Profitability ratios measure the company's use of its assets and control of its expenses to generate an acceptable rate

of return Gross margin, Gross profit margin or Gross Profit Rate

[7][8]

Efficiency ratio

Net gearing

OR

Basic Earnings Power Ratio

[16]

Operating margin, Operating Income Margin, Operating [8][9] profit margin or Return on sales (ROS)

Liquidity ratios measure the availability of cash to pay debt. Current ratio (Working Capital Ratio)
[17]

Note: Operating income is the difference between operating revenues and operating expenses, but it is also sometimes used as a synonym for EBIT and operating [10] profit. This is true if the firm has no non-operating [11][12] income. (Earnings before interest and taxes / Sales ) [13] Profit margin, net margin or net profit margin

Acid-test ratio (Quick ratio)

[17]

Cash ratio

[17]

Return on equity (ROE)

[13]

Operation cash flow ratio

Return on investment (ROI ratio or Du Pont Ratio)

[6]

[edit]Activity ratios (Efficiency Ratios) Activity ratios measure the effectiveness of the firms use of resources.

Return on assets (ROA)

[14]

Average collection period

[15]

[3]

Return on assets Du Pont (ROA Du Pont)

Degree of Operating Leverage (DOL) Return on Equity Du Pont (ROE Du Pont) DSO Ratio.

[18]

Return on net assets (RONA) Average payment period Return on capital (ROC) Asset turnover Risk adjusted return on capital (RAROC)
[19]

[3]

Stock turnover ratio

[20][21]

OR

Receivables Turnover Ratio

[22]

Return on capital employed (ROCE) Inventory conversion ratio Note: this is somewhat similar to (ROI), which calculates Net Income per Owner's Equity Cash flow return on investment (CFROI)
[4]

Inventory conversion period (essentially same thing as above)

Receivables conversion period

Price to book value ratio (P/B or PBV)

[27]

Payables conversion period

Price/sales ratio

Cash Conversion Cycle Debt ratios (leveraging ratios) Debt ratios measure the firm's ability to repay long-term debt. Debt ratios measure financial leverage. Debt ratio
[23]

PEG ratio

Other Market Ratios EV/EBITDA

Debt to equity ratio

[24]

EV/Sales

Long-term Debt to equity (LT Debt to Equity)

[24]

Financial Ratios Financial ratios are useful indicators of a firm's performance and financial situation. Most ratios can be calculated from information provided by the financial statements. Financial ratios can be used to analyze trends and to compare the firm's financials to those of other firms. In some cases, ratio analysis can predict future bankruptcy. Financial ratios can be classified according to the information they provide. The following types of ratios frequently are used:

Times interest-earned ratio / Interest Coverage Ratio

[24]

OR

Debt service coverage ratio

Market ratios measure investor response to owning a company's stock and also the cost of issuing stock. These are concerned with the return on investment for shareholders, and with the relationship between return and the value of an investment in companys shares. Earnings per share (EPS)
[25]

Liquidity ratios Asset turnover ratios Financial leverage ratios Profitability ratios Dividend policy ratios

Liquidity Ratios Liquidity ratios provide information about a firm's ability to meet its short-term financial obligations. They are of particular interest to those extending short-term credit to the firm. Two frequently-used liquidity ratios are the current ratio (orworking capital ratio) and the quick ratio. The current ratio is the ratio of current assets to current liabilities: Current Assets Current Liabilities

Payout ratio

[25][26]

OR

Dividend cover (the inverse of Payout Ratio)

P/E ratio

Current Ratio =

Dividend yield

Cash flow ratio or Price/cash flow ratio

[27]

Short-term creditors prefer a high current ratio since it reduces their risk. Shareholders may prefer a lower current ratio so that more of the firm's assets are working to grow the business. Typical values for the current ratio vary by firm and industry. For example, firms in cyclical industries may maintain a higher current ratio in order to remain solvent during downturns.

One drawback of the current ratio is that inventory may include many items that are difficult to liquidate quickly and that have uncertain liquidation values. The quick ratio is an alternative measure of liquidity that does not include inventory in the current assets. The quick ratio is defined as follows: Current Assets - Inventory Current Liabilities

divided by the average inventory level during that period: Cost of Goods Sold Average Inventory

Inventory Turnover =

Quick Ratio =

The inventory turnover often is reported as the inventory period, which is the number of days worth of inventory on hand, calculated by dividing the inventory by the average daily cost of goods sold: Average Inventory Annual Cost of Goods Sold / 365

The current assets used in the quick ratio are cash, accounts receivable, and notes receivable. These assets essentially are current assets less inventory. The quick ratio often is referred to as the acid test. Finally, the cash ratio is the most conservative liquidity ratio. It excludes all current assets except the most liquid: cash and cash equivalents. The cash ratio is defined as follows: Cash + Marketable Securities Current Liabilities

Inventory Period =

The inventory period also can be written as: 365 Inventory Turnover

Inventory Period = Cash Ratio =

Other asset turnover ratios include fixed asset turnover and total asset turnover. Financial Leverage Ratios Financial leverage ratios provide an indication of the long-term solvency of the firm. Unlike liquidity ratios that are concerned with short-term assets and liabilities, financial leverage ratios measure the extent to which the firm is using long term debt. The debt ratio is defined as total debt divided by total assets: Total Debt Total Assets

The cash ratio is an indication of the firm's ability to pay off its current liabilities if for some reason immediate payment were demanded. Asset Turnover Ratios Asset turnover ratios indicate of how efficiently the firm utilizes its assets. They sometimes are referred to as efficiency ratios, asset utilization ratios, or asset management ratios. Two commonly used asset turnover ratios are receivables turnover and inventory turnover. Receivables turnover is an indication of how quickly the firm collects its accounts receivables and is defined as follows: Annual Credit Sales Accounts Receivable

Debt Ratio =

Receivables Turnover =

The debt-to-equity ratio is total debt divided by total equity: Total Debt Total Equity

The receivables turnover often is reported in terms of the number of days that credit sales remain in accounts receivable before they are collected. This number is known as the collection period. It is the accounts receivable balance divided by the average daily credit sales, calculated as follows: Accounts Receivable = Annual Credit Sales / 365

Debt-to-Equity Ratio =

Debt ratios depend on the classification of long-term leases and on the classification of some items as longterm debt or equity. The times interest earned ratio indicates how well the firm's earnings can cover the interest payments on its debt. This ratio also is known as the interest coverage and is calculated as follows: EBIT Interest Charges

Average Collection Period

The collection period also can be written as: 365 Receivables Turnover

Interest Coverage =

Average Collection Period =

where EBIT = Earnings Before Interest and Taxes Profitability Ratios

Another major asset turnover ratio is inventory turnover. It is the cost of goods sold in a time period

Profitability ratios offer several different measures of the success of the firm at generating profits. The gross profit margin is a measure of the gross profit earned on sales. The gross profit margin considers the firm's cost of goods sold, but does not include other costs. It is defined as follows: Sales - Cost of Goods Sold Sales

Gross Profit Margin =

Year-end values may not be representative. Certain account balances that are used to calculate ratios may increase or decrease at the end of the accounting period because of seasonal factors. Such changes may distort the value of the ratio. Average values should be used when they are available. Ratios are subject to the limitations of accounting methods. Different accounting choices may result in significantly different ratio values.

Return on assets is a measure of how effectively the firm's assets are being used to generate profits. It is defined as: Net Income Total Assets

Return on Assets =

Return on equity is the bottom line measure for the shareholders, measuring the profits earned for each dollar invested in the firm's stock. Return on equity is defined as follows: Net Income Shareholder Equity

Return on Equity =

Dividend Policy Ratios Dividend policy ratios provide insight into the dividend policy of the firm and the prospects for future growth. Two commonly used ratios are the dividend yield and payout ratio. The dividend yield is defined as follows: Dividends Per Share Share Price

Dividend Yield =

A high dividend yield does not necessarily translate into a high future rate of return. It is important to consider the prospects for continuing and increasing the dividend in the future. The dividend payout ratio is helpful in this regard, and is defined as follows: Dividends Per Share Earnings Per Share

Payout Ratio =

Use and Limitations of Financial Ratios Attention should be given to the following issues when using financial ratios:

A reference point is needed. To to be meaningful, most ratios must be compared to historical values of the same firm, the firm's forecasts, or ratios of similar firms. Most ratios by themselves are not highly meaningful. They should be viewed as indicators, with several of them combined to paint a picture of the firm's situation.