6 Basic Ratio Every Investor Must Know About To Improve Investing 

1. Current Ratio

Current ratio or liquidity ratio assesses a company's capacity to pay short-term or one-year commitments. Current ratio explains to analysts or investors how a firm might use its current assets on its balance sheet to pay down current debt and other obligations. A current ratio equal to or slightly greater than the industry average is typically seen as appropriate. A current ratio that is lower than the industry average might indicate a higher risk of default or difficulties. Similarly, if a company's current ratio is exceptionally high in comparison to its rivals, it indicates that company isn't making the best use of the company's assets.

Unlike some other liquidity ratios, the current ratio includes all current assets and liabilities. The working capital ratio is another name for the current ratio. Putting it simple, the gap between a company's current assets and current liabilities is known as working capital. Measuring the right category for the broad diversity of assets and obligations on a business balance sheet, as well as determining a firm's general health in paying its short-term commitments, may be difficult.

Formula

Current Ratio = Current assets /Current liabilities

 

2. Debt to Equity Ratio

The debt-to-equity ratio is a measure of the creditors' and shareholders' or owners' respective contributions to the capital utilized in a corporation. The debt-equity ratio is simply the ratio of a company's total long-term debt to its total equity capital. This financial calculator estimates how much debt can be paid off using shareholder contributions in the case of a liquidation. It's used to measure a company's financial leverage and soundness, and it's usually generated using data from the preceding fiscal year. A low debt-to-equity ratio is advantageous from an investing standpoint since it reduces risk during periods of rising interest rates. As a result, it draws extra funds for future investment and corporate expansion.

Formula 

Debt to Equity Ratio=Total Liabilities/Total Shareholders Equity

3. Return on Equity Ratio

The ratio of net income to shareholders' equity is used to determine the return on equity. Return on Equity Ratio is defined as the return on net assets, which is equal to a company's assets less its debt. Return on Equity Ratio is a measure of a company's profitability and efficiency in producing profits. If net income and equity are both positive quantities, Return on Equity Ratio may be determined for any firm. Net income is estimated before common shareholders receive dividends and after preferred shareholders receive dividends and lenders receive interest. ​

Formula

Return on Equity= Net Income/Shareholders' Equity

4. Return on Invested Capital Ratio

The Return on Invested Capital Ratio is always presented as a percentage and is often annualized or trailing 12-month. It should be compared against a company's cost of capital to see if it is profitable. When a firm's Return on Invested Capital Ratio exceeds its weighted average cost of capital, the most generally used cost of capital metric, value is produced, and these businesses trade at a premium. A return of two percent above the firm's cost of capital is a standard metric for demonstrating value creation.

Formula

Return on Invested Capital = Net income-divident/Debt+Equity

5. Price to Earnings Ratio (P/E Ratio)

The Price to Earnings Ratio is the proportion of a company's stock price to its earnings per share. It's a common ratio that helps investors figure just how much a firm is worth. The price-to-earnings ratio depicts market expectations and is the amount you must pay per unit of current earnings. When evaluating a firm's stock, earnings are significant because investors want to know how lucrative a company is today and will be in the future. Furthermore, if the firm does not develop and profits remain constant, the P/E may be viewed as the number of years it will take the company to recoup the price paid for each share. If you don't compare a stock's P/E to the company's historical P/E or a competitor's P/E from the same industry, you'll learn very little about it. 
 

Formula

Price to Earnings Ratio = Share Price/ Earnings Per Share (EPS)

6. Return on Assets Ratio

The return on assets ratio, also known as the return on total assets, is a profitability ratio that compares net income to average total assets to determine the net income generated by total assets during a given time. To put it another way, the Return on Assets Ratio assesses how well a corporation can manage its assets to generate profits over time. The return on assets ratio assesses a company's ability to generate a profit from its assets. To put it another way, Return on Assets Ratio measures how well a corporation can turn the money it spends on assets into net income or profits.

Formula

Return on Assets = Net Income/Total Assets

The Investment

Applying above mentioned ratios to the investment calculations could help you to achieve a certain level of understanding of the market and improve the investment itinerary. On the other hand, these exercising these formulas may be able to assist you in selecting the greatest stocks for your portfolio, increasing your wealth while having fun. There are hundreds of financial measures used in fundamental analysis, however, here we've just picked six of the more frequent and significant. Always remember that a firm can't be fully examined or studied using just one ratio; you need to mix ratios and metrics to gain a thorough view of its potential.