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Understanding the financial health of companies is crucial for making wise investment decisions. One of the most reliable tools for assessing this is the Altman Z-Score, developed by Edward I. Altman in the 1960s. This score predicts a company’s likelihood of facing bankruptcy by analyzing five key financial ratios from its balance sheet and income statement:
- Working Capital / Total Assets: Measures a company’s ability to cover short-term liabilities. A higher ratio indicates better liquidity and financial stability.
- Retained Earnings / Total Assets: Reflects accumulated profits reinvested in operations. This ratio highlights the company’s ability to generate profits and sustain growth.
- EBIT (Earnings Before Interest and Taxes) / Total Assets: Indicates how efficiently a company generates earnings from its assets. Higher efficiency suggests better operational performance.
- Market Value of Equity / Total Liabilities: Shows the market’s perception of a company’s financial leverage. A higher ratio implies lower financial risk and stronger investor confidence.
- Sales / Total Assets: Measures how efficiently a company uses its assets to generate revenue. Higher turnover indicates better asset utilization.
These ratios combine, using specific weights, to produce the Z-Score. Generally, a Z-Score above 3 suggests a low risk of bankruptcy, while a score below 1.8 indicates a higher risk. Scores between 1.8 and 3 signal a moderate risk.
Calculating the Altman Z-Score manually can be intricate and time-consuming, especially for investors managing large portfolios. This is where InvestingPro+ excels. It automates the Z-Score calculation and offers a user-friendly screener to filter stocks based on their scores.For investors in the stock market, especially in a dynamic environment like India’s finance sector, the Altman Z-Score remains a critical tool. Its predictive power helps identify potential red flags in a company’s financial health, allowing for more informed decision-making