Times Interest Earned (TIE)
A metric used to measure a company's ability to meet its debt obligations. It is calculated by taking a company's earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) and dividing it by the total interest payable on bonds and other contractual debt. It is usually quoted as a ratio and indicates how many times a company can cover its interest charges on a pretax basis. Failing to meet these obligations could force a company into bankruptcy.
Also referred to as "interest coverage ratio" and "fixed-charged coverage". Investopedia Says:
Ensuring interest payments to debt holders and preventing bankruptcy depends mainly on a company's ability to sustain earnings. However, a high ratio can indicate that a company has an undesirable lack of debt or is paying down too much debt with earnings that could be used for other projects. The rationale is that a company would yield greater returns by investing its earnings into other projects and borrowing at a lower cost of capital than what it is currently paying for its current debt to meet its debt obligations. Related Terms:
Cash Available For Debt Service - CADS
Cost Of Capital
Credit Risk
Debt-Service Ratio
Earnings Before Interest And Taxes - EBIT
Paydown |