This fourth section of this serial treats the subject of the debt/equity ratio, another important part of the successful methodology used by Warren Buffett. As a matter of fact, it’s something that Buffett considers crucial when picking his stocks. Much like the return on equity that was explained in the third section of this serial, this ratio is commonly employed in the financial world, however, Buffett has the ability to use it in a way that nobody else does.
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 components of the ratio can be easily obtained by accessing a company’s balance sheet, which is also sometimes known as a statement of financial position. This process of finding and taking these numbers is known as taking the ‘book value.’ However, if the debt and equity was being traded publicly, you are able to use the market value if you choose to. Furthermore, you will have the option of using a combination of both.
The ratio displays the percentage of equity and debt the company is employing to finance its assets, and a higher ratio indicates that debt is principally propping up the company. The major complication with possessing a high ratio (which indicates a high level of debt when compared to equity) is that it tends to make earnings volatile and be the subject of large interest expenses.
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.
Several investors choose to only use long-term debt rather than total liabilities when calculating the ratio. This could be more effective and handy as stocks investing is for the long run not the short run. This doesn’t come from my own personal view, but in fact it’s part of Warren Buffett’s own methodology.
The next and final part of this series will focus on the remaining element of Buffett’s methodology - profit margins, an undervalued concept in finance today. Stay tuned!
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