Current Ratio

Current assets divided by current liabilities — measures whether a company can cover its short-term obligations.

Current Ratio — Current assets divided by current liabilities — measures whether a company can cover its short-term obligations.

Key facts

Category
Financial Health
Definition
Current assets divided by current liabilities — measures whether a company can cover its short-term obligations.
Formula
Current Ratio = Current Assets / Current Liabilities
Live example
/research/stock/MSFT
Last updated
2026-06-17

Formula

Current Ratio = Current Assets / Current Liabilities

Worked example

Current assets $5B, current liabilities $2.5B → current ratio 2.0× (can cover short-term bills twice over).

Interpretive bands

< 1.0
Short-term obligations exceed current assets — potential liquidity stress.
1.0 – 2.0
Adequate. Most healthy companies sit here.
> 2.0
Strong liquidity cushion. Sometimes signals excess cash that could be deployed.

How IndexAlpha uses Current Ratio

On the Financial Health card. Banks and insurers don't use current ratio meaningfully — IndexAlpha shows sector-appropriate alternatives instead.

See it live

The Current Ratio metric shows up on every IndexAlpha research page. See it now on MSFT — or research any stock to view its Current Ratio.

Related terms

Common questions

What is Current Ratio?

Current assets divided by current liabilities — measures whether a company can cover its short-term obligations.

How is Current Ratio calculated?

Current Ratio = Current Assets / Current Liabilities. Current assets $5B, current liabilities $2.5B → current ratio 2.0× (can cover short-term bills twice over).

How does IndexAlpha use Current Ratio?

On the Financial Health card. Banks and insurers don't use current ratio meaningfully — IndexAlpha shows sector-appropriate alternatives instead.

Sources