Proprietary Ratio: Meaning, Formula, Significance and Examples

The Equity Ratio measures the long-term solvency of a company by comparing its shareholders’ equity to its total assets. Shareholders’ equity includes share capital, reserves, and surplus, while total assets include both current and non-current assets. The shareholder equity ratio is most meaningful in comparison with the company’s peers or competitors in the same sector. Each industry has its own standard or normal level of shareholders’ equity to assets.

If the company’s proprietary ratio is low, investors and company stakeholders should further assess the company’s liquidity to see if the company presents solvency risks. By looking at Company ABC’s financial statements, we can see that it has a shareholders’ equity of $5,000,000. Using the proprietary ratio, you can measure the stability of a company’s capital structure. The proprietary ratio is an important financial ratio as it allows investors and company stakeholders to assess the company’s financial stability.

Solvency Ratio Analysis

If the company has too much debt, creditors may fear liquidity issues in case the company’s cash flows fluctuate or something happens to the company. When you have a high proprietary ratio, it means that the company is in a good financial position. Hence, the first method would increase our debt in the company and make us look risky.

So, numerically all it means, is that shareholders’ equity is almost equivalent to fixed assets. It also shows a huge portion of debts in the total assets may minimize the creditor’s interest and increase the finance costs. what is flexible budget is very useful to the lenders, as it helps them ensure the safety of their investments by way of informing the level of dependence a corporation has on the outsiders’ funds. In simple words, a higher proprietary ratio is favourable since it depicts lower dependence on outsiders for funds, and hence, raises the firm’s credibility and creditors’ confidence. The gearing level is arrived at by expressing the capital with fixed return (CWFR) as a percentage of capital employed. For every $4 contributed by common stockholders, there are only $3 contributed by fixed cost bearing funds.

(Hindi) Class-12: Accounting Ratios

At the end of 2021, the company reported the following carrying values on its balance sheet. Still, as a general rule of thumb, most companies aim for an equity ratio of around 50%. Intangible assets such as goodwill are normally excluded from the calculation of the ratio, as reflected in the formula.

This ratio can be monitored on a trend line or compared with the same metric for competitors to gain a better understanding of the outcome. In other words, if ABC Widgets liquidated all of its assets to pay off its debt, the shareholders would retain 75% of the company’s financial resources. Also, you should consider the company’s cash flow statements to see if there are one-time events or other events that may have impacted the proprietary ratio. Proprietary funds refers to the funds provided by the company’s shareholders. When a company’s proprietary ratio is high, it means that it has enough equity to be able to support its ongoing business operations.

Why You Can Trust Finance Strategists

It indicates the proportion of a company’s total net worth (equity) relative to its total assets. The ratio is important as it helps investors, creditors, and analysts evaluate a company’s capital structure, financial stability, and risk profile. The shareholder equity ratio is expressed as a percentage and calculated by dividing total shareholders’ equity by the total assets of the company. The result represents the amount of the assets on which shareholders have a residual claim. The figures used to calculate the ratio are recorded on the company balance sheet.

• Still, as a general rule of thumb, most companies aim for an equity ratio of around 50%.
• If a company sold all of its assets for cash and paid off all of its liabilities, any remaining cash equals the firm’s equity.
• Using the proprietary ratio, you can measure the stability of a company’s capital structure.
• We have assembled a team of scientists, engineers, and business professionals, with a broad network of researchers and clinicians encompassing the breadth and depth of expertise required for success.
• This ratio expresses the relation of long-term debt with the sum total of both external and internal funds (i.e., capital employed or net assets).
• On the other hand, even a slight improvement in such a company’s ROCE can lead to a large increase in its ROE.

Adam received his master’s in economics from The New School for Social Research and his Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in sociology. He is a CFA charterholder as well as holding FINRA Series 7, 55 & 63 licenses. He currently researches and teaches economic sociology and the social studies of finance at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem.

Similar Ratios like this

Equity holders (i.e., ordinary shareholders) are paid a dividend that varies each year with the volume of profits made. Suppose we’re tasked with calculating the equity ratio for a company in its latest fiscal year, 2021. Other creditors, including suppliers, bondholders, and preferred shareholders, are repaid before common shareholders.

In a nutshell, the proprietary ratio is a type of solvency ratio allowing investors and financial analysts to determine how much equity shareholders are contributing to the business. The proprietary ratio components are shareholders’ or proprietary funds and total assets, including goodwill, etc. A high proprietary ratio indicates that a company uses more proprietors’ funds for purchasing total assets and maybe the company has room in its financial facility to assume more obligations.