Cash Available For Debt Service - CADS

A ratio that measures the amount of cash a company has on hand as compared to its debt service obligations. Debt service obligations include all current interest payments due, as well as all current principal repayments due.

Investors generally prefer a company to have a high CADS ratio; the higher the ratio, the more of a cash cushion the company has to fund its upcoming debt service payments. In other words, the higher a company's CADS ratio, the less likely the company will be to default on its debts, making owning its shares much safer for shareholders.