Question

The liquidity of a business firm is measured by its ability to satisfy its long-term obligations as they become due. What are the ratios used for this purpose?

Answer 1

The liquidity of a business firm is measured by its ability to pay its long term obligations. The long term obligations include payments of principal amount on the due date and payments of interests on the regular basis. Long term solvency of any business can be calculated on the basis of the following ratios.

a. Debt-Equity Ratio- It depicts the relationship between the borrowed fund and owner’s funds. The lower the debt-equity ratio higher will be the degree of security to the lenders. A low debt-equity ratio implies that the company can easily meet its long term obligations.

b. Total Assets to Debt Ratio- It shows the relationship between the total assets and the long term loans. A high Total Assets to Debt Ratio implies that more assets are financed by the owner’s fund and the company can easily meet its long-term obligations. Thus, a higher ratio implies more security to the lenders.

c. Interest Coverage Ratio- This ratio depicts the relationship between amount of profit utilised for paying interest and amount of interest payable. A high Interest Coverage Ratio implies that the company can easily meet all its interest obligations out of its profit.