Financial Ratio Analysis of two companies

The Activity ratios help to determine the company’s ability to convert different sectors of the balance sheet into cash or sales (Potter, Libby, Libby & Short; 2010). The ratios used under this test are; Days inventory, Days Receivable, Fixed Asset Turnover, Total Asset Turnover and Days Payable.

Total asset turnover : This ratio measures the efficiency of a company’s use of its assets

Secondary information is collected for this case. This case study limited only one techniques of financial analysis that is Ratio Analysis and also taken a single company. Thus the conclusion of the analysis carried out in a professional manner will be able to correctly describe the evaluation of the company and to substantiate the user’s decisions.

The following report is a brief comparative analysis of two of Australia’s largest deposit-taking financial institutions (FI), Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Ltd. (ANZ) and Westpac Banking Corporation (Westpac). This report seeks to identify which of the FIs has a greater aggregate return per dollar of equity and thus establish the highest performer, or most profitable, of the two. The Return on Equity Model (ROE) (Koch & MacDonald,

Asset turnover depicts investment efficiency, because it shows how many sales dollars are generated for every dollar invested in the company’s assets. Lowe’s had relatively lower asset turnover ratios than Home Depot because their recent investment in PP&E.

Ratio analysis is a very useful tool when it comes to understanding the performance of the company. It highlights the strengths and the weaknesses of the company and pinpoints to the mangers and their subordinates as to which area of the company requires their attention be it prompt or gradual. The return on shareholder’s fund gives an estimate of the amount of profit available to be shared amongst the ordinary shareholders; where as the return on capital employed measures an organization 's profitability and the productivity with which its capital is utilized. Return on total assets is a profitability ratio that measures the net income created by total assets amid a period.

When combining the figures for ROE, ROA and the DuPont analysis it appears that the company is using leverage favourably. ROE is greater than ROA and assets are greater than equity. This is a positive sign for shareholders as it suggests a good investment return in a company that is managing its shareholder equity well (Evans & McDowell, 2009).

The paper illustrates that financial ratio analysis is an important tool for firm’s to evaluate their financial health in order to identify areas of weakness so as to institute corrective measures.

Return on Total Assets was 4.43% which is below five percent. That indicates that the company is not accurately converting its assets into profit. The total for Return on Stockholders’ Equity was 8.89%, however financial analysts prefer ROE to range between 15-20 %. The company’s low ROE indicates that the company is not generating profit with new investments. Lastly, Debt-to-Equity ratio for the company was 1.01 which indicates that investors and creditors are equally sharing assets. In the view of creditors, they see a high ratio as a risk factor because it can indicate that investors are not investing due to the company’s overall performance. The totals of these three ratios demonstrate that the company’s financial state is not as healthy as it should be.

Return on assets ratio declined in 2010. This is due to increased total assets in 2010 due to company's acquisition of assets. In 2011, the company had a higher return on equity, which indicates that Lowe’s was able to generate more profit from the money that shareholder invested. The sales generated relative to total assets decreased in 2010, mainly due to reduced sales in 2009 coupled with increased total assets. Fixed asset turnover has been relatively good for Lowes. The ratio indicates how well the company is able to put fixed assets to use in generating sales. Current ratio has improved over past three years indicating a strong trend for the company in its ability to pay its current liabilities with current assets. The long-term debt forms a major part of company's financing. The company reviews its

During this period, the Return on Assets increased from 5.7% in 2012 to 34.6% in 2013. This implies the number of cents earned on each dollar of assets increased from 2012 to 2013. This shows that the business has become more profitable. Equally, the Return on Equity also increased from 12.0% in 2012 to 46.5% in 2013. This similarly implies that the company in 2013 was more efficient in generating income from new investment. This, also can be attributed to the sale of the Digital Business Brand which enabled the company appraise its strategic plan.

These numbers come out to be lower than what is considered average for a normal manufacturing company in which a satisfactory current ratio is 2.0 while a good quick ratio is considered 1.5. However according to my research on the industry those numbers seem to be the norm.

Before beginning an analysis of a company it is necessary to have a complete set of financial statements, preferably for the pas few years so that historical trends can be obtained. Ratios are a way for anyone to get an idea of the financial performance of a company by using the information contained in the financial statements. Ratios are grouped into four basic categories, liquidity, activity, profitability, and financial leverage. This document will use a variety of these ratios to analyze the firm, Sample Company, as of December 31,2000.

The financial data of company does not tell us the entire position of an organisation and its performance over the year or certain period of time for comparative purposes. Therefore, the use of ratios

Financial results and conditions vary among companies for a number of reasons. One reason for the variation can be traced to the characteristics of the industries in which companies operate. For example, some industries require large investments in property, plant, and equipment (PP&E), while others require very little. In some industries, the competitive productpricing structure permits companies to earn significant profits per sales dollar, while in other industries the product-pricing structure imposes a much lower profit margin. In most low-margin industries, however, companies often experience a relatively high rate of product throughput. A second reason for some of the