What Does Cisco Systems' Debt Look Like?

Over the past three months, shares of Cisco Systems' Inc. CSCO decreased by 6.93%. Before having a look at the importance of debt, let's look at how much debt Cisco Systems' has.

Cisco Systems' Debt

Based on Cisco Systems''s balance sheet as of September 8, 2022, long-term debt is at $8.42 billion and current debt is at $1.10 billion, amounting to $9.52 billion in total debt. Adjusted for $7.08 billion in cash-equivalents, the company's net debt is at $2.44 billion.

Let's define some of the terms we used in the paragraph above. Current debt is the portion of a company's debt which is due within 1 year, while long-term debt is the portion due in more than 1 year. Cash equivalents includes cash and any liquid securities with maturity periods of 90 days or less. Total debt equals current debt plus long-term debt minus cash equivalents.

Investors look at the debt-ratio to understand how much financial leverage a company has. Cisco Systems' has $94.00 billion in total assets, therefore making the debt-ratio 0.1. 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 35% might be higher for one industry, but average for another.

Why Debt Is Important

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.

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This article was generated by Benzinga's automated content engine and reviewed by an editor.