Current ratio
Current assets divided by current liabilities: whether the company holds enough short-term means to cover what falls due soonest.
Formula
\frac{\text{Current assets}}{\text{Current liabilities}}Taken from the latest reported period. The figure is dimensionless — a multiple, not a percentage.
How to read the number
A value near one means current assets match near-term obligations exactly. Below one, the company is counting on new borrowing or on receipts that have not arrived yet.
When the metric lies
Current assets include inventory, which cannot always be sold quickly or at book value. A low ratio is normal for fast-turning retail and worrying for long-cycle manufacturing: comparing the two across industries tells you nothing.
Where it is used
The metric is calculated across every security in the catalogue and appears on the instrument card, in the multiples table and in the screener.
Also known as: current ratio, working capital ratio