The cash ratio is a liquidity ratio that assesses a company’s capacity to repay short-term creditors using its most liquid assets: cash and cash equivalents. This conservative liquidity indicator provides insights into a company’s financial health and stability by focusing primarily on cash and cash-like assets, eliminating less liquid inventories and receivables.
Formulas and Calculations
Cash Ratio = (Cash + Cash Equivalents)/Current Liabilities
- Cash: refers to physical currency, demand deposits, and other liquid assets that are quickly available for use.
- Cash Equivalents: Short-term assets that can be quickly converted to cash, such as Treasury bills, commercial paper, and money market funds.
- Current Liabilities: These are short-term financial obligations that are due within one year, such as accounts payable, short-term debt, and other immediate liabilities.
Interpretation.
1) High Cash Ratio:
- A cash ratio greater than one implies that a corporation has more than enough cash and cash equivalents to meet its current liabilities. This shows a high level of liquidity, but it may also indicate inefficient resource usage, as excessive cash holdings might result in lower investment returns.
2) Moderate Cash Ratio:
- A cash ratio of 0.5 to 1 shows appropriate liquidity. The company can cover a considerable percentage of its short-term liabilities with cash on hand, demonstrating a balanced approach to liquidity management.
3) Lower Cash Ratio:
- A cash ratio less than 0.5 suggests potential liquidity problems. The corporation may struggle to satisfy short-term obligations without selling assets or obtaining extra financing, indicating financial instability.
The Importance of Cash Ratio
1) Financial Stability:
- The cash ratio gives a fast view of a company’s short-term financial health, informing investors and creditors about the firm’s capacity to satisfy urgent obligations without resorting to asset liquidation or extra borrowing.
2) Conservative Measurement:
- Unlike other liquidity ratios such as the current ratio and quick ratio, the cash ratio does not include inventories or receivables, providing a more strict measure of liquidity.
3) Risk Management:
- Companies with larger cash ratios are better able to withstand economic downturns and unanticipated financial setbacks, lowering the chance of bankruptcy.
Limitations.
1) Overly conservative:
- The cash ratio may be overly conservative, potentially undervaluing a company’s liquidity situation by neglecting assets that, while not immediately liquid, can be converted to cash relatively fast.
2) Sector Variability:
- The appropriate cash ratio varies according to industry. Sectors with high capital requirements or longer receivable cycles may naturally have lower cash ratios, which do not necessarily indicate bad financial health.
Example:
A corporation with $5 million in cash and cash equivalents and $10 million in current obligations will have a cash ratio of:
Cash Ratio = 5 million/10 million = 0.5
Conclusion:
The cash ratio is an important measure for determining a company’s liquidity because it focuses entirely on the most liquid assets. While it is a strict measure of financial health, it should be used in conjunction with other financial indicators to gain a more complete picture of a company’s stability and operational efficiency.
