What is Acid Test Ratio?

Acid Test Ratio Definition

Acid test ratio (quick ratio) is a vital metric in financial accounting that helps a company measure its short term liability capabilities through liquid assets, excluding inventory. 

It's an efficient way to understand financial health, focusing on how easily a company can meet its immediate requirements. 

For example, investors evaluate the acid test ratio of mutual fund (or index fund) companies to assess their ability to cover liabilities quickly.

To calculate this financial ratio, you must divide the company's cash, cash equivalents, short-term investments, and current accounts receivable by the current liabilities.

Acid Test Ratio Formula

Let's look at how to calculate the acid test ratio.

Add quick assets such as cash, cash equivalents, short-term investments (such as marketable security), and accounts receivable. 

This is a liquid asset, and you can quickly turn them into cash. Once you have this total, divide it by your current liabilities, the debts, and the obligations you must pay within the following year.

The accounting equation for the acid test ratio is: 

Acid Test Ratio = (Cash + Cash Equivalents + Short Term Investments + Accounts Receivable) / Total Current Liabilities

The formula helps you understand if you have enough liquid assets to cover your short term debt without selling inventory. 

A ratio of 1 or higher is good, indicating you can meet your immediate financial obligations with your quick assets alone.

Note: Quick ratio excludes prepaid expenses because you cannot convert them into cash immediately.

Acid Test Ratio Example

Company A has the following quick assets:

• Company A has $5,000 in cash.
• It has $2,000 in current assets.
• Their short term obligations (marketable securities) amount to $3,000.
• The customer's accounts payable is $4,000, which is the accounts receivable.

Their current liabilities (short term liability) total $10,000.

Now, apply the acid test ratio formula: 

Plug in the numbers: 

Acid Test Ratio = (5,000 + 2,000 + 3,000 + 4,000) / 10,000 

Acid Test Ratio = 1.4

Their acid test ratio or quick ratio is 1.4.  

This indicates that they have more than enough liquid assets to cover short-term liabilities. 

A ratio above 1 is generally seen as a healthy sign, showing a companys ability to pay off immediate debts without needing to sell any inventory.

Current Ratio vs. Acid Test Ratio

Current ratio measures a company's capability to cover its short-term liabilities with its total current assets. 

Divide the company's current asset by current liability to calculate current ratio. 

Current assets include cash, cash equivalent, inventory, and accounts receivable.

This liquidity ratio includes inventory, which cannot quickly turn into cash. 

The current ratio offers a broader view by including inventory, and the acid test ratio provides a more conservative perspective by focusing only on the most liquid assets.

A high value in either ratio suggests better short term liquidity, but the acid test ratio applies a stricter criterion.

Note: Gross profit measures operational efficiency, offering distinct but complementary insights into financial health.

Benefits of Acid Test Ratio

The acid test ratio is a critical accounting basic. Let's look at its benefits: 

• Highlights Cash Flow Readiness: The acid test ratio emphasizes a company's ability to cover short-term liabilities with assets that can be quickly turned into cash, directly reflecting this in the cash flow statement without the need to sell inventory.
• Improves Working Capital Insight: By focusing on liquid assets, this ratio offers a better view of working capital, explicitly highlighting the portion that is readily available for immediate use, helping manage operational needs more effectively.
• Enhances Financial Statement Analysis: It enriches financial statements analysis (like an income statement) through a precise liquidity measure that complements broader metrics. This helps companies gauge their financial health. 
• Excludes Inventory: This ratio's inventory exclusion from calculation avoids overestimating liquidity, presenting a conservative view by focusing solely on assets.
• Valuable for Creditors and Investors: It is a critical tool for creditors and investors to understand a company's short-term risk, influencing lending and investment decisions.
• Enables Industry Comparisons: Isolating liquid assets facilitates accurate comparisons between companies within the same industry.
• Quick and Accessible Calculation: The quick ratio is simple to calculate using financial statements. This makes it an efficient way to gauge liquidity.
• Signifies Wealth Management: A healthy quick ratio indicates that a company possesses the financial flexibility to navigate unforeseen challenges or opportunities without the immediate need to liquidate inventory or other less liquid assets.

Limitations of Acid Test Ratio

• Cash Flow Timing: Fails to consider the actual timing for converting assets into cash flow, relative to when liabilities are due.
• Receivables Quality: Treats all accounts receivable as equally accessible funds, not accounting for potential defaults or delays in collection.
• Static Measure: Offers a momentary glimpse of a companys liquidity that will not accurately represent a company's financial health over time.
• Lacks Industry Context: The quick ratio does not adjust for sector-specific liquidity norms, which can vary widely, leading to potentially misleading comparisons.
• Excludes Inventory Management Efficiency: Omitting inventory from the calculation ignores a company's ability to efficiently manage and convert inventory into cash.
• Does Not Reflect Operational Efficiency: The ratio does not account for how well a company uses its assets to generate revenue.
• Neglects Long-term Sustainability: Focuses solely on short-term liabilities without considering the business model's sustainability or long-term debt obligations.
• Sensitive to Accounting Principles: How a company recognizes revenue and expenses can influence the calculation, potentially skewing the ratio.