What is Debt Financing?
Debt financing occurs when a firm raises money for working capital or capital expenditures by selling debt instruments to individuals and/or institutional investors. In return for lending the money, the individuals or institutions become creditors and receive a promise that the principal and interest on the debt will be repaid.
Breaking Down Debt Financing
When a company needs money through financing, it can take three routes to obtain financing: equity, debt, or some hybrid of the two. Equity represents an ownership stake in the company. It gives the shareholder a claim on future earnings, but it does not need to be paid back. If the company goes bankrupt, equity holders are the last in line to receive money. The other route a company can take to raise capital for its business is by issuing debt - a process known as debt financing.
Cost of Debt Financing
A firm's capital structure is made up of equity and debt. The cost of equity is the dividend payments to shareholders, and the cost of debt is the interest payment to bondholders. When a company issues debt, not only does it promise to repay the principal amount, it also promises to compensate its bondholders by making interest payments, known as coupon payments, to them annually. The interest rate paid on these debt instruments represent the cost of borrowing to the issuer.
Measuring Debt Financing
One metric analysts use to measure and compare how much of a company's capital is being financed with debt financing is the debt-to-equity ratio, or D/E ratio. For example, if total debt is $2 billion and total stockholders' equity is $10 billion, the D/E ratio is $2 billion / $10 billion = 1/5, or 20%. This means for every $1 of debt financing, there is $5 of equity. In general, a low D/E ratio is preferable to a high one, though certain industries have a higher tolerance for debt than others. Both debt and equity can be found on the balance sheet statement.
Interest Rates on Debt Financing
Some investors in debt are only interested in principal protection, while others want a return in the form of interest. The rate of interest is determined by market rates and the creditworthiness of the borrower. Higher rates of interest imply a greater chance of default and, therefore, a higher level of risk. Higher interest rates help to compensate the borrower for the increased risk. In addition to paying interest, debt financing often requires the borrower to adhere to certain rules regarding financial performance. These rules are referred to as covenants.