DEFINITION of 'Debt Load'
The amount of debt or leverage that a company is carrying on its books. The amount of debt a firm is carrying can be found in the company's balance sheet, which most firms provide on a quarterly basis. Companies may incur this debt for numerous reasons such as expanding their business or making an acquisition.
BREAKING DOWN 'Debt Load'
A very useful insight into the financial health of a company is to compare the amount of debt a company is carrying to the assets or equity the company has. Dividing the total debt a company has by the total assets a company has gives what is called a debt ratio. A low debt ratio is usually a sign of a healthy company.