Question

Your financial analyst calculated the following ratios for three companies: Boeing Microsoft PG&E Cash ratio 0.15 0.1 0.1 Current ratio 1.3 2.5 0.8 Debt ratio 0.9 0.4 0.75 Profit margin 5% 28% 6% Evaluate the statement "Boeing is a riskier company than Microsoft and PG&E because of its higher debt ratio." Yes: A higher debt ratio of Boeing than that of PG&E is a sign of short-term illiquidity. Not necessarily: The debt ratios are not directly comparable, since each company is in a different industry. Yes: A higher debt ratio means that the company is less capable of paying interests.

Answer 1

Answer: Not necessarily: The debt ratios are not directly comparable, since each company is in a different industry.

Explanation:

We cannot authoritatively state that even though Boeing has such a high debt rate, that it is a riskier company than either Microsoft or PG&E. This is due to the drawback in ratio analysis of bias if compared across different industries.

Ratio analysis best works when comparing companies in the same industry because their situations will be similar. Comparing across industries can be misleading because different industries operate in different ways. In the Airplane manufacturing business for instance, having a high amount of debt due to having the tangible assets to back it up might be a normal thing.

The debt ratios are therefore not directly comparable because each company is in a different industry.