Exam 4: Statement Analysis

Which of the following statements is CORRECT?

The current and quick ratios both help us measure a firm's liquidity. The current ratio measures the relationship of the firm's current assets to its current liabilities, while the quick ratio measures the firm's ability to pay off short-term obligations without relying on the sale of inventories.

Last year Harrington Inc. had sales of $325,000 and a net income of $19,000, and its year-end assets were $250,000. The firm's total-debt-to-total-assets ratio was 45.0%. Based on the DuPont equation, what was the ROE?

Precision Aviation had a profit margin of 6.25%, a total assets turnover of 1.5, and an equity multiplier of 1.8. What was the firm's ROE?

It is appropriate to use the fixed assets turnover ratio to appraise firms' effectiveness in managing their fixed assets if and only if all the firms being compared have the same proportion of fixed assets to total assets.

The price/earnings (P/E) ratio tells us how much investors are willing to pay for a dollar of current earnings. In general, investors regard companies with higher P/E ratios as being less risky and/or more likely to enjoy higher growth in the future.

Suppose all firms follow similar financing policies, face similar risks, have equal access to capital, and operate in competitive product and capital markets. However, firms face different operating conditions because, for example, the grocery store industry is different from the airline industry. Under these conditions, firms with high profit margins will tend to have high asset turnover ratios, and firms with low profit margins will tend to have low turnover ratios.

The inventory turnover and current ratio are related. The combination of a high current ratio and a low inventory turnover ratio, relative to industry norms, suggests that the firm has an above-average inventory level and/or that part of the inventory is obsolete or damaged.

Which of the following statements is CORRECT?

One problem with ratio analysis is that relationships can sometimes be manipulated. For example, if our current ratio is greater than 1.5, then borrowing on a short-term basis and using the funds to build up our cash account would cause the current ratio to INCREASE.

Klein Cosmetics has a profit margin of 5.0%, a total assets turnover ratio of 1.5 times, a zero debt ratio and therefore an equity multiplier of 1.0, and an ROE of 7.5%. The CFO recommends that the firm borrow money, use it to buy back stock, and raise the debt ratio to 50% and the equity multiplier to 2.0. She thinks that operations would not be affected, but interest on the new debt would lower the profit margin to 4.5%. This would probably be a good move, as it would increase the ROE from 7.5% to 13.5%.

Companies HD and LD have the same tax rate, sales, total assets, and basic earning power. Both companies have positive net incomes. Company HD has a higher debt ratio and, therefore, a higher interest expense. Which of the following statements is CORRECT?

Which of the following statements is CORRECT?

Other things held constant, the more debt a firm uses, the lower its return on total assets will be.

Han Corp's sales last year were $425,000, and its year-end receivables were $52,500. The firm sells on terms that call for customers to pay 30 days after the purchase, but some delay payment beyond Day 30. On average, how many days late do customers pay? Base your answer on this equation: DSO - Allowed credit period = Average days late, and use a 365-day year when calculating the DSO.

Suppose Firms A and B have the same amount of assets, pay the same interest rate on their debt, have the same basic earning power (BEP), and have the same tax rate. However, Firm A has a higher debt ratio. If BEP is greater than the interest rate on debt, Firm A will have a higher ROE as a result of its higher debt ratio.

Suppose a firm wants to maintain a specific TIE ratio. It knows the amount of its debt, the interest rate on that debt, the applicable tax rate, and its operating costs. With this information, the firm can calculate the amount of sales required to achieve its target TIE ratio.

Market value ratios provide management with an indication of how investors view the firm's past performance and especially its future prospects.

A new firm is developing its business plan. It will require $615,000 of assets, and it projects $450,000 of sales and $355,000 of operating costs for the first year. Management is reasonably sure of these numbers because of contracts with its customers and suppliers. It can borrow at a rate of 7.5%, but the bank requires it to have a TIE of at least 4.0, and if the TIE falls below this level the bank will call in the loan and the firm will go bankrupt. What is the maximum debt ratio (measured as debt/assets) the firm can use? (Hint: Find the maximum dollars of interest, then the debt that produces that interest, and then the related debt ratio.)

Last year Kruse Corp had $305,000 of assets, $403,000 of sales, $28,250 of net income, and a debt-to-total-assets ratio of 39%. The new CFO believes the firm has excessive fixed assets and inventory that could be sold, enabling it to reduce its total assets to $252,500. Sales, costs, and net income would not be affected, and the firm would maintain the same debt ratio (but with less total debt). By how much would the reduction in assets improve the ROE?