Times Interest Earned (TIE)
Candlefocus EditorIn essence, TIE is the relationship between a company’s ability to meet its financial obligations and the ability of its debt holders to receive interest payments. The higher the TIE ratio, the better its ability to generate cash flow needed to pay its current debts. This also represents a company’s capacity to borrow or invest more money.
The TIE ratio is calculated by dividing a company’s earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) by the total amount of interest owed on its debt (I). By doing so, investors have valuable information on a company’s risk profile and whether its long-term financial health is sustainable. Here is the formula:
TIE = EBIT / I
A TIE ratio of two or higher indicates that a company is in a healthy financial state. This means that the company is generating enough income to cover its interest expenses two times over. Generally, lenders prefer to deal with businesses that have a ratio of at least 1.5 or higher.
The TIE ratio plays an important role in asset-based lending, whereby a lender evaluates the financial strength of a company with a formula that takes into account things like cash flow, collateral, and asset/liability history. This way, the lender can determine a company’s creditworthiness and how much money it can borrow.
TIE is an extremely useful metric for assessing a company’s financial performance. It gives an investor a straightforward view of its ability to service its debts and continue to finance its operations and investments. By using this ratio, investors can better understand a company’s safety margin in terms of its debt obligation, and make informed investment decisions.