Cash Ratio - Definition, What is Cash Ratio, Advantages of Cash Ratio, and Latest News - ClearTax (2024)

Meaning of Cash Ratio

The cash ratio is a measure of the liquidity of a firm, namely the ratio of the total assets and cash equivalents of a firm to its current liabilities. The metric calculates the ability of a company to repay its short-term debt with cash or near-cash resources, such as securities which are easily marketable. This information is useful when investors determine how much money they will be willing to loan a company if any.

In the worst-case scenario, the cash ratio is more like a measure of a firm's value — say, that the company is about to quit the business. It tells analysts and creditors the worth of current assets that could be converted quickly into cash, and what percentage of the current liabilities of a company could cover those cash and near-cash assets.

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Cash Ratio

Understanding Cash Ratio in Detail

Compared to other liquidity ratios, the cash ratio is generally a more conservative look at a company's ability to cover its debts and obligations, because it sticks strictly to cash or cash-equivalent holdings—leaving other assets, including accounts receivable, out of the equation.

Importance of Cash Ratio

Most commonly, the cash ratio is used as a measure of the liquidity of a firm. This measure indicates the willingness of the company to do so without having to sell or liquidate other assets if the company is required to pay its current liabilities immediately.

A cash ratio is expressed as an amount, larger or smaller than 1. When the ratio is determined, if the outcome is equal to 1, the corporation has exactly the same sum of current liabilities as assets and cash equivalents are paying off those debts.

Cash Ratio Limitations

The cash ratio is seldom used in a company's fundamental analysis by financial statements or analysts. Maintaining unsustainable amounts of cash and close cash reserves to fund current liabilities is not practical for a firm.

A company holding large amounts of cash on its balance sheet is often seen as poor utilisation of assets since this money could be returned to shareholders or used elsewhere to generate higher returns. Although offering an interesting prospect for liquidity, the utility of this ratio is minimal.

The cash ratio is more useful when compared to market averages and competitor averages, or when looking at improvements over time within the same business. A cash ratio below one sometimes indicates a firm is at risk of financial difficulty. But a low liquidity ratio may also be an indication of a company's particular policy that allows for low cash reserves to be maintained because, for example, funds are being used for growth.

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CONTENTS

  • Meaning of Cash Ratio
  • Understanding Cash Ratio in Detail
  • Importance of Cash Ratio
  • Cash Ratio Limitations
Cash Ratio - Definition, What is Cash Ratio, Advantages of Cash Ratio, and Latest News - ClearTax (2024)

FAQs

Cash Ratio - Definition, What is Cash Ratio, Advantages of Cash Ratio, and Latest News - ClearTax? ›

The cash ratio is a measure of the liquidity of a firm, namely the ratio of the total assets and cash equivalents of a firm to its current liabilities. The metric calculates the ability of a company to repay its short-term debt with cash or near-cash resources, such as securities which are easily marketable.

What is cash ratio? ›

Cash ratio is the measure of a company's liquidity. It indicates the company's ability to pay off its short-term debt obligations with its most liquid assets, which are cash and cash equivalents. It is primarily the ratio between the cash and cash equivalents of a company to its current liabilities.

How important is cash ratio? ›

The cash ratio is a critical metric for any business owner to track. It shows your company's time to generate new cash flow to pay short-term liabilities. The ratio can be affected by many factors, including your business's financial health, industry, and cash on hand.

What are the disadvantages of the cash ratio? ›

Limitations of Using Cash Ratios

It is both unrealistic and risky for a company to maintain excessive levels of liquid capital and cash assets to be used on short-term loans. Likewise, a cash ratio analysis doesn't consider the size of a business or take into consideration uniform accounting.

What is the cash ratio quick ratio and current ratio? ›

Differences Between the Cash Ratio, Quick Ratio, and Current Ratio. Here's how the formula for the cash ratio compares to the quick ratio and the current ratio: Cash ratio = (Cash + Marketable Securities) / Current Liabilities. Quick ratio = (Cash + Marketable Securities + Receivables) / Current Liabilities.

What is an example of a cash ratio? ›

It compares the amount of cash a company has with the amount of money it owes right now. Imagine you have $200 (cash & cash equivalent) in your wallet and owe a friend $100 (current liabilities). Your cash ratio would be 2 (cash & cash equivalent/current liability) as you have twice as much cash as you owe.

How do you calculate cash on cash ratio? ›

Cash on cash return is a metric used by real estate investors to assess potential investment opportunities. It is sometimes referred to as the "cash yield" on an investment. The cash on cash return formula is simple: Annual Net Cash Flow / Invested Equity = Cash on Cash Return.

What is a good cash ratio for a company? ›

There is no ideal figure, but a cash ratio is considered good if it is between 0.5 and 1. For example, a company with $200,000 in cash and cash equivalents, and $150,000 in liabilities, will have a 1.33 cash ratio.

What is the profit to cash ratio? ›

The Cash Conversion Ratio (CCR), also known as cash conversion rate, is a financial management tool used to determine the ratio of a company's cash flows to its net profit. In other words, it is a comparison of how much cash flow a company generates compared to its accounting profit.

What causes the cash ratio to decrease? ›

Generally, your current ratio shows the ability of your business to generate cash to meet its short-term obligations. A decline in this ratio can be attributable to an increase in short-term debt, a decrease in current assets, or a combination of both.

How much cash should I have on hand? ›

While you're working, we recommend you set aside at least $1,000 for emergencies to start and then build up to an amount that can cover three to six months of expenses. When you've retired, consider a cash reserve that might help cover one to two years of spending needs.

What is a good quick ratio? ›

Generally speaking, a good quick ratio is anything above 1 or 1:1. A ratio of 1:1 would mean the company has the same amount of liquid assets as current liabilities. A higher ratio indicates the company could pay off current liabilities several times over.

What is the debt to cash ratio? ›

The cash flow-to-debt ratio is the ratio of a company's cash flow from operations to its total debt. This ratio is a type of coverage ratio and can be used to determine how long it would take a company to repay its debt if it devoted all of its cash flow to debt repayment.

What is the ideal cash ratio for a bank? ›

Interpretation of the Cash Ratio

Although there is no ideal figure, a ratio of not lower than 0.5 to 1 is usually preferred. The cash ratio figure provides the most conservative insight into a company's liquidity since only cash and cash equivalents are taken into consideration.

What is a good current ratio for a bank? ›

What is a good current ratio? "Banks like to see a current ratio of more than 1 to 1, perhaps 1.2 to 1 or slightly higher is generally considered acceptable," explains Trevor Fillo, Senior Account Manager with BDC in Edmonton, Alberta. "A current ratio of 1.2 to 1 or higher generally provides a cushion.

What is a good cash profit ratio? ›

Good net profit ratio is a relative term as it might vary from industry to industry. However, companies generally aim for a profit ratio between 10% to 20%. Here, 10% is considered average, and 20% is considered above average.

What is a good cash flow ratio? ›

A high number, greater than one, indicates that a company has generated more cash in a period than what is needed to pay off its current liabilities. An operating cash flow ratio of less than one indicates the opposite—the firm has not generated enough cash to cover its current liabilities.

Is 0.2 a good cash ratio? ›

0.2 is considered to be the ideal cash ratio.

What is a good debt to cash ratio? ›

If your debt ratio does not exceed 30%, the banks will find it excellent. Your ratio shows that if you manage your daily expenses well, you should be able to pay off your debts without worry or penalty. A debt ratio between 30% and 36% is also considered good.

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