Leverages
Prof. Nidhi Bandaru
Introduction
A firm can make use of different sources of
finance whose costs are different.
The employment of sources of funds for
which the firm has to pay a fixed cost or fixed
return may be termed as leverage.
If earnings less the variable costs exceed the
fixed costs, or EBIT exceed fixed return
requirement, the leverage is favorable.
There are two types of leverages
◦ Operating Leverages
◦ Financial Leverages
Operating Leverage is the leverage associated
with investment activities.
Financial Leverage is the leverage associated
with financing activities.
Operating Leverage
Operating leverage results from the existence of fixed
operating expenses in the firm’s income stream.
The operating costs of a firm fall into three categories
◦ Fixed costs
◦ Variable costs
◦ Semi-variable costs
Thus, the costs can broadly be classified into fixed
and variable costs
The operating leverage can be defined as the firm’s
ability to use fixed operating costs to magnify the
effects of changes in sales on its EBIT.
Degree of operating leverage (DOL)=
%change in EBIT/ % change in sales >1
When the proportionate change in EBIT as a result
of a given change in sales is more than the
proportionate change in sales, operating leverage
exists.
The greater the DOL, the higher is the operating
leverage.
Operating leverage exists only when there are
fixed operating costs.
Operating risk s high when leverage is high.
Financial Leverage
Financial leverage relates to the financing activities of a
firm.
The sources from which funds are raised can be
categorized into
◦ Fixed financial charge
◦ Variable financial charge
Financial leverage results from the presence of fixed
financial charges in the firm’s income stream.
Financial leverage is concerned with the effects of changes
in EBIT on the earnings available to equity holders.
It is defined as the firms ability to use fixed financial
charges to magnify the effects of changes in EBIT on the
earnings per share.
Favourable or positive leverage occurs when the firm
earns more on the assets purchased with the funds,
than the fixed costs of their use.
Financial leverage is based on the assumption that
the firm is to earn more on the assets that are
acquired by the use of funds on which a fixed rate of
interest/dividend is to be paid.
The difference between the earnings from the assets
and the fixed cost on the use of funds goes to the
equity shareholder.
Financial leverage is also called as ‘trading on
equity.’
Degree of financial leverage (DFL) =
%change in EPS/% change in EBIT >1
As a rule, when a percentage change in EPS
resulting from a percentage change in EBIT,
financial leverage exists.
Combined Leverage
Since, both the leverages are closely
concerned with ascertaining the ability to
cover fixed charges, if they are combined the
result is total leverage
DCL = DOL * DFL
Formulae
Financial leverage = EBIT / EBT = OP/EBT
Operating leverage = S-V/EBIT = C/Op
Combined leverage = C/OP * OP/EBT =
C/EBT