Why are ratios useful? What are the five major categories of ratios?
Calculate D’Leon’s 2013 current and quick ratios based on the projected balance sheet and income statement data. What can you say about the company’s liquidity positions in 2011, 2012, and as projected for 2009? We often think of ratios as being useful (1) to managers to help run the business, (2) to bankers for credit analysis, and (3) to stockholders for stock valuation. Would these different types of analysts have an equal interest in these liquidity ratios?
Calculate the 2013 inventory turnover, days sales outstanding (DSO), fixed assets turnover, and total assets turnover. How does D’Leon’s utilization of assets stack up against other firms in its industry?
Calculate the 2013 debt and times-interest-earned ratios. How does D’Leon compare with the industry with respect to financial leverage? What can you conclude from these ratios?
Calculate the 2013 operating margin, profit margin, basic earning power (BEP), return on assets (ROA), and return on equity (ROE). What can you say about these ratios?
Calculate the 2013 price/earnings ratio and market/book ratio. Do these ratios indicate that investors are expected to have a high or low opinion of the company?
Use the DuPont equation to provide a summary and overview of D’Leon’s financial condition as projected for 2013. What are the firm’s major strengths and weaknesses?
Use the following simplified 2009 balance sheet to show, in general terms, how an improvement in the DSO would tend to affect the stock price. For example, if the company could improve its collection procedures and thereby lower its DSO from 45.6 days to the 32-day industry average without affecting sales, how would that change “ripple through” the financial statements (shown in thousands below) and influence the stock price?
Does it appear that inventories could be adjusted? If so, how should that adjustment affect D’Leon’s profitability and stock price?
In 2012, the company paid its suppliers much later than the due dates; also it was not maintaining financial ratios at levels called for in its bank loan agreements. Therefore, suppliers could cut the company off, and its bank could refuse to renew the loan when it comes due in 90 days. On the basis of data provided, would you, as a credit manager, continue to sell to D’Leon on credit? (You could demand cash on delivery—that is, sell on terms of COD—but that might cause D’Leon to stop buying from your company.) Similarly, if you were the bank loan officer, would you recommend renewing the loan or demand its repayment? Would your actions be influenced if in early 2013 D’Leon showed you its 2013 projections along with proof that it was going to raise more than $1.2 million of new equity?
In hindsight, what should D’Leon have done back in 2011?
What are some potential problems and limitations of financial ratio analysis?
What are some qualitative factors analysts should consider when evaluating a company’s likely future financial performance?