Prestige Consumer's Debt Overview

Over the past three months, shares of Prestige Consumer PBH fell by 6.10%. Before we understand the importance of debt, let us look at how much debt Prestige Consumer has.

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Prestige Consumer's Debt

According to the Prestige Consumer's most recent balance sheet as reported on November 4, 2021, total debt is at $1.61 billion, with $1.60 billion in long-term debt and $8.63 million in current debt. Adjusting for $42.82 million in cash-equivalents, the company has a net debt of $1.56 billion.

Let's define some of the terms we used in the paragraph above. Current debt is the portion of a company's debt which is due within 1 year, while long-term debt is the portion due in more than 1 year. Cash equivalents include cash and any liquid securities with maturity periods of 90 days or less. Total debt equals current debt plus long-term debt minus cash equivalents.

To understand the degree of financial leverage a company has, shareholders look at the debt ratio. Considering Prestige Consumer's $3.68 billion in total assets, the debt-ratio is at 0.44. 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 normal for another.

Why Shareholders Look At Debt?

Debt is an important factor in the capital structure of a company, and can help it attain growth. Debt usually has a relatively lower financing cost than equity, which makes it an attractive option for executives.

However, interest-payment obligations can have an adverse impact on the cash-flow of the company. Equity owners can keep excess profit, generated from the debt capital, when companies use the debt capital for its business operations.

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