Current Ratio: The current ratio of a company shows the ability of the company to pay its short-term debt obligations. Current Ratio = Current Assets / Current Liabilities. It takes the assets versus the liabilities due within one year. It would help if you compared this within the companies industry; the ratio is less useful for comparison with multiple industries. The higher the ratio, the more easily a company can pay off its short-term debt obligations, meaning less risk for a near-term default. The company has more short-term liquidity.
Return on Equity: Return on Equity is a percentage of the companies return on its assets. Return on equity = net income / shareholders equity. It shows in a percentage how the company assets have been increasingly showing how profitable the company has been. One should compare ROE within an industry. The S&Ps average has been 14%, a good starting point.
Debt to Equity: The debt to equity ratio is about how many liabilities a company has versus the underlying assets. D/E = Total liabilities / Shareholder Equity. Debt to equity, similar to return on equity, is better compared within the industry. Across industries, it is less reliable. The higher number, the higher risk as the company has more leverage.
Free Cashflow / Net Income – This ratio explains the quality of the earnings. The more cash flow within a company, the more cash generated from business activities. Companies report on earnings calls on net income or earnings, which companies can manipulate easier with accounting. The closer to one, the better the ratio. When the ratio is less than 50%, it isn’t a good sign; it shows they create debt or use accounting to make their earnings. One should take the P/E with a grain of salt in this case.