Over the past three months, shares of Microsoft Inc. MSFT moved higher by 22.68%. Before we understand the importance of debt, let's look at how much debt Microsoft has.
Microsoft's Debt
According to the Microsoft’s most recent financial statement as reported on July 31, 2020, total debt is at $63.33 billion, with $59.58 billion in long-term debt and $3.75 billion in current debt. Adjusting for $13.58 billion in cash-equivalents, the company has a net debt of $49.75 billion.
Investors look at the debt-ratio to understand how much financial leverage a company has. Microsoft has $301.31 billion in total assets, therefore making the debt-ratio 0.21. As a rule of thumb, a debt-ratio more than 1 indicates that a considerable portion of debt is funded by assets. A higher debt-ratio can also imply that the company might be putting itself at risk for default, if interest rates were to increase. However, debt-ratios vary widely across different industries. A debt ratio of 25% might be higher for one industry, whereas average for another.
Why Debt Is Important
Debt is an important factor in the capital structure of a company, and can help it attain growth. Debt usually has a relatively lower financing cost than equity, which makes it an attractive option for executives.
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.
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