What is Equity?
Equity is the difference between a company's assets and liabilities. It is also known as shareholder's equity or net worth. Equity represents the amount of money that would be returned to shareholders if a company is to liquidate all of its assets and pay off all of its debts. A company with positive equity is in good financial health, while a company with negative equity is in financial trouble.
How does Equity work?
Shareholder equity is the value of a company’s assets minus the value of its liabilities. It represents the company’s financial health and is used by investors to assess a company’s risk and potential for growth.
Equity can be raised by issuing debt securities or equity. Debt is a loan that must be repaid with interest, while equity is a share of ownership in the company. Investors generally prefer equity investments because they offer the potential for capital gains and dividends.
Shareholder equity can be either positive or negative. A positive equity balance means that the company has enough assets to cover its liabilities. On the other hand, negative equity refers to the company’s liabilities exceeding its assets. A constant negative equity balance is considered balance sheet insolvency.
Investors generally view companies with negative equity as risky or unsafe investments. However, shareholder equity is not a definitive indicator of a company’s financial health. It is important to consider other factors, such as debt-to-equity ratio, return on equity, and cash flow when assessing a company’s risk and potential for growth
What is the Formula for Equity?
Total equity can be calculated by analyzing the company’s balance sheet.
The formula for Total Equity:
Total Equity = Total Assets - Total Liabilities
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Total assets are the sum of all the assets that a company owns. It includes property, cash, equipment, and investments that can be exchanged for cash.
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Total liabilities are all the debts that a company owes to lenders. These are long-term and short-term debts and loans to the creditors.
Example of Equity
Company ABC has total assets of Rs.5,60,000 and total liabilities of Rs.4,30,000. What is its total equity?
Solution: Using the total equity equation, total equity can be calculated as follows -
Total Equity = Total Assets - Total Liabilities
Total Equity = Rs.5,60,000 - Rs.4,30,000
Total Equity = Rs.1,30,000