Pfizer's Debt Overview

Shares of Pfizer Inc. PFE moved lower by 7.46% in the past three months. Before we understand the importance of debt, let's look at how much debt Pfizer has.

Pfizer's Debt

Based on Pfizer’s financial statement as of May 7, 2020, long-term debt is at $36.28 billion and current debt is at $16.01 billion, amounting to $52.29 billion in total debt. Adjusted for $2.15 billion in cash-equivalents, the company's net debt is at $50.14 billion.

Investors look at the debt-ratio to understand how much financial leverage a company has. Pfizer has $166.34 billion in total assets, therefore making the debt-ratio 0.31. 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, whereas average for another.

Why Investors 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.