Q38
4 marksShort AnswerSection A

(a) From the following information, calculate :

(i) Current ratio and

(ii) Debt to capital employed ratio


InformationRs.
Total Assets6,00,000
Non-Current Liabilities1,40,000
Shareholders' Funds4,20,000
Non-current Assets5,20,000

OR


(b) From the following information, calculate :

(i) Debt-Equity Ratio and

(ii) Total Assets to Debt ratio


InformationRs.
Long-term borrowings8,00,000
Other long-term liabilities80,000
Long term provisions1,20,000
Share capital24,00,000
Reserves and Surplus6,00,000
Non-current Assets36,00,000
Current Assets14,00,000
Current Liabilities10,00,000

Accounting Ratios
Accounting Ratios — Liquidity & Solvency Ratios
Official Answer

(a) Current Ratio and Debt to Capital Employed Ratio:


WorkingRs.
Current Assets = Total Assets − Non-current Assets = 6,00,000 − 5,20,00080,000
Current Liabilities = Total Assets − (Shareholders' Funds + Non-current Liabilities) = 6,00,000 − (4,20,000 + 1,40,000)40,000
Capital Employed = Shareholders' Funds + Non-current Liabilities = 4,20,000 + 1,40,0005,60,000

  • Current Ratio = Current Assets ÷ Current Liabilities = 80,000 ÷ 40,000 = 2 : 1
  • Debt to Capital Employed Ratio = Non-current Liabilities ÷ Capital Employed = 1,40,000 ÷ 5,60,000 = 0.25 : 1

OR


(b) Debt-Equity Ratio and Total Assets to Debt Ratio:


WorkingRs.
Debt = Long-term borrowings + Long-term provisions = 8,00,000 + 1,20,0009,20,000
Equity = Share Capital + Reserves and Surplus = 24,00,000 + 6,00,00030,00,000
Total Assets = Non-current Assets + Current Assets = 36,00,000 + 14,00,00050,00,000

  • Debt-Equity Ratio = Debt ÷ Equity = 9,20,000 ÷ 30,00,000 = 0.31 : 1 (approx.)
  • Total Assets to Debt Ratio = Total Assets ÷ Debt = 50,00,000 ÷ 9,20,000 = 5.43 : 1 (approx.)
current ratiodebt to capital employed ratiodebt-equity ratiototal assets to debt ratiocapital employedlong-term borrowingslong-term provisionssolvency ratios

Marking Scheme

  • 1Part (a): 1 mark for correct Current Ratio (2:1) with working; 1 mark for correct Debt to Capital Employed Ratio (0.25:1) with working; 1 mark for correctly deriving Current Assets/Current Liabilities via the balance sheet equation; 1 mark for correct final presentation.
  • 2Part (b): 1 mark for correct Debt figure (Long-term Borrowings + Long-term Provisions); 1 mark for correct Debt-Equity Ratio; 1 mark for correct Total Assets to Debt Ratio; 1 mark for clear working notes.
  • 3(Only ONE of part (a) or (b) is to be attempted; total 4 marks.)

Hint

Use Total Assets=Equity+Non-current Liabilities+Current Liabilities\text{Total Assets} = \text{Equity} + \text{Non-current Liabilities} + \text{Current Liabilities} to find any missing figure by subtraction.

Quick Oral Answer

Current Ratio here is 2:1 and Debt to Capital Employed is 0.25:1 — both show strong short-term liquidity and a conservative capital structure; in the alternative, Debt-Equity is about 0.31:1 and Total Assets to Debt about 5.43:1, both indicating low financial risk.

Analysis & Explanation

Concept: Liquidity ratios (Current Ratio) test short-term paying capacity; solvency ratios (Debt to Capital Employed, Debt-Equity, Total Assets to Debt) test long-term financial stability and the cushion available to lenders.


(a): With Current Assets 80,000 against Current Liabilities 40,000, the firm holds Rs. 2 of current assets for every Re. 1 of current liabilities — comfortably above the traditional 2:1 benchmark. Debt to Capital Employed of 0.25:1 shows only 25% of long-term capital is funded by debt (Non-current Liabilities), the rest by equity — a conservative capital structure.


(b): 'Debt' for solvency ratios standardly means Long-term Borrowings + Long-term Provisions (Other Long-term Liabilities, being non-interest-bearing, are excluded). A Debt-Equity Ratio of 0.31:1 shows debt is well below equity — low financial risk. Total Assets to Debt of 5.43:1 shows assets amply cover the company's debt, reassuring lenders.


Exam trap: In (a), students often forget the Balance Sheet identity (Total Assets = Shareholders' Funds + Non-current Liabilities + Current Liabilities) needed to derive Current Liabilities; in (b), students commonly include 'Other long-term liabilities' in Debt, distorting the ratio.


Note on uncertainty: Debt is taken here as Long-term Borrowings + Long-term Provisions, the standard NCERT/CBSE definition; if the official marking scheme instead treats all Non-current Liabilities (including Other long-term liabilities, i.e. Rs. 10,00,000) as Debt, the ratios would instead be Debt-Equity=0.33:1\text{Debt-Equity} = 0.33:1 and Total Assets to Debt=5:1\text{Total Assets to Debt} = 5:1.

Common Mistakes

  1. 1Forgetting to derive Current Liabilities/Current Assets using the balance sheet equation when they aren't directly given.
  2. 2Including 'Other Long-term Liabilities' in the 'Debt' figure for Debt-Equity/Total Assets to Debt ratios, when only Long-term Borrowings + Long-term Provisions should be used.
  3. 3Expressing ratios without the ':1' notation or with incorrect rounding, losing presentation marks.

Interesting Facts

A Current Ratio of 2:1 was historically treated as the 'ideal' benchmark by Indian banks for working capital lending decisions, though modern analysts treat it only as a rough guide.

Total Assets to Debt Ratio is the measure lenders use to judge asset cover — the higher it is, the safer a lender's long-term loan is considered.

Debt-Equity and Total Assets to Debt ratios move in opposite directions when a company raises additional debt, making them useful cross-checks of each other.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the standard formula for 'Debt' used in solvency ratios?

Debt=Long-term Borrowings+Long-term Provisions\text{Debt} = \text{Long-term Borrowings} + \text{Long-term Provisions}. Other Long-term Liabilities (e.g. deferred payment items) are usually excluded since they don't represent interest-bearing borrowed funds.

Why is a Current Ratio of 2:1 considered good?

It means the firm has twice as many current assets as current liabilities, giving a comfortable margin of safety to meet short-term obligations even if some current assets (like inventory) can't be quickly converted to cash.