At & T Capital Structure Case Study

Assessing the Appropriateness of AT&T’s Capital Structure AT&T leverages their finances quite well in comparison with the industry. Their main competitor is Verizon Communications Inc., together representing the two largest communication companies in the industry. The fiscal, customer, and services of these two companies make up a significant portion of the domestic telecom services industry. Therefore, they should provide the best comparisons in regards to capital structure.
Debt-to-Equity Ratio The debt-to-equity ratio indicates a company’s reliance on loaned money. The lower the number, the less reliant a company is on borrowing money for operations. AT&T has a relatively low debt-to-equity ratio compared to the market average and

This, again, makes AT&T very enticing for investors. This high ratio means AT&T is expected to produce higher earnings than the industry and Verizon. This is another advantage because it demonstrates AT&T’s ability to improve profit. With AT&T’s low leverage (as shown this far) combined with this high P/E ratio, they are very appealing to investors. Verizon’s very low P/E ratio means their investors expect to make a lower amount per dollar than AT&T and the market in general. This is a huge disadvantage for Verizon’s capital structure and does not demonstrate good use of leverage when combined with their current debt.

Conclusion Overall, AT&T does very well to promote investor interest. AT&T has a good capital structure, low debt ratios, and mitigates risks well. They are at a great advantage to attract investors because they leverage a low degree of risk. Verizon, however, is at a very high degree of leverage, making it far less desirable for investors. Verizon’s capital structure is at a huge disadvantage because of their currently high debt. In comparison with Verizon, AT&T appears to be a much better choice for investors and new company