A Look Into Williams Companies' Debt

Over the past three months, shares of Williams Companies Inc. WMB rose by 16.13%. Before having a look at the importance of debt, let's look at how much debt Williams Companies has.

Williams Companies Debt

Based on Williams Companies's financial statement as of October 31, 2022, long-term debt is at $22.53 billion and current debt is at $877.00 million, amounting to $23.41 billion in total debt. Adjusted for $859.00 million in cash-equivalents, the company's net debt is at $22.55 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 includes 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 Williams Companies's $48.67 billion in total assets, the debt-ratio is at 0.48. Generally speaking, a debt-ratio more than 1 means that a large portion of debt is funded by assets. As the debt-ratio increases, so the does the risk of defaulting on loans, if interest rates were to increase. Different industries have different thresholds of tolerance for debt-ratios. A debt ratio of 35% might be higher for one industry, but 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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This article was generated by Benzinga's automated content engine and reviewed by an editor.