Uric Acid Test: Normal Range, High vs Low Levels in Blood

Hyperuricemia is defined as a blood uric acid level greater than 6.0 mg/dL in women and greater than 7.0 mg/dL in men. According to the American College of Rheumatology (ACR), your target level of uric acid should be less than 6.0 mg/dL if you have gout. The current ratio in our example calculation is 3.0x while the acid-test ratio is 1.5x, which is attributable to the inclusion (or exclusion) of inventory in the respective calculations. Alternatively, examining the acid-test ratio can help inform you of stocks to avoid before they start to fall because of bankruptcy concerns. Finding a company with a low quick ratio could be a red flag and help you sell it before it falls. Compare this situation with that for small retailers who must turn over inventory as quickly as possible to generate cash flow to run their business.

• According to the American College of Rheumatology (ACR), your target level of uric acid should be less than 6.0 mg/dL if you have gout.
• Generally, a score of one or greater for the ratio is considered good because it implies that the firm can fulfill its debt commitments in the short-term.
• The litmus paper is made by dipping a paper in the purple dye solution (litmus) obtained from the crustacean lichen (symbiotic association of fungi and algae).
• For example, a retail behemoth like Walmart may be able to negotiate favorable payment terms with suppliers that do not require immediate payments.
• This ratio happens when a company is experiencing top-line growth, quickly converting receivables into cash, and are easily able to cover its financial obligations.

Similarly, if its competitors have a similar or lower figure, ABC Co. may be above average. However, it is more crucial to understand the industrial average before comparing this information. In some industries or sectors, this ratio may be lower without suggesting any adverse list of accounting journals implications. Nonetheless, most experts believe an acid test ratio of below 1.0 to be unfavorable. Your uric acid blood test results can help determine what treatments are appropriate. Low levels of uric acid are less common than high levels and are less of a health concern.

Some tech companies generate massive cash flows and accordingly have acid-test ratios as high as 7 or 8. While this is certainly better than the alternative, these companies have drawn criticism from activist investors who would prefer that shareholders receive a portion of the profits. A financial professional will offer guidance based on the information provided and offer a no-obligation call to better understand your situation. As discussed earlier, acid-test ratios for the retail industry tend to be lower than average mainly because the industry tends to hold more inventory as compared to others. Inventory figures and other expenses, such as prepaid expenses incurred due to discounts offered on final products, are generally deducted from current assets. They named the device Droplette, secured funding from NASA and the Department of Defense, and worked with Tufts Medical Center in Boston to develop it.

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Retail stores, for example, may have very low acid-test ratios without necessarily being in danger. The acceptable range for an acid-test ratio will vary among different industries, and you’ll find that comparisons are most meaningful when analyzing peer companies in the same industry as each other. For purposes of calculation, you only include securities that can be made liquid immediately or within the next year or so. The Acid-Test Ratio is calculated as a sum of all assets minus inventories divided by current liabilities.

It’s formed when your body breaks down purines, which are found in some foods. Most of the uric acid leaves your body when you pee, and some when you poop. Balance sheet ratios tend to gain more attention when a company is struggling or the economy is doing poorly.

However, it’s also worth looking at the current ratio, which includes all current assets. It’s defined as the sum of cash and cash equivalents plus marketable securities plus accounts receivables divided by current liabilities. Another way to calculate the numerator is to take all current assets and subtract illiquid assets. Most importantly, inventory should be subtracted, keeping in mind that this will negatively skew the picture for retail businesses because of the amount of inventory they carry. Other elements that appear as assets on a balance sheet should be subtracted if they cannot be used to cover liabilities in the short term, such as advances to suppliers, prepayments, and deferred tax assets. The acid-test ratio, commonly known as the quick ratio, uses data from a firm’s balance sheet to indicate whether it has the means to cover its short-term liabilities.

Uric Acid Test (Blood Analysis)

Stakeholders can use both methods, although the former will provide more accurate results. However, it is crucial to use the same approach for all comparisons. In most circumstances, accounting ratios come in a decimal value form. Either way, they help understand the contrast between two financial statement items. Through these ratios, stakeholders can gain valuable insights into a company’s financial operations.

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We follow strict ethical journalism practices, which includes presenting unbiased information and citing reliable, attributed resources. Thus, ABC does not have sufficient cash on hand to meet its liabilities. A figure of 0.26 means that ABC does not have sufficient assets to liquidate, if its creditors come calling. Similarly, securities and bonds that have a maturity date far out in the future and cannot be marketed or sold immediately or within a short duration are also of not much use.

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Let us understand the different steps that need to be followed to successfully carry out the acid test to spot the minerals separately. The rocks containing carbonate minerals are identified by the acid test. In this process, a drop of dilute (5-10%) hydrochloric acid is placed on a rock or mineral and watched for bubbles of carbon dioxide gas released. The bubbles signal the presence of carbonate minerals present in the rock and mineral.

In general, analysts believe if the ratio is more than 1.0, a business can pay its immediate expenses. Accounts receivable are generally included, but this is not appropriate for every industry. Acid-Test Ratio, also known as quick ratio, is a quantitative measure of a firm’s capability to meet short-term liabilities by liquidating its assets. Therefore, inventory figures on their balance sheet may be high and their quick ratios are lower than average.

However, the acid test ratio may be more conservative in comparison. The acid test ratio, also known as the quick ratio, considers whether a company has enough short-term assets to cover its short-term obligations. It is similar to the current ratio, which shows the relative magnitude of a company’s current assets to current liabilities. However, the acid test ratio does not consider all current assets for this calculation. It takes out inventories from the figure before calculating the ratio. The acid-test, or quick ratio, shows if a company has, or can get, enough cash to pay its immediate liabilities, such as short-term debt.

In Year 1, the current ratio can be calculated by dividing the sum of the liquid assets by the current liabilities. The acid-test ratio compares the near-term assets of a company to its short-term liabilities to assess if the company in question has sufficient cash to pay off its short-term liabilities. The steps to calculate the two metrics are similar, although the noteworthy difference is that illiquid current assets — e.g. inventory — are excluded in the acid-test ratio. But, if you have a a health problem that can cause or be caused by high uric acid  levels, it can be useful to measure it.

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Only testing a person’s joint fluid for monosodium urate can conclusively confirm the presence of gout. A company with a low current or quick ratio should likely proceed with some degree of caution, and the next step would be to determine how much more capital and how quickly it could be obtained. The “floor” for both the quick ratio and current ratio is 1.0x, but this is the bare minimum, and higher values should be targeted. This is a test of a company’s ability to meet its immediate cash requirements. It is one of the more common business ratios used by financial analysts. However, this is not a bad sign in all cases, as some business models are inherently dependent on inventory.

They also include marketable securities, such as liquid financial instruments that can be converted into cash in less than a year. By ordinary standards, a quick ratio of less than one is considered unhealthy. However, the retail industry’s low acid-test ratio is a mark of its robust inventory practices. Quick ratios are useful only when they are compared to industry standards or trends for that sector. For example, the retail industry has a quick ratio value that is substantially lower than its current ratio. High acid test ratios could indicate that cash has accumulated rather than being reinvested, returned to stakeholder or put to productive use.