DEBT/EBITDA

A measure of a company's ability to pay off its incurred debt. This ratio gives the investor the approximate amount of time that would be needed to pay off all debt, ignoring the factors of interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization.

Debt/EBITDA is a common metric used by credit rating agencies to assess the probability of defaulting on issued debt. A high debt/EBITDA ratio suggests that a firm may not be able to service their debt in an appropriate manner and can result in a lowered credit rating. Conversely, a low ratio can suggest that the firm may want take on more debt if needed and it often warrants a relatively high credit rating.