What is a Liquidity Ratio: Types and Calculations (2024)

27 June, 2024

10 mins

Accounting liquidity ratios are key financial metrics that help evaluate a company’s ability to meet its short-term obligations. The main types of liquidity ratios are:

• Current ratio

The current ratio is one of the most commonly used liquidity ratios. It evaluates how well a business can settle its immediate debts using its current assets. A current ratio greater than 1 indicates that the company has more current assets than current liabilities, suggesting good short-term financial health and the ability to cover its short-term obligations.

• Quick ratio (Acid-Test ratio)

The quick ratio, also known as the acid-test ratio, evaluates how well a company can cover its short-term debts with its most readily available assets, excluding inventory. A quick ratio above 1 shows that a business has sufficient liquid assets to meet its short-term obligations without depending on inventory sales.

• Cash ratio

The cash ratio measures a company’s ability to pay off its short-term liabilities with its most liquid assets, which are cash and cash equivalents. It is the most conservative liquidity ratio, focusing only on cash and cash equivalents relative to current liabilities. A cash ratio greater than 1 indicates that the company has more than enough cash and cash equivalents to cover its short-term liabilities.

• Net working capital ratio

The net working capital ratio evaluates a company’s short-term liquidity and operational efficiency by comparing its net working capital to total assets. A net working capital ratio over 1 signifies a strong liquidity position, implying that the company can readily fulfill its short-term obligations while also maintaining operational efficiency.

Liquidity ratios are generally calculated by taking the current assets and liabilities of a company into consideration. The higher the ratio, the better the company’s liquidity position, indicating a greater capacity to cover its short-term debts with its readily available assets. Here are some of the important formulas for calculating liquidity ratios:

Where,

Current assets are all the assets that a company expects to convert into cash or use up within one year.

Current liabilities are a company’s short-term financial obligations that are due within one year.

Cash and cash equivalents are the most liquid assets on a company’s balance sheet.

Inventory consists of goods available for sale and raw materials used in production.

Liquidity ratios are essential financial metrics that provide critical insights into a company’s short-term financial health and its ability to meet immediate obligations. Here are several key reasons why liquidity ratios are important:

• Assessing financial health

Liquidity ratios help evaluate a company’s ability to cover its short-term liabilities with its short-term assets. This assessment is crucial for determining the overall financial stability of the business.

• Creditworthiness

Creditors and lenders use liquidity ratios to understand the risk of lending to a company. A higher liquidity ratio often indicates lower risk, making it easier for the company to secure loans and favorable credit terms.

• Operational efficiency

By analyzing liquidity ratios, businesses can assess how efficiently they are managing their working capital. This includes managing inventory, collecting receivables, and paying off liabilities.

• Investment decisions

Investors use liquidity ratios to make informed decisions. High liquidity ratios suggest that the company is financially sound and can easily meet its short-term obligations, making it a potentially safer investment.

• Benchmarking and comparison

Liquidity ratios allow companies to benchmark their performance against industry standards or competitors. This comparison helps identify strengths, weaknesses, and areas for improvement.

Here are some of the advantages and disadvantages of liquidity ratios:

Let’s take a deep look at some examples using the above-mentioned formula for calculating liquidity ratios:

Considering the following financial data for ABC Company:

• Current Assets: $500,000
• Cash and Cash Equivalents: $100,000
• Accounts Receivable: $150,000
• Inventory: $200,000
• Other Current Assets: $50,000
• Current Liabilities: $300,000
• Total Assets: $1,000,000

Current ratio = Current Assets / Current Liabilities = $500,000 / $300,000 = 1.67

A current ratio of 1.67 indicates a solid current ratio, indicating a strong ability to meet short-term liabilities.

Quick Ratio = (Current Assets – Inventory) / Current Liabilities
= ($ 500,000 − %200,000) / $300,000 = 1.0

A quick ratio of 1.0 shows it can cover its short-term obligations without relying on inventory.

Cash Ratio = Cash and Cash Equivalents / Current Liabilities = $100,000 / $300,000 = 0.33

A cash ratio of 0.33 suggests that while the company has cash to cover a third of its short-term liabilities, it might need to rely on other assets for the remainder.

Net Working Capital Ratio = (Current Assets – Current Liabilities) / Total Assets = ($ 500,000 − $300,000) / $1,000,000 = 0.2

A net working capital ratio of 0.2 indicates that 20% of the company’s total assets are funded by net working capital, reflecting its short-term financial health and operational efficiency.

Businesses usually fail to maintain liquidity ratios due to various factors, including poor cash flow management, high debt levels, inventory management issues, overinvestment in fixed assets, economic downturns or market volatility, and ineffective financial planning. These challenges can result in cash shortages, the inability to meet short-term obligations, and lower liquidity ratios, ultimately impacting the company’s financial stability.

HighRadius’ Cash Management Solution addresses these issues by providing:

Real-time visibility: We enable businesses to get visibility about their cash positions across various accounts and geographies. We provide a clear picture of cash surplus or deficit scenarios to ensure the company can maintain healthy liquidity ratios and navigate financial challenges successfully.

Bank integrations: Our out-of-the-box integration with all major banks provides rapid access to bank statements.

Centralized management: Businesses can create, track and manage debt/investment deals in one central location. With our solution, businesses can speed up collections and manage payables efficiently, reduce current liabilities and increase current assets, positively impacting liquidity ratios.

Debt monitoring: We provide tools to monitor and manage short-and long-term debt obligations. By optimizing the timing and amount of debt repayments, companies can manage their current liabilities more effectively, thus improving liquidity ratios.

HighRadius’ Cash Forecasting Solution allows companies to accurately forecast cash flows with up to 95% accuracy. This helps companies plan better and maintain optimal liquidity levels, to cover short-term liabilities without holding excessive cash, thus improving the cash ratio. Additionally, our solution provides enhanced visibility and control over cash flows, leading to more efficient management of assets and liabilities, and ultimately, stronger liquidity ratios.

1. What is a good liquidity ratio?

A good liquidity ratio varies by industry, but generally, a current ratio above 1.5 is considered healthy, indicating that a company can cover its short-term liabilities with its short-term assets. A quick ratio above 1.0 is also favorable, showing the ability to meet short-term obligations without relying on inventory.

2. What is a bad liquidity ratio?

A bad liquidity ratio is typically considered when the current ratio is below 1.0, indicating the company may struggle to cover short-term liabilities with its short-term assets. Similarly, a quick ratio below 0.5 suggests significant liquidity issues, as the company might not meet short-term obligations without selling inventory.

3. What is liquidity ratio vs. current ratio?

Liquidity ratios consist of different measures (such as the current ratio, quick ratio, and cash ratio) that evaluate a corporation’s capacity to fulfill near-term liabilities. The current ratio is a particular liquidity ratio that evaluates a company’s capacity to settle its short-term obligations with its short-term assets.

4. What is the liquidity ratio vs. solvency ratio?

Liquidity ratios assess a company’s ability to meet short-term obligations using its most liquid assets, focusing on immediate financial health (e.g., current ratio, quick ratio). Solvency ratios evaluate a company’s long-term financial stability and ability to meet long-term debts (e.g., debt-to-equity ratio).