CH 11 PPTs
CH 11 PPTs
CH 11 PPTs
CHAPTER
Credit Analysis
Company Liquidity refers to the ability to meet short-
term obligations
Liquidity is the ability to convert
assets into cash or to
obtain cash
Short term is the longer of one-year
or the company operating cycle
Liquidity and Working Capital
Basics
Liquidity is a matter of degree
Lack of liquidity can limit
Advantages of favorable discounts
Profitable opportunities
Management actions
Coverage of current obligations
Liquidity and Working Capital
Basics
Severe illiquidity often precedes
Lower profitability
Restricted opportunities
Loss of owner control
Loss of capital investment
Insolvency and bankruptcy
Liquidity and Working Capital
Basics
Current assets are cash and other assets reasonably expected to be
(1) realized in cash, or (2) sold or consumed, during the longer of one-
year or the companys operating cycle
Current assets include:
Cash -- ultimate liquid asset
Cash equivalents -- temporary investments of excess cash
Marketable securities -- debt or equity securities held as s-t investments
Accounts receivable -- mounts due from credit sales
Inventories -- items held for sale in the normal course of business
Prepaid expenses -- advance payments for services and supplies
Liquidity and Working Capital
Current Assets
Classification as current asset
depends on:
1. Manaments intent
2. Industry practice
Analysis must assess this classification
1. Is classification as current asset appropriate?
2. If not, then adjust accounts and amounts among current
and noncurrent
Liquidity and Working Capital
Current Assets
Balance
Sheet
Classification as current liability depends on:
1. Manaments intent
2. Industry practice
Analysis must assess this classification
1. Is classification as current liability appropriate?
2. If not, then adjust accounts and amounts among current and noncurrent
3. Are current liabilities reported?
4. If not, then adjust accounts for these amountspotential examples:
Contingent liabilities associated with loan guarantees
Future minimum rental payments under noncancelable operating leases
Progress payments under contracts
Current deferred tax liabilities (and assets)
Liquidity and Working Capital
Current Liabilities
Working capital is
defined as the excess of current assets over current liabilities
Widely used measure of short-term liquidity
Deficient when current liabilities exceed current assets
In surplus when current assets exceed current liabilities
A margin of safety for creditors
A liquid reserve to meet contingencies and uncertainties
A constraint for technical default in many debt agreements
Liquidity and Working Capital
Working Capital
Working capital more relevant when related to other key
variables such as
Sales
Total assets
Working capital is of limited value as an absolute
amount
Liquidity and Working Capital
Working Capital
Current Ratio Reflects on:
Current liability coverage -- assurance in covering current
liabilities
Buffer against losses -- margin of safety for shrinkage in
noncash current assets
Reserve of liquid funds --margin of safety
against uncertainties and shocks to cash flows
Liquidity and Working Capital
Current Ratio
s liabilitie Current
assets Current
= ratio Current
Current Ratio Limitations:
If liquidity is the ability to meet cash outflows with adequate
cash inflows, then does the current ratio:
Measure and predict the pattern of future cash inflows and
outflows?
Measure the adequacy of future cash inflows to outflows?
Answer is generally no to both these questions
Current ratio
Is a static measure
Does not have a causal relation to future
cash inflows
Liquidity and Working Capital
Current Ratio
Current Ratio Limitations in Numerator
Adjustments often needed to counter various limitations such as
Failure to reflect open lines of credit
Adjust securities valuation since the balance sheet date
Reflect revolving nature of accounts receivable
Recognize profit margin in inventory
Adjust inventory values to market
Remove deferred charges of dubious liquidity from
prepaid expenses
Liquidity and Working Capital
Current Ratio
Three important qualifications
1. Liquidity depends to a large extent on prospective cash
flows
2. No direct relation between working capital account
balances and patterns of future cash flows
3. Managerial policies are directed primarily at efficient and
profitable asset utilization and secondly at liquidity
4. Cash flow forecasts and pro forma financial statements
are preferred over the current ratio for liquidity and
solvency analysis
5. Current ratio is a static measure of the ability of current
assets to satisfy current liabilities
Liquidity and Working Capital
Current Ratio
Two important elements are integral to use of the current
ratio
1. Quality of both current assets and current liabilities
2. Turnover rate of both current assets and current
liabilities
Liquidity and Working Capital
Current Ratio
Comparative Analysis
Two useful tools in analyzing
the trend in the current ratio
Trend analysis -- components of working capital and the
current ratio are converted to indexes and examined over
time
Common-size analysis -- composition of current assets is
examined over time
Liquidity and Working Capital
Current Ratio - Applications
Ratio Management (window dressing)
Examples are:
Press the collection of
receivables at year-end
Call in advances to officers for
temporary repayment
Reduce inventory below normal
levels
Delay normal purchases
Proceeds from these activities are then
used to pay off current liabilities
Liquidity and Working Capital
Current Ratio - Applications
Rule of Thumb Analysis (2:1)
> 2:1 superior coverage of current liabilities (but not
too high, suggesting inefficient use of resources
and reduced returns)
< 2:1 deficient coverage of current liabilities
Liquidity and Working Capital
Current Ratio - Applications
Net Trade Cycle Analysis
Working capital requirements are affected by its desired
inventory investment and the relation between credit
terms from suppliers and those extended to customers
Liquidity and Working Capital
Current Ratio - Applications
Net Trade CycleIllustration
Selected financial information from Technology Resources, Inc., for the end of Year 1 is
reproduced below:
Sales for Year 1 $360,000
Receivables 40,000
Inventories* 50,000
Accounts payable 20,000
Cost of goods sold
(including depreciation of $30,000) 320,000
*Beginning inventory is $100,000.
We assume these relate to purchases included in cost of goods sold.
We estimate Technology Resources purchases per day as:
Purchases per day = $240,000 360 = $666.67
The net trade cycle for Technology Resources is computed as (in days):
Liquidity and Working Capital
day s 66.24 = (day s) cy cle trade Net
day s 30.00 =
$666.67
$20,000
= pay able Accounts : Less
day s 96.24
day s 56.24 =
360 $320,000
$50,000
= s Inv entorie
day s 40.00 =
360 $360,000
$40,000
= receiv able Accounts
+
4
360
= rati o i nventory sel l to
$1,200,000
= rati o turnover
days
$3,333
$400,000
= i nventory i n sal es Days'
$1,200,000
= sal es s day' average of Cost
120
333 , 3 $
360
=
=
Conversion Period (Operating Cycle):
Days to Sell Inventory + Collection Period
Measure of the speed with which inventory is converted
to cash
Operating Activity Analysis of Liquidity
Inventory Turnover
Quality of Current Liabilities
Must be judged on their degree of urgency in
payment
Must be aware of unrecorded liabilities having a claim
on current funds
Operating Activity Analysis of Liquidity
Liquidity of Current Liabilities
Days Purchases in Accounts Payable
Measures the extent accounts payable represent current
and not overdue obligations
Operating Activity Analysis of Liquidity
Inventory Turnover
360 Purchases
payable Accounts
= payable accounts in purchases Days
(
(
(
(
(
(
\
|
rate Tax 1
dividends Preferred
+ charges ixed F
(g) (b) Adjusted + income tax - Pre
Earning Coverage
Interpreting Earnings Coverage
Earnings-coverage measures provide insight into
the ability of a company to meet its fixed charges
High correlation between earnings-coverage
measures and default rate on debt
Earnings variability and persistence is
important
Use earnings before discontinued
operations, extraordinary items, and
cumulative effects of accounting
changes for single year analysis
but, include them in computing the
average coverage ratio over several years
Earning Coverage
Capital Structure Risk and Return
- A company can increase risks (and potential
returns) of equity holders by increasing leverage
- Substitution of debt for equity yields a riskier
capital structure
- Relation between risk and return
in a capital structure exists
- Only personal analysis can
reflect ones unique risk and
return expectations
Return
$
Risk
?
Criteria determining a specific rating involve both
quantitative and qualitative factors
Asset protection
Financial resources
Earning power
Management
Debt provisions
Other: Company size, market share, industry position,
cyclical influences, and economic conditions
Rating Debt ObligationsAppendix 11A
Rating Criteria
Ratings and Yields
Rating Debt ObligationsAppendix 11A
Source: Standard & Poors, 2002
10-Year Treasury and Corporate Bond Yields - 2002
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Treasury
AAA
AA
A
Percent
Bond Quality Ratings
Rating Grades Standard & Poors Moodys
Highest grade AAA Aaa
High grade AA Aa
Upper medium A A
Lower medium BBB Baa
Marginally speculative BB Ba
Highly speculative B B, Caa
Default D Ca, C
Rating Criteria
Rating Debt ObligationsAppendix 11A
X1 = Working capital/Total assets
X2 = Retained earnings/Total assets
X3 = Earnings before interest and taxes/Total assets
X4 = Shareholders equity/Total liabilities
X5 = Sales/Total assets
Z<1.20 implies a high probability of bankruptcy
Z>2.90 implies a low probability of bankruptcy
1.20<Z<2.90 implies an ambiguous area
Predicting Financial DistressAppendix 11B
Altman Z-Score
5 4 3 2 1
998 . 0 420 . 0 107 . 3 847 . 0 717 . 0 X X X X X Z + + + + =
LTD = Long-term debt consisting of all long-term liabilities inclusive of
(1) noncurrent deferred taxes likely to reverse, and (2) other
noncurrent liabilities.
NFL = Estimated present value of noncapitalized financial leases.
SE = Shareholders equity, including minority interests.
NDT = Noncurrent deferred taxes assessed as unlikely to reverse in the
foreseeable future.
LR = LIFO reserve (excess of disclosed FIFO value of
ending inventory over reported LIFO amount).
MSA = Excess of market value of marketable securities
over cost (for analysis of financial statements
prior to 1994).
Analytical Adjustments to Long-Term Debt
to Equity RatioAppendix 11C
Ratio Adjustment
MSA LR NDT SE
NFL D LT
+ + +
+