Definition
The term funded capital ratio refers to a measure that allows the investor-analyst to understand how much of the company's fixed assets were purchased using long term funding. The funded capital ratio allows the investor-analyst to better understand a company's cost of debt.
Calculation
Funded Capital Ratio = (Stockholder's Equity + Long-Term Debt) / Fixed Assets
Where:
Fixed assets are typically shown on the balance sheet net of depreciation, and may also include a salvage value. This can cause some problems for the analyst when examining this ratio since it may understate the actual value of fixed assets.
Explanation
Capital structure and solvency measures allow the investor-analyst to understand the company's ability to remain in business in the long term. This is usually assessed by examining the relationship between debt, equity and the proportions of different types of stock. Solvency is the ability to continue operating, which oftentimes depends on cash flow. One of the ways to understand the overall capital structure of a company is by calculating their funded capital ratio.
The funded capital ratio provides the investor-analyst with information in terms of the company's cost of borrowing. For example, if the ratio is considerably lower than 100%, then the company may be using more expensive forms of funding for capital purchases. Typically, long term debt and stockholder's equity are a company's lowest cost options. Relying on short-term debt to finance capital projects can put a company at risk, especially when interest rates are at historical highs or on the rise.
Example
The manager of a large mutual fund would like to better understand Company ABC's cost of capital. The manager has a concern the company is using short-term debt to fund its capital purchases. He asked his analytical team to pull the company's latest 10K and calculate their funded capital ratio. The team found the following: fixed assets at $65,700,000, long-term debt at $22,600,000, and shareholder's equity at $37,500,000. The funded capital ratio would then be:
= ($37,500,000 + $22,600,000) / $65,700,000= $60,100,000 / $65,700,000, or 91.5%
Given how close the ratio is to 100%, the mutual fund manager asked his team to evaluate some additional solvency and capital structure metrics to better understand if Company ABC is in a financially stressed state.
Related Terms
- The term issued shares to authorized shares ratio refers to a measure that allows the investor-analyst to understand if a company may need to seek authorization to issue more shares of common stock in the future. The issued shares to authorized shares ratio may foreshadow the dilution of shares.
Moneyzine EditorNovember 29th, 2022 - The term net worth refers to a measure that allows the investor-analyst to understand how much money might be available to holders of common stock if a company were faced with liquidation. Net worth is of particular interest to lenders, which may require a company to maintain a threshold value for its net worth while a loan remains outstanding.Moneyzine EditorDecember 5th, 2023
- The term preferred stock to stockholder's equity refers to a measure that allows the investor-analyst to understand if a company is favors preferred stockholders to holders of common stock. The preferred stock to stockholder's equity ratio is may indicate control of earnings and dividends resides with preferred shareholders.Moneyzine EditorSeptember 21st, 2023
- The term retained earnings to stockholder's equity refers to a measure that allows the investor-analyst to understand if a company is retaining earnings to fund its growth or returning them to shareholders. The retained earnings to stockholder's equity ratio is of particular interest if company ownership is closely held by a small number of shareholders.Moneyzine EditorSeptember 21st, 2023
