Q. What do you mean by Financial Leverage?
Financial Leverage: - The financial leverage perhaps defined as the tendency of the residual net profit to vary disproportionately with operating profit. It point outs the change that take place in the taxable income as a result of change in the operating income. It implies the existence of fixed interest/ fixed dividend bearing securities in the total capital structure of the company. Therefore the use of fixed interest/ dividend bearing securities such as debt & capital preference along with the owner's equity in the total owner capital structure of the company is described as financial leverage. Where in capital formation of the company the fixed interest /dividend bearing securities are greater as compared to the equity capital the leverage is said to be larger. In the repeal case the leverage will be said to be smaller.
Favourable as well as Unfavourable financial leverage: - Financial leverage possibly favourable or unfavourable upon whether the earning made by the use of fixed interest or dividend - bearing securities surpass the or not explicit the fixed cost the firm has to pay for the employment of such funds. The leverage will be determined to be favourable so long the firm earns more on assets purchased with the funds than the fixed cost of there use unfavourable or negative leverage occurs when the firm doesn't earns as much as the fund cost.
Financial leverage is as well termed as 'trading on equity'. The corporation resorts to trading on equity with the objective of giving the equity shareholders higher rate of return than the general rate of earning on capital employed in the company to compensate them for the risk that they have to bear. For instance - If a company borrows Rs. 100 @ 10% P.a and earns a return for 12% the balance 4% p.a. Subsequent to payment of interest belongs to the shareholders and therefore they can be paid a higher rate of return than the general rate of earning of company. However in case company could earn a return of only 6% on Rs 100 employed by it the equity shareholders loss will be Rs. 2 p.a Therefore the financial leverage is a double - edged sword. It has the potentially of rising the return to equity shareholders.
Formulae: - Financial leverage = Earning before tax and Interest / Profit before tax but after interest