Chapter04 PDF
Chapter04 PDF
Chapter04 PDF
CHAPTER OUTLINE
I Financial ratios help us identify some of the financial strengths and weaknesses of a
company.
II. The ratios give us a way of making meaningful comparisons of a firm’s financial data at
different points in time and with other firms.
III. We could use ratios to answer the following important questions about a firm’s
operations.
A. Question 1: How liquid is the firm?
1. The liquidity of a business is defined as its ability to meet maturing debt
obligations. That is does or will the firm have the resources to pay the
creditors when the debt comes due?
2. There are two ways to approach the liquidity question.
a. We can look at the firm’s assets that are relatively liquid in nature
and compare them to the amount of the debt coming due in the
near term.
b. We can look at how quickly the firm’s liquid assets are being
converted into cash.
B. Question 2: Is management generating adequate operating profits on the firm’s
assets?
1. We want to know if the profits are sufficient relative to the assets being
invested.
73
2. We have several choices as to how we measure profits: gross profits,
operating profits, or net income. Gross profits are not acceptable
because it overlooks important information such as marketing and
distribution expenses. Net income includes the unwanted effects of the
firm’s financing policies. This leaves operating profits as our best choice
in measuring the firm’s operating profitability. Thus, the appropriate
measure is the operating return on assets (OROA):
operating profits
OROA =
total assets
C. Question 3: How is the firm financing its assets?
Here we are concerned with the mix of debt and equity capital the firm is using.
Two primary ratios used to answer this question are the debt ratio and times
interest earned. The debt ratio is the proportion of total debt to total assets.
Times interest earned compares operating income to interest expense for a crude
measure of the firm’s capacity to service its debt.
D. Question 4: Are the owners (stockholders) receiving an adequate return on the
equity invested in the firm?
1. We want to know if the earnings available to the firm’s owners or
common equity investors are attractive when compared to the returns of
owners of similar companies in the same industry.
net income
2. Return on equity (ROE) =
comon stock + retained earnings
3. The effect of using debt on net income: This example shows how,
through the use of debt, firms can affect their return on equity.
4. Return on equity is a function of:
a. the operating return on assets less the interest rate paid, and
b. the amount of debt used in the capital structure relative to the
equity.
74
ANSWERS TO
END-OF-CHAPTER QUESTIONS
4-1. In learning about ratios, we could simply study the different types or categories of
ratios. These categories have conventionally been classified as follows:
Liquidity ratios are used to measure the ability of a firm to pay its bills on time.
Example ratios include the current and acid-test ratio.
Efficiency ratios reflect how effectively the firm has utilized its assets to generate
sales. Examples of this type of ratio include accounts receivable turnover, inventory
turnover, fixed asset turnover, and total asset turnover.
Leverage ratios are used to measure the extent to which a firm has financed its assets
with outside (non-owner) sources of funds. Example ratios include the debt ratio,
long-term debt-to-total-capitalization ratio, and times interest earned ratio.
Profitability ratios serve as overall measures of the effectiveness of the firm’s
management relative to sales and/or to investment. Examples of profitability ratios
include the net profit margin, return on total assets, operating profit margin,
operating return on assets, and return on common equity.
Instead, we have chosen to cluster the ratios around important questions that may be
addressed to some extent by certain ratios. These questions, along with the related
ratios may be stated as follows:
1. How liquid is the firm?
Current ratio
Quick ratio
Accounts receivable turnover (average collection period)
Inventory turnover
2. Is management generating adequate operating profits on the firm’s assets?
Operating return on assets
Operating profit margin
Gross profit margin
Asset turnover ratios, such as for total assets, accounts receivable, inventory,
and fixed assets
3. How is the firm financing its assets?
Debt to total assets or debt to equity
Times interest earned
4. Are the owners (stockholders) receiving an adequate return on their investment?
Return on common equity
75
5. Is the management team creating shareholder value?
Price/Earnings
Price/Book
Economic Value Added
In answering questions 2-4, we can see the linkage between operating activities and
financing activities as they influence return on common equity.
4-2. The two sources of standards or norms used in performing ratio analysis consist of
similar ratios for the firm being analyzed over a number of past operating periods, and
similar ratios for firms which are in the same general industry or have similar product mix
characteristics.
4-3. The financial analyst can obtain norms from a variety of sources. Two of the most well
known are the Dunn & Bradstreet industry ratios and Robert Morris Associates guide to
industry ratios. Industry norms often do not come from "representative" samples, and it
is very difficult to categorize firms into industry groups. In addition, the industry norm is
an average ratio which may not represent a desirable standard. Thus, industry averages
only provide a "rough guide" to a firm’s financial health.
76
4-5. Liquidity is the ability to repay short-term debt. We measure liquidity by comparing the
firm’s liquid assets—cash or assets that will be turned into cash in the operating cycle—
to the amount of short-term debt outstanding, which is the measurement provided by the
current ratio and the quick or acid-test ratio. We can also measure liquidity by
computing how quickly accounts receivables turn over (how long it takes to collect them
on average) and how quickly inventories turn over. The more quickly these assets can be
turned over, the more liquid the firm is.
4-6. Operating return on assets is the amount of operating income produced relative to $1 of
assets invested (total assets), while operating profit margin is the amount of operating
income per $1 of sales. The first ratio measures the profitability on the firm’s assets,
while the latter measures the profitability on the sales.
4-7. We can compute operating return on assets (OROA) as:
Operating Operating Income
=
Return on Assets. Total Assets
or as:
Operating Operating
= X Total Asset
Turnover
Return on Assets Profit Margin
Thus, we see that OROA is a function of how well we manage the income statement, as
measured by the operating profit margin, and how well we manage the balance sheet (the
firm’s assets, as measured by the asset turnover ratio).
4-8. Gross profit margin measures a firm’s pricing decisions and its ability to keep its cost of
goods sold per dollar of sales. Operating profit margin is likewise a function of pricing
and cost of goods sold, but also the amount of operating expenses (marketing expenses
and general and administrative expense) for every dollar of sales. Net profit margin
builds on the above relationships, but then includes the firm’s financing costs, such as
interest expense. Thus, the gross profit margin measures the pricing decisions and the
ability to acquire or produce its product cheaply. The operating profit margin then adds
the cost of distributing the product to the customer. Finally, the net profit margin adds
the firm’s financing decisions to the operating performance.
4-9. The price/earnings (P/E) ratio indicates how much investors are willing to pay for $1 of
reported earnings, and is computed as follows:
The price/earnings ratio will be higher for companies that investors think have strong
growth prospects with low risk.
The price/book ratio compares the market value of a share of stock to the book value per
share of the firm’s reported equity in the balance sheet, calculated as follows:
77
Given that the book value per share is an accounting number that reflects historical costs,
we can roughly think of it as the investors’ original price they paid for their shares. So, a
ratio greater than one indicates that investors believe the firm is more valuable than what
they originally paid for the stock. In like manner, a ratio less than one suggests that
investors do not believe the stock is worth what they originally paid. the firm for its
growth prospects relative to its riskiness.
4-10. Return on equity is equal to net income divided by the total equity. But knowing how to
compute return on equity is not the same as understanding what decisions drive return on
equity. It helps to know that return on equity is driven by the spread between operating
return on assets and the interest rate paid on the firm’s debt. The greater the OROA
compared to the interest rate, the higher the return on equity will be. And if OROA is
higher (lower) than the interest rate, the more debt the firm uses, the higher (lower) the
return on equity will be.
4-11. Economic value added (EVA), as developed by the consulting firm Stern Stewart &
Co., is an attempt to measure a firm’s economic profit rather than accounting profit in a
given year. Economic profits assign a cost to the equity capital (the opportunity cost of
the funds provided by the shareholders) in addition to the interest cost on the firm’s
debt; many accountants only recognize the interest expense as a financing cost. EVA®
is computed as follows:
EVA = (r – k) × C
where r = the firm’s return on invested capital
k = the total cost of all capital, both debt and equity
C = amount of capital (total assets) invested in the firm
That is, the value created by management is determined by the amount the firm earns on
its invested capital relative to the cost of these funds—both debt and equity—and the
amount of capital invested in the firm.
78
SOLUTIONS TO
END-OF-CHAPTER PROBLEMS
4-1. Brashear’s target current ratio is 2.0. Letting X represent the cost of the additional
inventory financed with the short-term note. We solve for X as follows:
2 = ($2,145,000 + X) / ($858,000 + X)
X = $429,000
4-2. Operating Income = .12 X $65,000,000 = 7,800,000
Net Income:
Operating Income 7,800,000
Minus: Interest expense - (.06 X 20,000,000) = 1,200,000
Taxes: - [.3 X (7,800,000 –1,200,000)] = 2,000,000
Net Income 4,600,000
operating
operating income $7,800,000
return = = = .19 or 19%
total assets $42,000,000
on assets
4-3 a.
Income Statement:
Net sales $400,000
Cost of goods sold 112,000
Gross profit $288,000
Operating expenses 130,000
Operating income $158,000
Interest expense 16,788
Income before taxes $141,212
Taxes 48,012
Net income $ 93,200
79
operating operating income $158,000
b. = = = .395 or 40%
profit margin sales $400,000
4-4. To calculate the price to book ratio, we would need to determine the market price per
share as well as the balance sheet book value. The market price is derived as follows:
Earnings
Earnings per share = = $3 ; Earnings = $150,000
50,000 shares
Price
Price/ Earnings = = 12.5 ; Market Price per share = $36.75
$3
Equity Book Value $750,500
Book values per share = = = $15.01
Number of shares 50,000 shares
Price $36.75
= = 2.45
Book $15.01
This ratio indicates that the shareholders believe that the company’s shares are worth
more than twice their historical cost value on the balance sheet.
4-5. Mitchem’s present current ratio of 2.5 to 1 in conjunction with its $2.5 million
investment in current assets indicates that its current liabilities are presently $1 million.
Letting x represent the additional borrowing against the firm’s line of credit (which also
equals the addition to current assets) we can solve for that level of x which forces the
firm’s current ratio down to 2 to 1, i.e.,
2 = ($2.5 million + x) / ($1. million + x)
or x = $0.5 million or $500,000
4-6. Instructor’s Note: This is a very rudimentary "getting started" exercise. It requires no
analysis beyond looking up the appropriate formula and plugging in the corresponding
figures.
current assets $3,500
current ratio = = = 1.75X
current liabilitie s $2,000
80
accounts receivable $2,000
Average Collection Period = = = 91 days
credit sales / 365 $8,000 / 365
cost of
goods sold $3,300
Inventory Turnover = = = 3.3X
inventory $1,000
net sales $8,000
Fixed Asset Turnover = = = 1.78X
fixed assets $4,500
sales $8,000
Total Asset Turnover = = = 1X
total assets $8,000
gross profit $4,700
Gross Profit Margin = = = .59 or 59%
sales $8,000
operating operating income $1,700
= = = .21 or 21%
profit margin sales $8,000
operating $1,700
operating income
return = = = .21 or 21%
on assets total assets $8,000
81
Average Collection Accounts Receivable
4-8. a. =
Period (ACP) Credit Sales/365
$562,500
ACP =
.75 x $9m/365
ACP = 30 days
Note that the average collection period is based on credit sales which are 75% of
total firm sales.
Average Accounts Receivable
b. = 20 =
collection period .75 x $9m/365
Solving for accounts receivable:
Accounts = $369,863
receivable
82
4-9. a.
Industry Evalu-
RATIO 2007 2008 Norm ation
Liquidity:
Current Ratio 6.0x 4.0x 5.0x Poor
Acid-test (Quick) Ratio 3.25x 1.92x 3.0x Poor
Average Collection Period 137 days 107 days 90 days Poor
Inventory Turnover 1.27x 1.36x 2.2x Poor
Operating profitability:
Operating Return on Assets 10.4% 13.8% 15.0%a Poor
Operating Profit Margin 20.8% 24.8% 20.0% Satis.
Total Asset Turnover .5x .56x .75x Poor
Average Collection Period 137 days 107 days 90 days Poor
Inventory Turnover 1.27x 1.36x 2.2x Poor
Fixed Asset Turnover 1.0x 1.04x 1.00x Satis.
Financing:
Debt Ratio 33% 34.6% 33% Satis.
Times Interest Earned 5.0x 5.63x 7.0x Satis.
Rate of return on common stockholders’ investment:
Return on Common Equity 7.5% 10.5% 9.0% Satis.
83
generating operating profits on the firm’s assets. However, they did improve
between 2007 and 2008. The problem lies not with the operating profit margin,
which addresses the operating costs and expenses relative to sales. Instead, the
problem arises from Pamplin’s management not using the firm’s assets
efficiently, as indicated by the low asset turnover ratios. Here the problem
occurs in managing accounts receivable and inventories, where we see the low
turnover ratios. The firm does appear to be using the fixed assets reasonably
well—note the satisfactory fixed assets turnover.
d. Financing decisions
A balance-sheet perspective:
The debt ratio for Pamplin in 2008 is around 35%, an increase from 33% in
2007; that is, they finance slightly more than one-third of their assets with debt
and a little less than two-thirds with common equity. Also, the average firm in
the industry uses about the same amount of debt per dollar of assets as Pamplin.
An income-statement perspective:
Pamplin’s times interest earned is below the industry norm—5.0 and 5.63 in
2007 and 2008, respectively, compared to 7.0 for the industry average. In
thinking about why, we should remember that a company’s times interest earned
is affected by (1) the level of the firm’s operating profitability (EBIT), (2) the
amount of debt used, and (3) the interest rate. (Items 2 and 3 determine the
amount of interest paid by the company.) Here is what we know about Pamplin:
1. The firm’s operating profitability is below average, but improving. Thus,
we would expect this fact to contribute to a lower, but also improving,
times interest earned. The evidence is consistent with this thought.
2. Pamplin uses about the same amount of debt as the average firm, which
should mean that its times interest earned, all else equal, would be about
the same as for the average firm. Thus, Pamplin’s low times interest
earned is not the consequence of using more debt.
3. We do not have any information about Pamplin’s interest rate. So we
cannot make any observation about the effect of the interest rate. But
we know if Pamplin is paying a higher interest rate than its competitor,
such a situation would also be contributing to the problem.
e. The return on common equity
Pamplin has improved its return on common equity from 7.5% in 2007 to 10.5%
in 2008, compared to an industry norm of 9%. The sharp improvement has
come from a significant increase in the firm’s operating return on assets and a
modest increase in the use of debt financing. It is also possible that the higher
return on equity comes from Pamplin paying a lower interest rate on its debt, but
we do not have enough information to know for certain. Nevertheless, Pamplin
has enhanced the returns to its owners, but with a touch of additional financial
risk (slightly higher debt ratio) in the process.
84
4-10. a. Salco’s total asset turnover, operating profit margin, and operating return on
assets.
Sales
Total Asset Turnover =
Total Assets
$4,500,000
=
$2,000,000
= 2.25 times
Operating Income
Operating Profit Margin =
Sales
$500,000
=
$4,500,000
= 11.11%
Operating Operating Income
=
return on assets Total Assets
$500,000
=
$2,000,000
= 25%
Operating Income Sales
or = x
Sales Total Assets
= .1111 X 2.25 = 25%
b. The new operating return on assets for Salco after the plant renovation:
Operating Operating Income Sales
= x
return on assets Sales Total Assets
$4,500,000
= .13 x
$3,000,000
= .13 x 1.5 = 19.5%
85
c. Return earned on the common stockholders’ investment:
Post-Renovation Analysis:
Return on common Net Income Available to Common
=
equity Common Equity
$217,500
=
$1,000,000 + $500,000
= 14.5%
Net Income Available to Common following the renovation was calculated as
follows:
Operating Income (.13 x $4.5m) $ 585,000
Less: Interest ($100,000 + $50,000) (150,000)
Earnings Before Taxes 435,000
Less: Taxes (50%) (217,500)
Net Income Available to Common $ 217,500
Pre-renovation Analysis:
The pre-renovation rate of return on common equity (ROCE) is calculated as
follows:
$200,000
ROCE = = 20%
$1,000,000
Comparative Analysis:
A comparison of the two rates of return would argue that the renovation not be
undertaken. However, since investments in fixed assets generally produce cash
flows over many years, it is not appropriate to base decisions about their
acquisition on a single year’s ratios. There are additional problems with this
approach to fixed asset decision making which we will discover when we discuss
capital budgeting in a later chapter.
Instructor’s Note: To help convince those students who simply cannot accept
the fact that the renovation may be worthwhile even though the return on
common equity falls in the first year, we note that the existing plant is recorded
on the firm’s books at original cost less accounting depreciation. This, if in a
period of rising replacement costs, means that the return on common equity of
20% without renovation may actually overstate the true return earned on a more
realistic "replacement cost" common equity base. In addition, the issue is
probably one of when to renovate (this year or next) rather than whether or not
to renovate. That is, the existing facility may require renovation in the next two
years to continue to operate. These considerations simply cannot be
incorporated in the ratio analysis performed here. We find this a very useful
point to make at this juncture of the course since industry practice still
frequently involves use of rules of thumb and ratio guides for the analysis of
capital expenditures.
86
4-11. T.P. Jarmon
a. See the accompanying table.
b. The most important ratios to consider in evaluating the firm’s credit request
relate to its liquidity and use of financial leverage. However, the credit analyst
can also evaluate the firm’s profitability ratios as a general indication as to how
effective the firm’s management has been in managing the resources available to
it. This latter analysis would be useful in evaluating the prospects for a long and
fruitful relationship with the new client.
c. The answer to question c can be found in Chapter 3, Problem 3-8.
d. Two potential problems emerge from a comparison of Jarmon’s ratios with the
industry norms. First, Jarmon has a rather large investment in inventories as
reflected in both the inventory turnover ratio and an analysis of the current and
acid-test ratios. The current ratio indicates a satisfactory liquidity position,
while the acid-test ratio is below par. Since these two liquidity ratios differ only
through the inclusion or exclusion of inventories, this finding points toward a
larger than normal investment in inventories (given the level of the firm’s sales
and hence its costs of goods sold).
The second area of concern from the analysis relates to the firm’s use of
financial leverage. Although the firm’s debt ratio is only slightly above the
industry norm, we can observe from the balance sheet that the firm is relying
more on short-term debt and less on long-term debt—a fact that would bother
the banker. The firm’s current ratio would reflect this higher than average
reliance on short-term debt were it not for the fact that the firm has a higher than
average investment in inventories.
Finally, we note that the firm’s total asset turnover is above average which leads
to an operating return on assets ratio which is above the industry average. This
above average total asset turnover is primarily a result of the above average
turnover of fixed assets, however. As we noted earlier, the firm has a substantial
inventory investment relative to sales.
NOTE: This firm is profitable and with the judicious use of loan covenants
(restrictions) may become a valued client to the bank. At this point, it may be
useful to introduce the various kinds of loan restrictions the bank would want to
place in the line of credit agreement.
87
Industry Evalu-
Ratio Formula Calculation Average tion
Earnings Available
to Common $42,900
Return on Equity Common Investment = .234 12% Good
$183,300
or 23.4%
4-12 Stegemoller
EVA = (12% - 14%) x $100 million = ($2 million)
Thus, the firm has a negative economic profit of $2 million, which suggests that $2
million of shareholder value has been destroyed. The loss of shareholder value occurs in
spite of the fact that the firm is earning a return on its investments above the average
firm in the industry. In other words, a firm can look good compared to industry norms,
while still destroying firm value.
DATA
GM Toyota
2005 2005
Sales $190,215 $172,749
Cost of goods sold 155,264 129,100
Gross profit 34,951 43,649
Selling, general, and administrative
expenses 22,734 18,095
Depreciation and amortization 15,769 9,291
Operating profit (3,552) 16,263
Interest expense 15,768 177
Non-operating income/expense 2,984 2,244
Extraordinary items (109) (1,297)
Pretax income (16,445) 17,033
Provision for income taxes (5,878) 6,126
Net income ($10,567) $10,907
90
Net plant, property & equipment 78,401 53,968
Investments 23,891 77,296
Intangibles 9,097 0
Other assets 88,044 7,435
Total assets $476,078 $226,604
Liabilities:
Accounts payable 29,913 17,290
Notes payable 0 22,179
Accrued expenses 65,614 12,006
Short-term notes 83,747 13,444
Other current liabilities 3,759 11,692
Total current liabilities 183,033 76,611
91
a.
GM Toyota
Current ratio 1.51 1.15
Acid-test ratio 1.27 0.87
Average collection period 382.64 99.66
Accounts receivable turnover 0.95 3.66
Inventory turnover 4.29 10.61
Operating return on assets -0.7% 7.2%
Gross profit margin 18.4% 25.3%
Operating profit margin -1.9% 9.4%
Total asset turnover 0.40 0.76
Fixed asset turnover 2.43 3.20
Debt ratio 96.9% 62.8%
Times interest earned (0.23) 91.88
Return on equity (before taxes) -112.7% 20.2%
Return on equity (before extra. items and -111.9% 21.8%
taxes)
Liquidity. Based on the current ratio and quick (acid test) ratio, GM appears to be
more liquid than Toyota. But when we examine how quickly GM and Toyota are
converting accounts receivables and inventories into cash (accounts receivable turnover
and inventory turnover), we see that Toyota does a much better job at managing its
accounts receivable and inventory, to such an extreme that we must consider Toyota to
be more liquid.
Profitability. Based on the operating return on assets, Toyota generates more
operating profits on the firm’s assets than does GM. This result is due to a significantly
higher operating profit margin and a faster asset turnover, in all categories of accounts
receivables, inventory, and fixed assets. Toyota does a better job at managing it income
statement and its balance sheet than does GM.
Financing. GM hardly has any equity left after all its losses (see retained earnings),
resulting in a very high debt ratio compared to Toyota.
Return on equity. The high debt ratio and the negative operating return on assets at
GM results in a disastrous return on equity. While Toyota has a very attractive return
on equity due to a good operating return on assets.
92
b.
GM Toyota
12/31/05 3/31/05
Stock Price on December 31, 2005 19.42 104.62
Number of shares (thousands) 565,000 1,634,000
Equity book value (thousands) $14,597,000 $84,225,000
Net income (thousands) ($10,567) $10,907
Since GM had negative earnings, its price/earnings ratio has no meaning. Toyota’s
shareholders are indicating that they are willing to pay $15.67 for $1 of earnings, based
on the firm’s risk and growth potential.
The market-to-book ratios are interesting, indicating that the GM investors believe the
current market value of the firm is less than has been invested over the firm’s live, as
indicated by a ratio below 1. In contrast, Toyota investors say that the market value of
the firm’s equity is more than twice as much as has been invested over its life.
c.
Based on the EVA measures, both GM and Toyota destroyed equity value during 2005.
These measures are rough estimates at best, which may mean that Toyota may not have
in reality destroyed value. But there can be no question about GM. Shareholder value
was destroyed in a big way.
93
ALTERNATIVE PROBLEMS AND SOLUTIONS
ALTERNATIVE PROBLEMS
4-1A. (Ratio Analysis) The Allendale Office Supply Company has a target current ratio of
2.0 but has experienced some difficulties financing its expanding sales in the past few
months. At present, the firm has a current ratio of 2.75 with current assets of $3.0
million. If Allendale expands its receivables and inventories using its short-term line
of credit, how much additional short-term funding can it borrow before its current
ratio standard is reached?
4-2A. (Ratio Analysis) The balance sheet and income statement for the Simsboro Paper
Company are as follows:
94
4-3A. (Analyzing Operating return on assets) The R. M. Senchack Corporation earned an
operating profit margin of 6% based on sales of $11 million and total assets of $6
million last year.
a. What was Senchack’s total asset turnover ratio?
b. For the coming year, the company president has set a goal of attaining a
turnover of 2.5. How much must firm sales rise, other things being the same, for
the goal to be achieved? (State your answer in both dollars and percentage
increase in sales.)
c. What was Senchack’s operating return on assets last year? Assuming the firm’s
operating profit margin remains the same, what will the operating return on
assets be next year if the total asset turnover goal is achieved?
4-4A. (Using Financial Ratios) The Brenman Inc. had a gross profit margin (gross profits ÷
sales) of 25% and sales of $9.75 million last year. Seventy-five percent of the firm’s
sales are on credit, and the remainder are cash sales. Brenman’s current assets equal
$1,550,000, its current liabilities equal $300,000, and it has $150,000 in cash plus
marketable securities.
a. If Brenman’s accounts receivable are $562,500, what is its average collection
period?
b. If Brenman reduces its average collection period to 20 days, what will be its new
level of accounts receivable?
c. Brenman’s inventory turnover ratio is 8 times. What is the level of Brenman’s
inventories?
4-5A. (Ratio Analysis of Loan Request) Using Chavez Corporation’s financial statements
shown below:
a. Compute the following ratios for both 2007 and 2008.
Industry Norm
Current ratio 5.00
Acid-test (quick) ratio 3.00
Inventory turnover 2.20
Average collection period 90.00
Debt ratio 0.33
Times interest earned 7.00
Total asset turnover 0.75
Fixed asset turnover 1.00
Operating profit margin 20%
Operating return on assets 15%
Return on common equity 13.43%
95
e. Are the common stockholders receiving a good return on their investment?
2007 2008
Sales $1250 $1450
Cost of goods sold 700 875
Gross profit $550 $575
Operating expenses 30 45
Depreciation 220 200
Net operating income $300 $330
Interest expense 50 60
Net income before taxes $250 $270
Taxes (40%) 100 108
Net income $150 $162
96
4-6A. (Financial Ratios—Investment Analysis) The annual sales for Salco, Inc., were
$5,000,000 last year. The firm’s end-of-year balance sheet appeared as follows:
Sales $5,000,000
Less: Cost of goods sold (3,000,000)
Gross profit $2,000,000
Less: Operating expenses (1,500,000)
Operating income $500,000
Less: Interest expense (100,000)
Earnings before taxes $400,000
Less: Taxes (40%) (160,000)
Net income $240,000
a. Calculate Salco’s total asset turnover, operating profit margin, and operating
return on assets.
b. Salco plans to renovate one of its plants, which will require an added investment
in plant and equipment of $1 million. The firm will maintain its present debt ratio
of .5 when financing the new investment and expects sales to remain constant,
whereas the operating profit margin will rise to 13%. What will be the new
operating return on assets for Salco after the plant renovation?
c. Given that the plant renovation in part b occurs and Salco’s interest expense
rises by $40,000 per year, what will be the return earned on the common
stockholders’ investment? Compare this rate of return with that earned before
the renovation.
4-7A. (Comprehensive Financial Analysis Problem) RPI, Inc. is a manufacturer and retailer of
high-quality sports clothing and gear. The firm was started several years ago by a group
of serious outdoor enthusiasts who felt there was a need for a firm that could provide
quality products at reasonable prices. The result was RPI, Inc. Since its inception, the
firm has been profitable with sales that last year totaled $700,000 and assets in excess of
$400,000. The firm now finds its growing sales outstrip its ability to finance its
inventory needs. The firm now estimates that it will need a line of credit of $100,000
during the coming year. To finance this funding requirement, the management plans to
seek a line of credit with its bank.
97
The firm’s most recent financial statements were provided to its bank as support for the
firm’s loan request. Joanne Peebie, a loan analyst trainee for the Morristown Bank and
Trust, has been assigned the task of analyzing the firm’s loan request.
RPI, Inc. Balance Sheets
for 12/31/07 and 12/31/08
Assets
2007 2008
Cash $16,000 $17,000
Marketable securities 7,000 7,200
Accounts receivable 42,000 38,000
Inventory 50,000 93,000
Prepaid rent 1,200 1,100
Total current assets $116,200 $156,300
Net plant and equipment 286,000 290,000
Total assets $402,200 $446,300
98
a. Calculate the financial ratios for 2008 corresponding to the industry norms
provided below:
Ratio
Norm
Current ratio 1.80
Acid-test ratio 0.90
Debt ratio 0.50
Long-term debt to total capitalization 0.70
Times interest earned 10.00
Average collection period 20.00
Inventory turnover (based on COGS) 7.00
Return on total assets 8.40%
Gross profit margin 25.0%
Operating return on assets 16.8%
Operating profit margin 14.0%
Total asset turnover 1.20
Fixed asset turnover 1.80
b. Which of the ratios reported above in the industry norms do you feel should be
most crucial in determining whether the bank should extend the line of credit?
c. Use the information provided by the financial ratios to decide if you would
support making the loan.
EBIT $1,500
Times Interest Earned = Interest = = 4.09X
$367
99
Accounts Receivable $1,500
Average Collection Period = Credit Sales ÷ 365 = = 73 days
$7,500 ÷ 365
Cost of
goods sold $3,000
Inventory Turnover = Inventory = = 3.0X
$1,000
Sales $7,500
Total Asset Turnover = Total Assets = = .94X
$8,000
Sales
4-3A. a. Total Assets Turnover = Total Assets
$11m
= = 1.83X
$6m
Sales
b. 2.5 = $6m
Sales = $15m
Thus, the needed sales growth is $4 million ($15m - $11m) or an increase of
36%:
$4m
$11m = 36%
100
c. For last year,
= 6% x 1.83 = 10.98%
If sales grow by 36%, then for next year-end assuming a 6% operating profit
margin:
= 6% x 2.5 = 15%
Average Collection Accounts Receivable
4-4A. a. Period (ACP) = Credit Sales/365
$562,500
ACP =
.75 x $9.75m/365
Note that the average collection period is based on credit sales which are 75% of
total firm sales.
Accounts
receivable = $400,685
.75 x Sales
8 = Inventories
.75 x $9.75m
Inventories = 8 = $914,062.50
101
4-5A. a.
Industry Evalu-
RATIO 2007 2008 Norm ation
Liquidity:
Current Ratio 5.00 5.35 5.00 Satis.
Acid-test (Quick) Ratio 2.70 2.63 3.00 Poor
Average Collection Period 131.40 108.24 90.00 Poor
Inventory Turnover 1.22 1.40 2.20 Poor
Operating profitability:
Operating Return on Assets 12.24% 12.97% 15.00% Poor
Operating Profit Margin 24.00% 22.76% 20.00% Good
Total Asset Turnover .51 .57 .75 Poor
Average Collection Period 131.40 108.24 90.00 Poor
Inventory Turnover 1.22 1.40 2.20 Poor
Fixed Asset Turnover 1.04 1.12 1.00 Satis.
Financing:
Debt Ratio 34.69% 32.81% 33.00% Satis.
Times Interest Earned 6.00 5.50 7.00 Poor
Rate of return on common stockholders’ investment:
Return on Common Equity 9.38% 9.53% 13.43% Poor
b. Regarding the firm’s liquidity, the acid-test (quick) ratios are below the industry
average and have decreased from the prior year. Also, the average collection
period and inventory turnover are well below the industry averages, which
suggests that inventories are not of equal quality of these assets in other firms in
the industry. Since the current ratio is satisfactory, the problem apparently lies
in the management of inventories. We may reasonably conclude that Chavez is
less liquid than the average company in its industry because it has a greater
investment in inventories than the industry average and is not as aggressive in
collecting its accounts receivable.
c. Operating profitability
102
Thus, given the low operating return on assets for Chavez relative to the
industry, we must conclude that management is not doing an adequate job of
generating operating profits on the firm’s assets. However, they did improve
between 2007 and 2008. The problem lies not with the operating profit margin,
which addresses the operating costs and expenses relative to sales. Instead, the
problem arises from Chavez’s management not using the firm’s assets efficiently,
as indicated by the low asset turnover ratios. Here the problem occurs in
managing accounts receivable and inventories, where we see the low turnover
ratios. The firm does appear to be using the fixed assets reasonably well—note
the satisfactory fixed assets turnover.
d. Financing decisions
A balance-sheet perspective:
The debt ratio for Chavez in 2008 is around 33%, a decrease from 34.7% in
2007; that is, they finance about one-third of their assets with debt and a little
less than two-thirds with common equity. Also, the average firm in the industry
uses about the same amount of debt per dollar of assets as Chavez.
An income-statement perspective:
Chavez’s times interest earned is below the industry norm—6.0 and 5.5 in 2007
and 2008, respectively, compared to 7.0 for the industry average. In thinking
about why, we should remember that a company’s times interest earned is
affected by (1) the level of the firm’s operating profitability (EBIT), (2) the
amount of debt used, and (3) the interest rate. (Items 2 and 3 determine the
amount of interest paid by the company. Here is what we know about Chavez:
2. Chavez uses about the same amount of debt as the average firm, which
should mean that its times interest earned, all else equal, would be about
the same as for the average firm. Thus, Chavez’s low times interest
earned is not the consequence of using more debt.
103
e. The return on common equity
Chavez has improved its return on common equity from 9.38% in 2007 to
9.53% in 2008, compared to an industry norm of 13.43%. The improvement
has come from an increase in the firm’s operating return on assets, despite a
slight decrease in the use of debt financing. Thus, Chavez has enhanced the
returns to its owners, and with a small decline of financial risk (slightly lower
debt ratio) in the process.
4-6A. a. Salco’s total asset turnover, operating profit margin, and operating return on
assets.
Sales
Total Asset Turnover = Total Assets
$5,000,000
=
$2,000,000
= 2.50 times
Operating Income
Operating Profit Margin = Sales
$500,000
=
$5,000,000
= 10.00%
$500,000
=
$2,000,000
= 25%
104
b. The new operating return on assets for Salco after the plant renovation:
$5,000,000
= .13 X
$3,000,000
Post-Renovation Analysis:
$306,000
=
$1,000,000 + $500,000
= 20.4%
Pre-renovation Analysis:
The pre-renovation rate of return on common equity (ROCE) is calculated as
follows:
$240,000
ROCE = = 24%
$1,000,000
Comparative Analysis:
A comparison of the two rates of return would argue that the renovation not be
undertaken. However, since investments in fixed assets generally produce cash
flows over many years, it is not appropriate to base decisions about their
acquisition on a single year’s ratios. There are additional problems with this
approach to fixed asset decision making which we will discover when we discuss
capital budgeting in a later chapter.
105
Instructor’s Note: To help convince those students who simply cannot accept
the fact that the renovation may be worthwhile even though the return on
common equity falls in the first year, we note that the existing plant is recorded
on the firm’s books at original cost less accounting depreciation. This, if in a
period of rising replacement costs, means that the return on common equity of
24% without renovation may actually overstate the true return earned on a more
realistic "replacement cost" common equity base. In addition, the issue is
probably one of when to renovate (this year or next) rather than whether or not
to renovate. That is, the existing facility may require renovation in the next two
years to continue to operate. These considerations simply cannot be
incorporated in the ratio analysis performed here. We find this a very useful
point to make at this juncture of the course, since industry practice still
frequently involves use of rules of thumb and ratio guides to the analysis of
capital expenditures.
4-7A. a. See the accompanying table.
b. The most important ratios to consider in evaluating the firm’s credit request
relate to its liquidity and use of financial leverage. However, the credit analyst
can also evaluate the firm’s profitability ratios as a general indication as to how
effective the firm’s management has been in managing the resources available to
it. This latter analysis would be useful in evaluating the prospects for a long and
fruitful relationship with the new client.
c. No potential problems emerge from a comparison of RPI’s ratios with the
industry norms. RPI’s inventory seems a bit slow moving which could point to
potential obsolete inventory, and, therefore, an overvaluation. However, RPI’s
management may purposely be building up its stock in its warehouse. The
current ratio indicates a satisfactory liquidity position, as does the acid-test ratio.
Since these two liquidity ratios differ only through the inclusion or exclusion of
inventories, this finding points toward the larger than normal investment in
inventories (given the level of the firm’s sales and, hence, its costs of goods
sold).
NOTE: This firm is profitable and with the judicious use of loan covenants
(restrictions) may become a valued client to the bank. At this point, it may be
useful to introduce the various kinds of loan restrictions the bank would want to
place in the line of credit agreement.
106
Industry Evalu-
Ratio Formula Calculation Average tion
or 28.57%
Earnings Available
to Common $82,900
Return on Equity Common Investment = .3712 12% Good
$223,300
or 37.12%