The current ratio is a liquidity ratio that measures a company’s ability to pay short-term obligations or those due within one year. It tells investors and analysts how a company can maximize the current assets on its balance sheet to satisfy its current debt and other payables.

What is an example of a current ratio?

Current Ratio Calculation Current liabilities represent financial obligations that come due within one year. For example, a business has $5,000 in current assets and $2,500 in current liabilities. Current ratio = 5,000 / 2,500 = 2. This means that for every dollar in current liabilities, there is $2 in current assets.

How is current ratio used to evaluate a company?

The current ratio is a popular metric used across the industry to assess a company’s short-term liquidity with respect to its available assets and pending liabilities. In other words, it reflects a company’s ability to generate enough cash to pay off all its debts once they become due.

What current ratio indicates?

The current ratio indicates a company’s ability to meet short-term debt obligations. The current ratio measures whether or not a firm has enough resources to pay its debts over the next 12 months. Potential creditors use this ratio in determining whether or not to make short-term loans.

What happens when the current ratio is too high?

The current ratio is an indication of a firm’s liquidity. If the company’s current ratio is too high it may indicate that the company is not efficiently using its current assets or its short-term financing facilities. If current liabilities exceed current assets the current ratio will be less than 1.

What current ratio is good?

In most industries, a good current ratio is between 1.5 and 2. A ratio under 1 indicates that a company’s debts due in a year or less is greater than its assets. This means that your company could run short on cash during the next year unless a new way is found to generate faster.