Accounting Information and Predicting Financial Performance

value ratio as high as 45% to 50% based on EBITDA coverage ratios exceeding 5.0x.1

Based on the above income statement data (assume interest income is zero), the company's interest coverage ratio is

Some individuals assume that the usefulness of financial statements is to predict the future of a business with data from the past. Sometimes this can be true in respect for trends that have continued for many years, for at least the near future. The fact is financial

The success of a business depends on its ability to remain profitable over the long term, while being able to pay all its financial obligations and earning above average returns for its shareholders. This is made possible if the business is able to maximize on available opportunities and very efficiently and effectively use the resources it has to create maximum value for all involved stakeholders. One way the performance of a company can be measured on critical areas such as profitability, its ability to stay solvent, the amount of debt exposure and the effectiveness in resource utilization, is performing financial analysis where a set of ratios provides a snapshot of company performance and future

In regards to current ratio we can see that CVS improved from 2009 to 2010, but in 2011 it fell once again. The higher the current ratio the more favorable it reflects on the company; in 2010 for every dollar of current liabilities the company had $1.60 of current assets to pay back its short term liabilities. Current cash debt coverage ratio demonstrates a better understanding of the company’s average day standing. Liquidity improved for CVS from 2009 to 2011.

Charles_T._Horngren (2005) stated that “people perform financial analysis for different reasons, Supplier want to see if a customer can afford a price hike, Customers want to know if a company will still be around in a year to honor a warranty, Managers, creditors, investors, and the CEO’s all have their reasons for reading the statements, regardless of your interest in the company. Financial statement analysis involves using financial data to assess some aspect of a company’s performance” Horngren added ”Although many analysis methods exist, the cornerstone of financial statement analysis is the use of ratios”

Ron, good point if a company's debt ratio is higher than it equity ratio they can run into problems. This one area creditor focus on before lending money to companies or people. A profit margin and cash flow are areas of concern investors. If Under Armour did not make a profit for the first quarter how would this affect them? A lot of company runs into finacial problems because their operating cost is to to high. Some are trying to grow the company to fast. Good post

Accounting information is used by management in various ways to make the business decisions. Accounting information is used to compute financial ratios and comparing the financial data of one period with other. Various Ratios are used by the managers and accountants for controlling the functioning of the organization. These ratios are also known as accounting or financial ratios, these ratios play very important role in the organization. Following are the ratios of Verizon wireless for last three years:-

We assume linear increase in the EBIT and EBITDA at 3% for 1999 from 1998 figures. Considering the debt will be long-term, we test both 10- and 20-year corporate yields as interest rates to see what would be the coverage ratios, using the 1999 projected figures.

Less debt than industry median means the company is less likely to experience credit problems.

Seeing that financial ratios depend on the financial data of companies which are influenced by their accounting practices and procedures, information can be distorted and render the comparison of ratios less useable. Also ratios indicate on overall result for a period (financial year) but do not explain how this was achieved in detail and what factors favorable or unfavorable contributed to its

The reason for this kind reporting is largely due to the nature of their main capital provider, the bank. The bank is not necessarily concerned with their positive future outlook, they are likely more concerned with their debt to income ratio, equity, and liabilities. This kind of accounting information gives a better estimate if the company will be able to sufficiently meet their new obligation in the form of bank financing.

This work aims at studying the effect of financial distress on operating cash flows of corporations. The interest in the area of financial distress has increased due to considerable number of corporate failures around the globe in recent years especially since the early 1990s. Notable failures include Global Crossing, Enron, Adelphia, Worldcom, HH Insurance, One Tel, and Ansert Airlines in 2001, and most recently FIN Corp in 2007.

o Performance evaluations are formal review processes designed to encourage the informal day-to-day practice of performance management, while providing a framework in support of merit pay adjustments, promotion and employment decisions. Evaluating staff performance and helping employees develop their skills are important duties associated with performance management. Performance management begins with supervisors and employees collaboratively setting goals and standards, clearly communicating performance expectations and evaluating the results during the performance evaluation process.

Current ratio of Company X and Y is 1.80, and 2.55 respectively. This ratio presents the proportion of current assets to current liabilities. This ratio provided a measure of degree to which current assets cover current liabilities. Since both companies have excess of current assets over their current liabilities, they met basic requirement of safety margin against uncertainty in realization of current assets and funds flows. Generally, it is suggested that a firm should have neither a very high ratio nor a very low ratio. Very high ratio implies heavy investments in current assets reflecting under utilization of the resources. A very low ratio endangers the business in to risks of not being able to pay short term requirements. Normally, it is advocated to have the current ratio as 2:1 (Baker and Powell, 2009).