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- Cash. Includes physical money (local and foreign currency) as well as the savings account and/or current account balances.
- Cash equivalents. Cash equivalents are investment securities with a maturity period not exceeding a year. Examples include treasury bills, treasury bonds, certificates of deposit, and money market funds.
- Marketable securities. Stocks, bonds, and exchange traded funds (ETFs) are examples of marketable securities with a high degree of liquidity. They can be sold easily and it usually takes just a few days to receive the cash from their sale.
- Accounts receivable. Money owed to a business by its customers for goods and services provided makes up accounts receivable. The liquidity of accounts receivable varies.
- What Are Liquidity Ratios?
- Understanding Liquidity Ratios
- Types of Liquidity Ratios
- Who Uses Liquidity Ratios?
- Advantages and Disadvantages of Liquidity Ratios
- Special Considerations
- Solvency Ratios vs. Liquidity Ratios
- Profitability Ratios vs. Liquidity Ratios
- Example of Using Liquidity Ratios
- The Bottom Line
Liquidity ratios are a class of financial metrics used to determine a debtor's ability to pay off current debt obligations without raising external capital. Liquidity ratios measure a company's ability to pay debt obligations and its margin of safety through the calculation of metrics including the current ratio, quick ratio, and operating cash flo...
Liquidity is the ability to convert assets into cashquickly and cheaply. Liquidity ratios are most useful when they are used in comparative form. This analysis may be internal or external. For example, internal analysis regarding liquidity ratios involves using multiple accounting periods that are reported using the same accounting methods. Compari...
The Current Ratio
The current ratiomeasures a company's ability to pay off its current liabilities (payable within one year) with its total current assets such as cash, accounts receivable, and inventories. Calculations can be done by hand or using software such as Excel. The higher the ratio, the better the company's liquidity position: Current Ratio=Current AssetsCurrent Liabilities\text{Current Ratio} = \frac{\text{Current Assets}}{\text{Current Liabilities}}Current Ratio=Current LiabilitiesCurrent Assets
The Quick Ratio
The quick ratio measures a company's ability to meet its short-term obligations with its most liquid assets and therefore excludes inventories from its current assets. It is also known as the acid-testratio: Quick ratio=C+MS+ARCLwhere:C=cash & cash equivalentsMS=marketable securitiesAR=accounts receivableCL=current liabilities\begin{aligned} &\text{Quick ratio} = \frac{C + MS + AR}{CL} \\ &\textbf{where:}\\ &C=\text{cash \& cash equivalents}\\ &MS=\text{marketable securities}\\ &AR=\text{acco...
Days Sales Outstanding
Days sales outstanding(DSO) refers to the average number of days it takes a company to collect payment after it makes a sale. A high DSO means that a company is taking unduly long to collect payment and is tying up capital in receivables. DSOs are generally calculated on a quarterly or annual basis: DSO=Average accounts receivableRevenue per day\text{DSO} = \frac{\text{Average accounts receivable}}{\text{Revenue per day}}DSO=Revenue per dayAverage accounts receivable
Liquidity ratios are utilized by a variety of people. There's one single purpose to liquidity ratios, and their versatility makes them useful to a number of different users. The following stakeholders in varying domains can each use liquidity ratios in distinct ways: 1. Investors: Investors use liquidity ratios to assess the short-term financial he...
Advantages
One of the primary advantages of liquidity ratios is their simplicity and ease of calculation. This makes them accessible to investors, creditors, and analysts. These ratios offer a quick snapshot of a company's liquidity position without delving into complex financial analysis. For instance, the current ratio, which divides current assets by current liabilities, can quickly be determined by glancing at a company's balance sheet. Another advantage of liquidity ratios is their utility in asses...
Disadvantages
One drawback of liquidity ratios is that these ratios provide a static view of a company's liquidity position at a particular point in time. This means they don't consider the dynamic nature of business operations and cash flows. For example, the current ratio may indicate sufficient liquidity based on current assets and liabilities, but it doesn't account for the timing of cash inflows and outflows. A company with high receivables and inventory turnovermay have a healthy current ratio but st...
A liquidity crisiscan arise even at healthy companies if circumstances arise that make it difficult for them to meet short-term obligations such as repaying their loans and paying their employees. The best example of such a far-reaching liquidity catastrophe is the global credit crunch of 2007-09. Commercial paper—short-term debt that is issued by ...
In contrast to liquidity ratios, solvency ratios measure a company's ability to meet its total financial obligations and long-term debts. Solvencyrelates to a company's overall ability to pay debt obligations and continue business operations, while liquidity focuses more on current or short-term financial accounts. A company must have more total as...
Profitability ratios measure a company's ability to generate profit relative to its revenue, assets, or equity. These ratios assess the efficiency and effectiveness of a company's operations, providing insights into its ability to generate returns for shareholders. In contrast, liquidity ratios focus on a company's ability to meet its short-term fi...
Let's use a couple of these liquidity ratios to demonstrate their effectiveness in assessing a company's financial condition. Consider two hypothetical companies—Liquids Inc. and Solvents Co.—with the following assets and liabilities on their balance sheets (figures in millions of dollars). We assume that both companies operate in the same manufact...
Liquidity ratios are simple yet powerful financial metrics that provide insight into a company's ability to meet its short-term obligations promptly. They offer a quick snapshot of the liquidity position, aiding stakeholders in assessing financial stability, resilience, and making informed decisions.
Summary. A liquidity ratio is used to determine a company’s ability to pay its short-term debt obligations. The three main liquidity ratios are the current ratio, quick ratio, and cash ratio. When analyzing a company, investors and creditors want to see a company with liquidity ratios above 1.0.
Dec 22, 2020 · Liquidity is a measure companies uses to examine their ability to cover short-term financial obligations. It’s a measure of your business’s ability to convert assets—or anything your company owns with financial value—into cash. Liquid assets can be quickly and easily changed into currency.
Jul 19, 2022 · Cash is the most liquid asset, and companies may also hold very short-term investments that are considered cash equivalents that are also extremely liquid. Companies often have other short-term...
- Jim Mueller
Examples of the most liquid assets include cash, accounts receivable, and inventory for merchandising or manufacturing businesses. The reason these are among the most liquid assets is that these assets will be turned into cash more quickly than land or buildings, for example.
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Jan 22, 2023 · Physical currency is the only truly liquid asset, since it represents capital in its most accessible form. Because funds deposited in checking or savings accounts can generally be accessed...
