Ford Motor's Debt Overview

Over the past three months, shares of Ford Motor Inc. F increased by 17.80%. Before having a look at the importance of debt, let's look at how much debt Ford Motor has.

Ford Motor's Debt

According to the Ford Motor’s most recent financial statement as reported on July 31, 2020, total debt is at $175.23 billion, with $119.89 billion in long-term debt and $55.34 billion in current debt. Adjusting for $30.99 billion in cash-equivalents, the company has a net debt of $144.24 billion.

To understand the degree of financial leverage a company has, investors look at the debt ratio. Considering Ford Motor’s $269.37 billion in total assets, the debt-ratio is at 0.65. Generally speaking, a debt-ratio more than 1 means that a large portion of debt is funded by assets. As the debt-ratio increases, so the does the risk of defaulting on loans, if interest rates were to increase. Different industries have different thresholds of tolerance for debt-ratios. For example, a debt ratio of 35% might be higher for one industry, whereas normal for another.

Why Investors Look At Debt?

Besides equity, debt is an important factor in the capital structure of a company, and contributes to its growth. Due to its lower financing cost compared to equity, it becomes an attractive option for executives trying to raise capital.

However, due to interest-payment obligations, cash-flow of a company can be impacted. Having financial leverage also allows companies to use additional capital for business operations, allowing equity owners to retain excess profit, generated by the debt capital.