Edna Millay Inc. is a manufacturer of electronic components and accessories with total assets of $20,000,000. Selected financial ratios for Millay and the industry averages for firms of similar size are presented below.

Edna Millay

2017 Industry

2015

2016

2017

Averages

Current ratio

2.09

2.27

2.51

2.24

Quick ratio

1.15

1.12

1.19

1.22

Inventory turnover

2.40

2.18

2.02

3.50

Net sales to stockholders’ equity

2.71

2.80

2.99

2.85

Return on common stockholders’ equity

0.14

0.15

0.17

0.11

Total liabilities to stockholders’ equity

1.41

1.37

1.44

0.95

Millay is being reviewed by several entities whose interests vary, and the company’s financial ratios are a part of the data being considered. Each of the parties listed below must recommend an action based on its evaluation of Millay’s financial position.

Archibald MacLeish Bank. The bank is processing Millay’s application for a new 5-year term note. Archibald MacLeish has been Millay’s banker for several years but must reevaluate the company’s financial position for each major transaction.

Robert Penn Warren. A brokerage firm specializing in the stock of electronics firms that are sold over-the-counter, Robert Penn Warren must decide if it will include Millay in a new fund being established for sale to Robert Penn Warren’s clients.

Working Capital Management Committee. This is a committee of Millay’s management personnel chaired by the chief operating officer. The committee is charged with the responsibility of periodically reviewing the company’s working capital position, comparing actual data against budgets, and recommending changes in strategy as needed.

Instructions

a) Describe the analytical use of each of the six ratios presented above.

Short Answer

Expert verified

Ratios are useful for examining performance patterns over a lengthy period of time. They can also be used to compare a company's financial results to those of its competitors.

Step by step solution

01

Meaning of Financial Ratios

A financial ratio is a tool for comparing a company's financial status or output to those of competitors. It might be a tool that financial specialists use to study and collect data about a company's financial history or the whole trade division.

02

Describing the analytical use of each of the six ratios

The current ratio is a measurement of a company's total short-term liquidity as well as its ability to repay short-term debt.

The quick ratiomoreover could be a measure of short-term liquidity. In any case, it may be a measure of more prompt liquidity than the current proportion and is a pointer of a firm’s capacity to pay all of its immediate debts from cash or near-cash assets. The quick ratio is additionally a pointer of the degree of inventories in its current resources when compared to the current ratio.

Inventory turnover is a marker of the number of times a firm offers its normal inventory level amid the year. A low inventory turnover may show intemperate inventory amassing or out-of-date inventory.

The activity percentage of net sales to shareholders' value measures the number of times the stockholders' value was turned over in sales volume. This ratio can also be referred to as a net asset turnover ratio, which gauges net asset management. As a result, it might be a measure of operational efficiency. This percentage is in comparison to asset turnover.

Return on common stockholders’ equity may be a benefit ratio. It measures the return on stockholders’ speculation and is utilized to assess the company’s success in creating income for the advantage of its stockholders

The ratio of total liabilities to shareholders'equity compares the sum of creditors' assets to stockholders' resources. This approach assesses or judges the degree of financial hazard by measuring the degree of use within the company's financial structure. This proportion is compared to the debt-to-equity ratio.

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Most popular questions from this chapter

Cineplex Corporation is a diversified company that operates in five different industries: A, B, C, D, and E. The following information relating to each segment is available for 2018.

A

B

C

D

E

Sales revenue

\(40,000

\)75,000

\(580,000

\)35,000

\(55,000

Cost of goods sold

19,000

50,000

270,000

19,000

30,000

Operating expenses

10,000

40,000

235,000

12,000

18,000

Total expenses

29,000

90,000

505,000

31,000

48,000

Operating profit (loss)

\)11,000

\((15,000)

\)75,000

\(4,000

\)7,000

Identifiable assets

\(35,000

\)80,000

\(500,000

\)65,000

\(50,000

Sales of segments B and C included intersegment sales of \)20,000 and $100,000, respectively.

Instructions

(a) Determine which of the segments are reportable based on the:

  1. Revenue test.

(Horizontal and Vertical Analysis) Presented below is the comparative balance sheet for Gilmour Company.

GILMOUR COMPANY

COMPARATIVE BALANCE SHEET

AS OF DECEMBER 31, 2018 AND 2017

December 31

2018

2017

Assets

Cash

\( 180,000

\) 275,000

Accounts receivable (net)

220,000

155,000

Short-term investments

270,000

150,000

Inventories

1,060,000

980,000

Prepaid expenses

25,000

25,000

Plant & equipment

2,585,000

1,950,000

Accumulated depreciation

(1,000,000)

(750,000)

\(3,340,000

(2,785,000)

Liabilities and Stockholders’ Equity

Accounts payable

\) 50,000

\( 75,000

Accrued expenses

170,000

200,000

Bonds payable

450,000

190,000

Common stock

2,100,000

1,770,000

Retained earnings

570,000

550,000

\)3,340,000

(2,785,000)

Instructions

(Round to two decimal places.)

  1. Prepare a comparative balance sheet of Gilmour Company showing the dollar change and the percent change for each item.

Foley Corporation has seven industry segments with total revenues as follows.

Penley \(600 Cheng \)225

Konami 650 Takuhi 200

KSC 250 Molina 700

Red Moon 275

Based only on the revenues test, which industry segments are reportable?

Carlton Company is involved in four separate industries. The following information is available for each of the four industries.

Operating Segment
Total Revenue
Operating Profit (Loss)
Identifiable Assets
W
\( 60,000
15,000
\)167,000
X
10,000
3,000
83,000
Y
23,000
(2,000)
21,000
Z
9,000
1,000
19,000

\(102,000
\)17,000
$290,000

Instructions

Determine which of the operating segments are reportable based on the:

c) Identifiable assets test.

Picasso Company is a wholesale distributor of packaging equipment and supplies. The company’s sales have averaged about \(900,000 annually for the 3-year period 2015–2017. The firm’s total assets at the end of 2017 amounted to \)850,000.

The president of Picasso Company has asked the controller to prepare a report that summarizes the financial aspects of the company’s operations for the past 3 years. This report will be presented to the board of directors at their next meeting.

In addition to comparative financial statements, the controller has decided to present a number of relevant financial ratios which can assist in the identification and interpretation of trends. At the request of the controller, the accounting staff has calculated the following ratios for the 3-year period 2015–2017.

2015

2016

2017

Current ratio

1.80

1.89

1.96

Acid-test (quick) ratio

1.04

0.99

0.87

Accounts receivable turnover

8.75

7.71

6.42

Inventory turnover

4.91

4.32

3.42

Debt to assets ratio

51.0%

46.0%

41.0%

Long-term debt to assets ratio

31.0%

27.0%

24.0%

Sales to fixed assets (fixed asset turnover)

1.58

1.69

1.79

Sales as a percent of 2015 sales

1.00

1.03

1.07

Gross margin percentage

36.0%

35.1%

34.6%

Net income to sales

6.9%

7.0%

7.2%

Return on assets

7.7%

7.7%

7.8%

Return on common stockholders’ equity

13.6%

13.1%

12.7%

In preparation of the report, the controller has decided first to examine the financial ratios independent of any other data to determine if the ratios themselves reveal any significant trends over the 3-year period.

Instructions

b) In terms of the ratios provided, what conclusion(s) can be drawn regarding the company’s use of financial leverage during the 2015–2017 period?

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