assets (assets that can be quickly converted to cash).

Should all of its debts be called immediately by lenders, the company would be unable to pay all its debt, even if the total debt-to-total assets ratio indicates it might be able to.

As with all other ratios, the trend of the total debt-to-total assets ratio should be evaluated over time. This will help assess whether the company’s financial risk profile is improving or deteriorating. For example, a trend of increasing leverage use might indicate that a business is unwilling or unable to pay down its debt, which could signify issues in the future.

What Is a Good Total Debt-to-Total Assets Ratio?

A company's total debt-to-total assets ratio is specific to that company's size, industry, sector, and capitalization strategy. For example, start-up tech companies are often more reliant on private investors and will have lower total debt-to-total-asset calculations. However, more secure, stable companies may find it easier to secure loans from banks and have higher ratios. In general, a ratio around 0.3 to 0.6 is where many investors will feel comfortable, though a company's specific situation may yield different results.

Is a Low Total Debt-to-Total Asset Ratio Good?

A low total debt-to-total-asset ratio isn't necessarily good or bad. It simply means that the company has decided to prioritize raising money by issuing stock to investors instead of taking out loans at a bank. While a lower calculation means a company avoids paying as much interest, it also means owners retain less residual profits because shareholders may be entitled to a portion of the company's earnings.

How Do I Calculate Total Debt-to-Total Assets?

The total debt-to-total-asset ratio is calculated by dividing a company's total debts by its total assets. All debts and assets are considered.

Can A Company's Total Debt-to-Total Asset Ratio Be Too High?

Yes, a company's total debt-to-total-asset ratio can be too high. For example, imagine an industry where the debt ratio average is 25%—if a business in that industry carries 50%, it might be too high, but it depends on many factors that must be considered.

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. To gain the best insight into the total debt-to-total assets ratio, it's often best to compare the findings of a single company over time or the ratios of similar companies in the same industry.

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Total Debt-to-Total Assets Ratio: Meaning, Formula, and What's Good (2024)

FAQs

Total Debt-to-Total Assets Ratio: Meaning, Formula, and What's Good? ›

A company's debt ratio

debt ratio
The debt ratio, or total debt-to-total assets, is calculated by dividing a company's total debt by its total assets. It is also called the debt-to-assets ratio. It is a leverage ratio that defines how much debt a company carries compared to the value of the assets it owns.
https://www.investopedia.com › terms › totaldebttototalassets
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.

What is a good total debt to assets ratio? ›

In general, a ratio around 0.3 to 0.6 is where many investors will feel comfortable, though a company's specific situation may yield different results.

What is a healthy ratio for the debt to assets ratio? ›

A lower debt ratio indicates that a company is less risky. If the value of debts to asset ratio is more than 1, it indicates that liabilities or debts are more than assets, and it can result in bankruptcy in the near future and it will be very risky to invest in such a company.

What does a debt to total assets ratio of 80% mean? ›

Debt-to-total-assets ratio = 0.8 or 80% This means that 80% of Company B's assets are financed by debt, which indicates that the company has a higher risk of defaulting on its loans.

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).

Is a 50% debt to asset ratio good? ›

Signal: Under . 5 or 50% is better; over 1.0 or 100% would indicate that liabilities exceed assets, which is not desirable; upward trend may be cause for concern. Calculation: Total liabilities may also be divided by total income or total capital for a different emphasis.

Is a 30% debt to asset ratio good? ›

It is generally agreed that a debt-to-asset ratio of 30% is low.

What is too high for debt to ratio? ›

Key takeaways

Debt-to-income ratio is your monthly debt obligations compared to your gross monthly income (before taxes), expressed as a percentage. A good debt-to-income ratio is less than or equal to 36%. Any debt-to-income ratio above 43% is considered to be too much debt.

How to interpret debt to total assets ratio? ›

The ratio represents the proportion of the company's assets that are financed by interest bearing liabilities (often called “funded debt.”) The higher the ratio, the greater the proportion of debt funding and the greater the risk of potential solvency issues for the business.

Is 75% a good debt ratio? ›

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.

What does a debt to asset ratio of 1.5 mean? ›

Example of the Debt to Assets Ratio

The 1.5 multiple in the ratio indicates a very high amount of leverage, so ABC has placed itself in a risky position where it must repay the debt by utilizing a small asset base.

Is it better to have a higher or lower debt to asset ratio? ›

A lower debt to income ratio will represent a more stable company, with a greater ability to borrow during times of growth or stress. Debt to Asset Ratio is only one ratio of many important factors that determine a company's strength.

Is a debt ratio of 80% good? ›

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. However, what constitutes a “good debt ratio” can vary depending on industry norms, business objectives, and economic conditions.

What is the best debt ratio range? ›

Generally, a good debt ratio is around 1 to 1.5. However, the ideal debt ratio will vary depending on the industry, as 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.

What is the acceptable total debt ratio? ›

What's a good debt-to-income ratio? A debt-to-income ratio under 30% is excellent and a ratio of 30% to 35% is acceptable. A ratio higher than 40% could make creditors reject your application for an auto loan, student loan or mortgage. Plus, it's a sign you're in financial trouble!

Is 15 a good debt ratio? ›

This compares annual payments to service all consumer debts—excluding mortgage payments—divided by your net income. This should be 20% or less of net income. A ratio of 15% or lower is healthy, and 20% or higher is considered a warning sign.

Is a debt ratio of 75% bad? ›

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.

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