Calculate Quick Ratio

Calculate a company's quick ratio

How to calculate the quick ratio?

The quick ratio, also known as the acid-test ratio, is a financial metric that measures a company's liquidity, or how well it can pay its short-term debts without having to rely on the sale of its inventory. This distinguishes it from the current ratio, which counts all current assets, including inventory.

How do you calculate the quick ratio?

Calculating the quick ratio is quite simple. We just need to divide the current assets (excluding inventory) by the current liabilities. The formula looks like this:

Quick ratio = (Current assets - Inventory) / Current liabilities

Example of calculating the quick ratio

Let's look at an example. Suppose we have a company with $150,000 in current assets, of which $20,000 is in the form of inventory, and $100,000 in current liabilities. The quick ratio would then be calculated as follows:

Quick ratio = ($150,000 - $20,000) / $100,000 = 1.3

A quick ratio of 1.3 means that for every dollar of current liabilities, the company has $1.30 in current assets that can be quickly converted into cash, excluding inventory. This indicates that the company is reasonably well positioned to meet its short-term financial obligations, even without considering the inventory.

What is a good quick ratio?

However, keep in mind that the 'ideal' quick ratio can vary depending on the industry and the specific circumstances of the company. In general, however, a quick ratio of 1 or higher is seen as good, as this means that the company has enough liquid assets to cover its short-term debts without having to rely on the sale of its inventory.