Financial Ratios

Financial ratios are essential to provide an accurate valuation of a firm. Select a publicly traded firm of your choice. Select one ratio each in the areas of (a) performance, (b) activity, (c) financing, and (d) liquidity warnings. Provide an evaluation of the selected firm’s strengths and weaknesses. Based on the ratios you selected, how well does your chosen firm perform? Explain.

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Sample Answer

I will use Apple Inc. (AAPL) as an example.

Performance

  • Return on equity (ROE): ROE measures how much profit a company generates with its shareholders’ equity. A high ROE indicates that a company is using its assets efficiently and generating a lot of profit. AAPL’s ROE for the trailing twelve months (TTM) is 43.1%, which is higher than the industry average of 20.4%.

Activity

  • Days sales outstanding (DSO): DSO measures how long it takes a company to collect its receivables. A low DSO indicates that a company is collecting its receivables quickly and has good cash flow. AAPL’s DSO for the TTM is 25.4 days, which is lower than the industry average of 34.3 days.

Full Answer Section

Financing

  • Debt-to-equity ratio (D/E): D/E measures the amount of debt a company has relative to its equity. A high D/E ratio indicates that a company is more leveraged and has more debt to repay. AAPL’s D/E ratio for the TTM is 0.33, which is lower than the industry average of 0.61.

Liquidity warnings

  • Quick ratio: The quick ratio measures a company’s ability to pay its short-term obligations with its most liquid assets. A high quick ratio indicates that a company has more than enough liquid assets to pay its short-term obligations. AAPL’s quick ratio for the TTM is 1.26, which is higher than the industry average of 1.05.

Strengths

  • High ROE: AAPL has a high ROE, which indicates that it is using its assets efficiently and generating a lot of profit.
  • Low DSO: AAPL has a low DSO, which indicates that it is collecting its receivables quickly and has good cash flow.
  • Low D/E ratio: AAPL has a low D/E ratio, which indicates that it is not highly leveraged and has less debt to repay.
  • High quick ratio: AAPL has a high quick ratio, which indicates that it has more than enough liquid assets to pay its short-term obligations.

Weaknesses

  • High valuation: AAPL is currently trading at a high valuation, which could make it vulnerable to a decline in the stock market.
  • Dependence on iPhone: AAPL’s revenue is heavily dependent on the iPhone, which could make it vulnerable to changes in the smartphone market.
  • Risk of increased competition: The smartphone market is becoming increasingly competitive, which could put pressure on AAPL’s margins.

Overall performance

Based on the ratios I selected, AAPL appears to be a well-managed company with strong financials. However, it is important to note that these ratios are just a snapshot of a company’s financial health and should not be used in isolation to make investment decisions.

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