Tesla: Debt Insights

Shares of Tesla TSLA increased by 117.93% in the past three months. Before having a look at the importance of debt, let us look at how much debt Tesla has.

Tesla's Debt

According to the Tesla’s most recent balance sheet as reported on July 28, 2020, total debt is at $14.10 billion, with $10.42 billion in long-term debt and $3.68 billion in current debt. Adjusting for $8.62 billion in cash-equivalents, the company has a net debt of $5.48 billion.

To understand the degree of financial leverage a company has, investors look at the debt ratio. Considering Tesla’s $38.13 billion in total assets, the debt-ratio is at 0.37. Generally speaking, a debt-ratio more than one 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. A debt ratio of 25% might be higher for one industry and average 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, interest-payment obligations can have an adverse impact on the cash-flow of the company. 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.