Cohen Steers Debt

FOF Fund  USD 13.17  0.02  0.15%   
Cohen Steers' financial leverage is the degree to which the firm utilizes its fixed-income securities and uses equity to finance projects. Companies with high leverage are usually considered to be at financial risk. Cohen Steers' financial risk is the risk to Cohen Steers stockholders that is caused by an increase in debt. In other words, with a high degree of financial leverage come high-interest payments, which usually reduce Earnings Per Share (EPS).
Given that Cohen Steers' debt-to-equity ratio measures a Fund's obligations relative to the value of its net assets, it is usually used by traders to estimate the extent to which Cohen Steers is acquiring new debt as a mechanism of leveraging its assets. A high debt-to-equity ratio is generally associated with increased risk, implying that it has been aggressive in financing its growth with debt. Another way to look at debt-to-equity ratios is to compare the overall debt load of Cohen Steers to its assets or equity, showing how much of the company assets belong to shareholders vs. creditors. If shareholders own more assets, Cohen Steers is said to be less leveraged. If creditors hold a majority of Cohen Steers' assets, the Fund is said to be highly leveraged.
  
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Cohen Steers Assets Financed by Debt

Typically, companies with high debt-to-asset ratios are said to be highly leveraged. The higher the ratio, the greater risk will be associated with the Cohen Steers' operation. In addition, a high debt-to-assets ratio may indicate a low borrowing capacity of Cohen Steers, which in turn will lower the firm's financial flexibility.

Cohen Steers Corporate Bonds Issued

Most Cohen bonds can be classified according to their maturity, which is the date when Cohen Steers Closed has to pay back the principal to investors. Maturities can be short-term, medium-term, or long-term (more than ten years). Longer-term bonds usually offer higher interest rates but may entail additional risks.

Understaning Cohen Steers Use of Financial Leverage

Cohen Steers' financial leverage ratio helps determine the effect of debt on the overall profitability of the company. It measures Cohen Steers' total debt position, including all outstanding debt obligations, and compares it with Cohen Steers' equity. Financial leverage can amplify the potential profits to Cohen Steers' owners, but it also increases the potential losses and risk of financial distress, including bankruptcy, if Cohen Steers is unable to cover its debt costs.
Cohen Steers Closed-End Opportunity Fund, Inc. is a close-ended fund of funds launched by Cohen Steers Inc. It is managed by Cohen Steers Capital Management, Inc. The fund invests in funds investing in public equity markets. It also invests in funds investing in convertible securities, preferred securities, high yield securities and real estate, energy, utility, and other equity or income-oriented strategies. The fund makes its investments in funds investing across diversified sectors. It seeks to invest in undervalued funds with market capitalization generally greater than 200 million. The fund employs quantitative analysis to make its investments. It benchmarks the performance of its portfolio against the SP 500 Index and the Morningstar U.S. All Taxable Ex-Foreign Equity Index. The fund conducts in-house research to create its portfolios. Cohen Steers Closed-End Opportunity Fund, Inc. was formed on September 14, 2006 and is domiciled in the United States.
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Other Information on Investing in Cohen Fund

Cohen Steers financial ratios help investors to determine whether Cohen Fund is cheap or expensive when compared to a particular measure, such as profits or enterprise value. In other words, they help investors to determine the cost of investment in Cohen with respect to the benefits of owning Cohen Steers security.
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What is Financial Leverage?

Financial leverage is the use of borrowed money (debt) to finance the purchase of assets with the expectation that the income or capital gain from the new asset will exceed the cost of borrowing. In most cases, the debt provider will limit how much risk it is ready to take and indicate a limit on the extent of the leverage it will allow. In the case of asset-backed lending, the financial provider uses the assets as collateral until the borrower repays the loan. In the case of a cash flow loan, the general creditworthiness of the company is used to back the loan. The concept of leverage is common in the business world. It is mostly used to boost the returns on equity capital of a company, especially when the business is unable to increase its operating efficiency and returns on total investment. Because earnings on borrowing are higher than the interest payable on debt, the company's total earnings will increase, ultimately boosting stockholders' profits.

Leverage and Capital Costs

The debt to equity ratio plays a role in the working average cost of capital (WACC). The overall interest on debt represents the break-even point that must be obtained to profitability in a given venture. Thus, WACC is essentially the average interest an organization owes on the capital it has borrowed for leverage. Let's say equity represents 60% of borrowed capital, and debt is 40%. This results in a financial leverage calculation of 40/60, or 0.6667. The organization owes 10% on all equity and 5% on all debt. That means that the weighted average cost of capital is (.4)(5) + (.6)(10) - or 8%. For every $10,000 borrowed, this organization will owe $800 in interest. Profit must be higher than 8% on the project to offset the cost of interest and justify this leverage.

Benefits of Financial Leverage

Leverage provides the following benefits for companies:
  • Leverage is an essential tool a company's management can use to make the best financing and investment decisions.
  • It provides a variety of financing sources by which the firm can achieve its target earnings.
  • Leverage is also an essential technique in investing as it helps companies set a threshold for the expansion of business operations. For example, it can be used to recommend restrictions on business expansion once the projected return on additional investment is lower than the cost of debt.
By borrowing funds, the firm incurs a debt that must be paid. But, this debt is paid in small installments over a relatively long period of time. This frees funds for more immediate use in the stock market. For example, suppose a company can afford a new factory but will be left with negligible free cash. In that case, it may be better to finance the factory and spend the cash on hand on inputs, labor, or even hold a significant portion as a reserve against unforeseen circumstances.

The Risk of Financial Leverage

The most obvious and apparent risk of leverage is that if price changes unexpectedly, the leveraged position can lead to severe losses. For example, imagine a hedge fund seeded by $50 worth of investor money. The hedge fund borrows another $50 and buys an asset worth $100, leading to a leverage ratio of 2:1. For the investor, this is neither good nor bad -- until the asset price changes. If the asset price goes up 10 percent, the investor earns $10 on $50 of capital, a net gain of 20 percent, and is very pleased with the increased gains from the leverage. However, if the asset price crashes unexpectedly, say by 30 percent, the investor loses $30 on $50 of capital, suffering a 60 percent loss. In other words, the effect of leverage is to increase the volatility of returns and increase the effects of a price change on the asset to the bottom line while increasing the chance for profit as well.