Monday, March 11, 2019

Difference Between Operating Leverage And Financial Leverage

Difference Between Operating Leverage And Financial Leverage

The major dissimilarities between operating and financial leverage can be highlighted as follows:

1. Introduction

Operating Leverage: Ability of a firm to use its operating costs to increase sales revenue and earning.
Financial Leverage: Ability of a firm to use it capital structure (financial charges) to increase after tax profit and earning per share.

2. Related To

Operating Leverage: It is related to operating costs or fixed costs.
Financial Leverage: It is related to capital structure

3. Type Of Risk Measured

Operating Leverage: Operating risk of the firm
Financial Leverage: Financial risk of the firm

4. Relationship

Operating Leverage: Represents the relationship between sales and earning before interest and tax
Financial Leverage: Represents the relationship between earning before interest and tax and earning per share.

5. Preferable

Operating Leverage: Lower operating leverage is preferable
Financial Leverage: Higher financial leverage is preferable
difference-operating-financial-leverage


6. Formula For Calculation

Operating Leverage: It can be calculated by using the following formula
DOL = Contribution/EBIT
Where, 
DOL means degree of operating leverage
EBIT means earning before interest and tax
Financial Leverage: It can be determined by using following formula
DFL = EBIT/EBT
Where,
DFL means degree of financial leverage
EBIT means earning before interest and tax
EBT means earning before tax

Operating Leverage Vs Financial Leverage (Comparison Chart)

Basis

Operating Leverage
Financial Leverage
Introduction

Firm's ability to use operating costs
Firm's ability to use capital structure
Relation With

Operating/Fixed Cost
Capital Structure
Risk Measured

Operating Risk
Financial Risk
Relationship Between

Sales And EBIT
EBIT And EPS
Preferable 

Lower degree
Higher degree
Formula

Contribution/EBIT
EBIT/EBT

I hope this post is helpful to understand the difference between operating leverage and financial leverage and to make comparison between them.