This glossary uses Visual Finance™ to bring financial terms to life. Each example shows data from the Round Number Company, a fictional business with simplified figures to make learning easier. For more details, visit 'How to Read Visual Finance'.
Ratio: Liabilities divided by Equity.
Example: The Round Number CompanyTotal Liabilities = 160; Equity = 140 Debt-to-Equity = 160/140 = 1.14 |
This ratio is a measure of the company’s safety, or ability to withstand adversity. This is a real What do you mean by that? term. What is meant by ‘debt'? Total Liabilities? Interest-bearing debt? Long-term debt? See the discussion at Debt.
See also the discussion at Leverage.
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Calculator for Debt to Equity Ratio
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The above is our generic explanations of common corporate financial terminology. Actual meanings can vary widely from company to company; in order to have the correct internal definition you need to ask your Finance Department, "What do you mean by that?"
term list.