Fastenal: Debt Insights
Shares of Fastenal (NASDAQ: FAST) moved higher by 13.08% in the past three months. Before we understand the importance of debt, let us look at how much debt Fastenal has.
Fastenal's Debt
Based on Fastenal’s financial statement as of July 17, 2020, long-term debt is at $405.00 million and current debt is at $0.00, amounting to $405.00 million in total debt. Adjusted for $201.50 million in cash-equivalents, the company's net debt is at $203.50 million.
To understand the degree of financial leverage a company has, shareholders look at the debt ratio. Considering Fastenal’s $4.09 billion in total assets, the debt-ratio is at 0.1. As a rule of thumb, a debt-ratio more than one indicates that a considerable portion of debt is funded by assets. A higher debt-ratio can also imply that the company might be putting itself at risk for default, if interest rates were to increase. However, debt-ratios vary widely across different industries. A debt ratio of 40% might be higher for one industry and average for another.
Why Shareholders Look At Debt?
Besides equity, debt is an important factor in the capital structure of a company, and contributes to its growth. Due to its lower financing cost compared to equity, it becomes an attractive option for executives trying to raise capital.
However, due to interest-payment obligations, cash-flow of a company can be impacted. Having financial leverage also allows companies to use additional capital for business operations, allowing equity owners to retain excess profit, generated by the debt capital.
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