Degree of Total Leverage (DTL) (2024)

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Guide to Understanding the Degree of Total Leverage (DTL)

Last Updated April 17, 2024

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What is Degree of Total Leverage?

The Degree of Total Leverage (DTL) ratio estimates the sensitivity of a company’s net income to changes in the number of units sold.

Degree of Total Leverage (DTL) (1)

Table of Contents

  • How to Calculate Degree of Total Leverage (DTL)
  • Degree of Total Leverage Formula (DTL)
  • Degree of Total Leverage Calculation Example
  • DTL Formula Breakdown
  • DTL Calculation Analysis (% Change in Net Income)

How to Calculate Degree of Total Leverage (DTL)

The degree of total leverage (DTL) refers to the sensitivity of a company’s net income, with respect to the number of units sold.

The DTL metric accounts for both the degree of operating leverage (DOL) and the degree of financial leverage (DFL).

  1. Degree of Operating Leverage: DOL measures the proportion of a company’s cost structure that is comprised of fixed costs as opposed to variable costs.
  2. Degree of Financial Leverage: DFL quantifies the sensitivity of net income (or EPS) is to changes in its operating profit (EBIT) that is attributable to debt financing (i.e. the fixed financing costs, namely interest expense).

The DTL can be interpreted as stating, “For each 1% change in number of units sold, the company’s net income will increase (or decrease) by ___%”.

Thus, the degree of total leverage (DTL) quantifies a company’s total leverage, which is composed of operating and financial leverage.

The general guidelines for interpreting the two metrics are as follows:

  • Degree of Operating Leverage (DOL): The greater the DOL, the more sensitive operating income (EBIT) is to changes in sales.
  • Degree of Financing Leverage (DFL): The higher the DFL, the more sensitive that net income is to changes in operating income (EBIT).

The total leverage of a company — operating leverage and financial leverage — can contribute towards magnified earnings and profit margins, both positively and negatively.

Degree of Total Leverage Formula (DTL)

One method to calculate the degree of total leverage (DTL) is to multiply the degree of operating leverage (DOL) by the degree of financial leverage (DFL).

Degree of Total Leverage (DTL) = Degree of Operating Leverage (DOL) × Degree of Financial Leverage (DFL)

Suppose a company has a degree of operating leverage (DOL) of 1.20x and a degree of financial leverage (DFL) of 1.25x.

The company’s degree of total leverage is equal to the product of DOL and DFL, which comes out to 1.50x

  • Degree of Total Leverage (DTL) = 1.20x × 1.25x = 1.50x

Degree of Total Leverage Calculation Example

A different method to calculate the DTL consists of dividing the % change in net income by the % change in number of units sold.

Degree of Total Leverage (DTL) = % Change in Net Income ÷ % Change in Number of Units Sold

Suppose a company experienced an off-year, where sales declined by 4.0%.

If we assume the company’s DTL is 1.5x, the percentage change in net income can be calculated by re-arranging the formula from above.

DTL is equal to the % change in net income divided by the % change in units sold, so the implied % change in net income comes out to the % change in sales multiplied by the DTL.

  • % Change in Net Income = –4.0% × 1.5x = –6.0%

DTL Formula Breakdown

The final formula to calculate the degree of total leverage (DTL) that we’ll discuss is shown below.

DTL = Contribution Margin ÷ (Contribution Margin – Fixed Costs – Interest Expense)

The contribution margin equals “Quantity Sold × (Unit Price – Variable Cost Per Unit),” so the formula can be further expanded to:

DTL = Q (P – V) ÷ [Q (P – V) – FC – I]

Where:

  • Q = Quantity Sold
  • P = Unit Price
  • V = Variable Cost Per Unit
  • FC = Fixed Costs
  • I = Interest Expense (Fixed Financial Costs)

DTL Calculation Analysis (% Change in Net Income)

For example, let’s assume that a company has sold 1,000 units at a unit price of $5.00.

If the variable cost per unit is $2.00, fixed costs are $400, and interest expense is $200, then the DTL is 1.25x.

  • DTL = 1,000 ($5.00 – $2.00) ÷ [1,000 ($5.00 – $2.00) – $400 – $200)

Therefore, if the company were to sell 1% more units, its net income would be anticipated to rise by approximately 1.25%.

Degree of Total Leverage (DTL) (2)

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Degree of Total Leverage (DTL) (2024)

FAQs

Degree of Total Leverage (DTL)? ›

The degree of total leverage (DTL) is a measure of the sensitivity of net income to changes in unit sales, which is equivalent to DTL = DOL × DFL.

What is a firm's degree of total leverage DTL equal to? ›

A firm's degree of total leverage (DTL) is equal to its degree of operating leverage its degree of financial leverage (DFL).

What is the difference between DTL and DFL? ›

Degree of financial leverage (DFL) measures financial risk. It is the ratio of percentage change in net income to percentage change in operating income. Degree of total leverage (DTL) combines DOL and DFL. It is the ratio of percentage change in net income to percentage change in units sold.

What is the degree of leverage? ›

The degree of financial leverage (DFL) measures the percentage change in EPS for a unit change in operating income, also known as earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT). This ratio indicates that the higher the degree of financial leverage, the more volatile earnings will be.

What does a high DTL mean? ›

A high DTL indicates that a company has a high level of total leverage, meaning its EPS is very sensitive to changes in sales. This can lead to higher profits when sales are increasing but can also lead to larger losses when sales are decreasing.

What is the formula for total leverage? ›

The degree of total leverage (DTL) is a measure of the sensitivity of net income to changes in unit sales, which is equivalent to DTL = DOL × DFL.

What is the formula for degree of total operating leverage? ›

The DOL is calculated by dividing the contribution margin by the operating margin. For example, the DOL in Year 2 comes out 2.3x after dividing 22.5% (the change in operating income from Year 1 to Year 2) by 10.0% (the change in revenue from Year 1 to Year 2).

How do you calculate degree of financial leverage with example? ›

Degree of financial leverage formulas
  1. DFL = (% of change in net income) / (% of change in the EBIT) In this formula, the percent change in a company's earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) divides into the percent change of the company's net income.
  2. DFL = (EBIT) / (EBT)
Dec 26, 2022

What does a high degree of total leverage mean? ›

Degree of Operating Leverage (DOL): The greater the DOL, the more sensitive operating income (EBIT) is to changes in sales. Degree of Financing Leverage (DFL): The higher the DFL, the more sensitive that net income is to changes in operating income (EBIT).

What does DTL mean? ›

When choosing a vape kit or e cigarette, you may come across the terms 'MTL' and 'DTL'. These are acronyms for the terms 'mouth to lung' and 'direct to lung'. These terms define the different vaping styles used by vapers and relate to how you inhale the vapour created by your e cigarette.

What does DTL mean in finance? ›

What Is a Deferred Tax Liability? A deferred tax liability is a listing on a company's balance sheet that records taxes that are owed but are not due to be paid until a future date. The liability is deferred due to a difference in timing between when the tax was accrued and when it is due to be paid.

What does a degree of financial leverage DFL of 2.0 indicate? ›

What does a degree of financial leverage (DFL) of 2.0 indicate? For every 1 percent change in its EBIT, the firm's EPS will change by 2 percent.

What are the three types of leverage? ›

With various types of leverage available – financial, operating, and combined – businesses can adopt different strategies to achieve their goals.

What are the 4 levels of leverage? ›

You can do this with leverage. There are four different kinds of leverage: capital, labor, code, and media.

What is the lowest degree of leverage? ›

A firm that has no debt in its capital structure will have financial leverage equal to 1 which also means that the lowest possible degree of financial leverage will be 1. Similarly, the lowest possible degree of operating leverage will be equal to 1 and it is achieved when the fixed costs of the company are zero.

What is the formula for calculating the degree of financial leverage? ›

If we divide the % change in net income by the % change in EBIT, we can calculate the degree of financial leverage (DFL). From our illustrative example, we can see when a company exhibits positive growth in EBIT, debt financing contributes towards greater net income growth (1.0x vs. 2.0x).

Why do we calculate degree of operating leverage? ›

The degree of operating leverage measures how much a company's operating income changes in response to a change in sales. The DOL ratio assists analysts in determining the impact of any change in sales on company earnings.

How do you find your leverage? ›

There are various leverage ratios and each of them are calculated in different ways. In many cases, it involves dividing a company's debt by something else, such as shareholders equity, total capital, or EBITDA.

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