Life Storage Corporate Bonds and Leverage Analysis

LSIDelisted Stock  USD 133.10  1.90  1.41%   
Life Storage holds a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.834. With a high degree of financial leverage come high-interest payments, which usually reduce Life Storage's Earnings Per Share (EPS).

Asset vs Debt

Equity vs Debt

Life Storage's liquidity is one of the most fundamental aspects of both its future profitability and its ability to meet different types of ongoing financial obligations. Life Storage's cash, liquid assets, total liabilities, and shareholder equity can be utilized to evaluate how much leverage the Company is using to sustain its current operations. For traders, higher-leverage indicators usually imply a higher risk to shareholders. In addition, it helps Life Stock's retail investors understand whether an upcoming fall or rise in the market will negatively affect Life Storage's stakeholders.
For most companies, including Life Storage, marketable securities, inventories, and receivables are the most common assets that could be converted to cash. However, for Life Storage, the most critical issue when managing liquidity is ensuring that current assets are properly aligned with current liabilities. If they are not, Life Storage's management will need to obtain alternative financing to ensure there are always enough cash equivalents on the balance sheet to meet obligations.
  
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Given the importance of Life Storage's capital structure, the first step in the capital decision process is for the management of Life Storage to decide how much external capital it will need to raise to operate in a sustainable way. Once the amount of financing is determined, management needs to examine the financial markets to determine the terms in which the company can boost capital. This move is crucial to the process because the market environment may reduce the ability of Life Storage to issue bonds at a reasonable cost.

Life Storage Debt to Cash Allocation

As Life Storage follows its natural business cycle, the capital allocation decisions will not magically go away. Life Storage's decision-makers have to determine if most of the cash flows will be poured back into or reinvested in the business, reserved for other projects beyond operational needs, or paid back to stakeholders and investors.
Life Storage has 3.38 B in debt with debt to equity (D/E) ratio of 0.83, which is OK given its current industry classification. Life Storage has a current ratio of 0.68, suggesting that it has not enough short term capital to pay financial commitments when the payables are due. Note however, debt could still be an excellent tool for Life to invest in growth at high rates of return.

Life Storage 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 Life Storage's operation. In addition, a high debt-to-assets ratio may indicate a low borrowing capacity of Life Storage, which in turn will lower the firm's financial flexibility.

Life Storage Corporate Bonds Issued

Most Life bonds can be classified according to their maturity, which is the date when Life Storage 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 Life Storage Use of Financial Leverage

Understanding the composition and structure of Life Storage's debt gives an idea of how risky is the capital structure of the business and if it is worth investing in it. The degree of Life Storage's financial leverage can be measured in several ways, including by ratios such as the debt-to-equity ratio (total debt / total equity), equity multiplier (total assets / total equity), or the debt ratio (total debt / total assets).
Life Storage, Inc. is a self-administered and self-managed equity REIT that is in the business of acquiring and managing self-storage facilities. Life Storage consistently provides responsive service to approximately 500,000 customers, making it a leader in the industry. Life Storage operates under REITIndustrial classification in the United States and is traded on New York Stock Exchange. It employs 2241 people.
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Other Consideration for investing in Life Stock

If you are still planning to invest in Life Storage check if it may still be traded through OTC markets such as Pink Sheets or OTC Bulletin Board. You may also purchase it directly from the company, but this is not always possible and may require contacting the company directly. Please note that delisted stocks are often considered to be more risky investments, as they are no longer subject to the same regulatory and reporting requirements as listed stocks. Therefore, it is essential to carefully research the Life Storage's history and understand the potential risks before investing.
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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.