A Look Into Walgreens Boots Alliance's Debt

Shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance WBA fell by 11.78% in the past three months. Before we understand the importance of debt, let us look at how much debt Walgreens Boots Alliance has.

Walgreens Boots Alliance's Debt

Based on Walgreens Boots Alliance’s financial statement as of July 9, 2020, long-term debt is at $12.11 billion and current debt is at $4.38 billion, amounting to $16.49 billion in total debt. Adjusted for $768.00 million in cash-equivalents, the company's net debt is at $15.72 billion.

Shareholders look at the debt-ratio to understand how much financial leverage a company has. Walgreens Boots Alliance has $86.44 billion in total assets, therefore making the debt-ratio 0.19. 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 35% might be higher for one industry and average for another.

Importance Of Debt

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.

Interest-payment obligations can impact the cash-flow of the company. Equity owners can keep excess profit, generated from the debt capital, when companies use the debt capital for its business operations.