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Financial Ratios
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(Brand names purchased from another company will be recorded in the company's accounting records at their cost.) The accountants' matching principle will result in assets such as buildings, equipment, furnishings, fixtures, vehicles, etc. being reported at amounts less than cost. The reason is these assets are depreciated. Depreciation reduces an asset's book value each year and the amount of the reduction is reported as Depreciation Expense on the income statement. While depreciation is reducing the book value of certain assets over their useful lives, the current value (or fair market value) of these assets may actually be increasing. (It is also possible that the current value of some assetssuch as computersmay be decreasing faster than the book value.) Current assets such as Cash, Accounts Receivable, Inventory, Supplies, Prepaid Insurance, etc. usually have current values that are close to the amounts reported on the balance sheet. Current liabilities such as Notes Payable (due within one year), Accounts Payable, Wages Payable, Interest Payable, Unearned Revenues, etc. are also likely to have current values that are close to the amounts reported on the balance sheet. Long-term liabilities such as Notes Payable (not due within one year) or Bonds Payable (not maturing within one year) will often have current values that differ from the amounts reported on the balance sheet. Stockholders' equity is the book value of the company. It is the difference between the reported amount of assets and the reported amount of liabilities. For the reasons mentioned above, the reported amount of stockholders' equity will therefore be different from the current or market value of the company. By definition the current assets and current liabilities are "turning over" at least once per year. As a result, the reported amounts are likely to be similar to their current value. The long-term assets and long-term liabilities are not "turning over" often. Therefore, the amounts reported for long-term assets and long-term liabilities will likely be different from the current value of those items. The remainder of our explanation of financial ratios and financial statement analysis will use information from the following balance sheet:
To learn more about the balance sheet go to: Explanation of Balance Sheet.
The benefit of a common-size balance sheet is that an item can be compared to a similar item of another company regardless of the size of the companies. A company can also compare its percentages to the industry's average percentages. For example, a company with Inventory at 4.0% of total assets can look to its industry statistics to see if its percentage is reasonable. (Industry percentages might be available from an industry association, library reference desks, and from bankers. Many banks have memberships in Risk Management Association (RMA), an organization that collects and distributes statistics by industry.) A common-size balance sheet also allows two businesspersons to compare the magnitude of a balance sheet item without either one revealing the actual dollar amounts.
What It Tells You An indicator of whether the company will be able to meet its current obligations (pay its bills, meet its payroll, make a loan payment, etc.) If a company has current assets exactly equal to current liabilities, it has no working capital. The greater the amount of working capital the more likely it will be able to make its payments on time. This tells you the relationship of current assets to current liabilities. A ratio of 3:1 is better than 2:1. A 1:1 ratio means there is no working capital.
Current Ratio
= [(Cash + Temp. Investments + Accounts Receivable) Current Liabilities] : 1 = [($2,100 + $100 + $10,000 + $40,500) $61,000] : 1 = [$52,700 $61,000] : 1 = 0.86 : 1
This ratio is similar to the current ratio except that Inventory, Supplies, and Prepaid Expenses are excluded. This indicates the relationship between the amount of assets that can quickly be turned into cash versus the amount of current liabilities.
Four financial ratios relate balance sheet amounts for Accounts Receivable and Inventory to income statement amounts. To illustrate these financial ratios we will use the following income statement information:
Example Corporation Income Statement For the year ended December 31, 2011 Sales (all on credit) Cost of Goods Sold Gross Profit Operating Expenses Selling Expenses Administrative Expenses Total Operating Expenses Operating Income Interest Expense Income before Taxes Income Tax Expense Net Income after Taxes $500,000 380,000 120,000
To learn more about the income statement go to: Explanation of Income Statement.
How to Calculate It = Net Credit Sales for the Year Average Accounts Receivable for the Year = $500,000 $42,000 (a computed average) = 11.90
What It Tells You The number of times per year that the accounts receivables turn over. Keep in mind that the result is an average, since credit sales and accounts receivable are likely to fluctuate during the year. It is important to use the average balance of accounts receivable during the year. The average number of days that it took to collect the average amount of accounts receivable during the year. This statistic is only as good as the Accounts Receivable Turnover figure.
= 365 days in Year Accounts Receivable Turnover in Year = 365 days 11.90 = 30.67 days
Inventory Turnover
= Cost of Goods Sold for the Year The number of times per year Average Inventory for the Year that Inventory turns over. Keep in mind that the result is an = $380,000 $30,000 (a computed average, since sales and average) inventory levels are likely to fluctuate during the year. Since inventory is at cost (not sales = 12.67 value), it is important to use the Cost of Goods Sold. Also be sure to use the average balance of inventory during the year. = 365 days in Year Inventory Turnover in Year = 365 days 12.67 = 28.81 The average number of days that it took to sell the average inventory during the year. This statistic is only as good as the Inventory Turnover figure.
The next financial ratio involves the relationship between two amounts from the balance sheet: total liabilities and total stockholders' equity: Financial Ratio Debt to Equity
How to Calculate It = (Total liabilities Total Stockholders' Equity) : 1 = ( $481,000 $289,000) : 1 = 1.66 : 1
What It Tells You The proportion of a company's assets supplied by the company's creditors versus the amount supplied the owner or stockholders. In this example the creditors have supplied $1.66 for each $1.00 supplied by the stockholders.
Example Corporation Income Statement For the year ended December 31, 2011 Sales (all on credit) Cost of Goods Sold Gross Profit Operating Expenses Selling Expenses Administrative Expenses Total Operating Expenses Operating Income Interest Expense Income before Taxes Income Tax Expense Net Income after Taxes Earnings per Share (based on 100,000 shares outstanding) $500,000 380,000 120,000
To learn more about the income statement go to: Explanation of Income Statement.
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Example Corporation Common-Size Income Statement For the year ended December 31, 2011 Sales (all on credit) Cost of Goods Sold Gross Profit Operating Expenses Selling Expenses Administrative Expenses Total Operating Expenses Operating Income Interest Expense Income before Taxes Income Tax Expense Net Income after Taxes 100.0% 76.0% 24.0%
The percentages shown for Example Corporation can be compared to other companies and to the industry averages. Industry averages can be obtained from trade associations, bankers, and library reference desks. If a company competes with a company whose stock is publicly traded, another source of information is that company's Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations contained in its annual report to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). This annual report is the SEC Form 10-K and is usually accessible under the Investor Relations tab on the corporation's website.
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= = =
Net Income after Tax Net Sales $23,000 $500,000 4.6% Net Income after Tax Weighted Average Number of Common Shares Outstanding $23,000 100,000 $0.23
= =
Earnings for the Year before Interest and Income Tax Expense Interest Expense for the Year $40,000 $12,000 3.3 Net Income for the Year after Taxes Average Stockholders' Equity during the Year $23,000 $278,000 (a computed average) 8.3%
= =
Reveals the percentage of profit after income taxes that the corporation earned on its average common stockholders' balances during the year. If a corporation has preferred stock, the preferred dividends must be deducted from the net income.
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Example Corporation Statement of Cash Flows For the Year Ended December 31, 2011 Cash Flow from Operating Activities: Net Income Add: Depreciation Expense Increase in Accounts Receivable Decrease in Inventory Decrease in Accounts Payable Cash Provided (Used) in Operating Activities Cash Flow from Investing Activities Capital Expenditures Proceeds from Sale of Property Cash Provided (Used) by Investing Activities Cash Flow from Financing Activities: Borrowings of Long-term Debt Cash Dividends Purchase of Treasury Stock Cash Provided (Used) by Financing Activities Net Increase in Cash Cash at the beginning of the year Cash at the end of the year
$23,000 4,000 (6,000) 9,000 (5,000) 25,000 (28,000) 7,000 (21,000) 10,000 (5,000) (8,000) (3,000) 1,000 1,200 $ 2,200
How to Calculate It Cash Flow Provided by Operating Activities Capital Expenditures $25,000 $28,000 ( $3,000)
What It Tells You This statistic tells you how much cash is left over from operations after a company pays for its capital expenditures (additions to property, plant and equipment). There can be variations of this calculation. For example, some would only deduct capital expenditures to keep the present level of capacity. Others would also deduct dividends that are paid to stockholders, since they are assumed to be a requirement.
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The cash flow from operating activities section of the statement of cash flows is also used by some analysts to assess the quality of a company's earnings. For a company's earnings to be of "quality" the amount of cash flow from operating activities must be consistently greater than the company's net income. The reason is that under accrual accounting, various estimates and assumptions are made regarding both revenues and expenses. When it comes to cash, however, the money is either in the bank or it isn't. To learn more about the statement of cash flows, go to:
Explanation of Cash Flow Statement Drills for Cash Flow Statement Crossword Puzzle for Cash Flow Statement
Conclusion
Because the material covered here is considered an introduction to this topic, many complexities have been omitted. You should always consult with an accounting professional for assistance with your own specific circumstances.
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