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QualityInterest Cov#45

Gross Margin Trend 5Y

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How many times over a company can pay its interest expenses from operating earnings. Above 5x is comfortable, above 10x is very strong. Benjamin Graham required at least 5x for industrial companies in his defensive investor criteria.

Formula

EBIT / Interest Expense

Description

Measures how easily a company can pay interest on its outstanding debt from operating earnings. Benjamin Graham considered this one of the most important safety metrics. It answers: "How many times over can the company cover its interest payments?"

Interpretation

Above 5x is comfortable. Above 10x is very strong. Below 2x is risky and suggests the company may struggle to service debt in a downturn. Graham required at least 5x for industrial companies in his defensive investor criteria.

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