|
|
gearing ratio| Ratio of a company's permanent loan capital (preference shares and long-term loans) to its equity (ordinary shares plus reserves). |
| If the gearing ratio is above 100%, then the company is considered to be highly geared (having more long-term debt than equity). This means that if the company goes through bad trading conditions, because the economy goes into recession for example, it will face more difficulties than a company with a lower gearing ratio. This is because the company with the higher gearing ratio will have to carry on paying interest on its loans whereas a company with a lower gearing but the same amount of loans plus equity can cut the dividends paid to shareholders. |
How to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit webmaster's page for free fun content. |
?Sign in  |
|---|
|
|
|