The Power of Ratios For Successful Stock Investing
The fourth part of this series deals with the debt/equity ratio, which is another key component of Warren Buffett’s legendary methodology. In fact, it is a component that the man himself treats very carefully when deciding which stocks to invest in. Just like the return on equity in the previous part of this series, it is an equation that is commonly used in finance, however, Buffett is the one who makes the most and greatest use of it.
The elements that comprise the debt/equity ratio are clearly evident and it’s very likely that many people first got acquainted with it in secondary school in a commerce subject. Nevertheless, some confusion may still reign, hence I will give a simple, short explanation. The debt/equity ratio is calculated by dividing total liabilities by shareholders’ equity.
Both total liabilities and shareholder’s equity can be found on a company’s balance sheet (sometimes known as the statement of financial position). This is known as taking its ‘book value’. On the other hand, if the concerned company’s debt and equity are publicly traded, you can use the market value instead. There is also the possibility of using a mixture of both the book and market value.
The ratio illustrates the proportion of debt and equity the company is utilising to support its assets. If a ratio is high, this corresponds to a situation where debt is mainly shoring up the company. The principal dilemma with a high ratio is that it renders earnings volatile and leaves it at the mercy of interest rates, which can be expensive.
Buffett pays a lot of attention to the results of this ratio and the reasons behind this is a important lesson for all investors. He doesn’t differ from other investors, in that he would much prefer companies which have a low amount of debt and the reasoning behind this that a low amount of debt implies income growth is being derived from shareholders’ equity rather than borrowed money in the form of loans. The problem is that if a company uses loans to prop up its income, this normally leads to a vicious cycle of debt and repayments forming which in inherently inconsistent and dependant on the level of the rate of interest.
What investors should take from this part of the series is that they should focus on companies that possess a low ratio, but not just any low ratio, it must be low compared to other companies in the same sector. It’s not difficult to get the numbers necessary to calculate such a ratio, because as I highlighted in a previous paragraph, this is all available on company reports which themselves are publicly available.
Some investors use only long-term debt instead of total liabilities in the calculation of the ratio. This could prove to be more useful and convenient as investing in stocks is for the long-term not the short-term. This is not just my own personal view, but Warren Buffett’s own way of thinking.
The final part of this series will focus on the left over element of Buffett’s methodology - profit margins, an underestimated concept in finance today. Keep your eye out for it!
