Shares of Boeing’s Inc. (NYSE:BA) moved higher by 1.60% in the past three months. Before we understand the importance of debt, let’s look at how much debt Boeing’s has.
Boeing’s Debt
According to the Boeing’s’s most recent financial statement as reported on October 26, 2022, total debt is at $57.22 billion, with $51.79 billion in long-term debt and $5.43 billion in current debt. Adjusting for $13.49 billion in cash-equivalents, the company has a net debt of $43.73 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.
To understand the degree of financial leverage a company has, investors look at the debt ratio. Considering Boeing’s’s $137.56 billion in total assets, the debt-ratio is at 0.42. 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 25% might be higher for one industry, but 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, due to interest-payment obligations, cash-flow of a company can be impacted. Equity owners can keep excess profit, generated from the debt capital, when companies use the debt capital for its business operations.
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This article was generated by Benzinga’s automated content engine and reviewed by an editor.
