FIN 441 Chapter 3

Suppose firms follow similar financing policies, face similar risks, have equal access to capital, and operate in competitive product and capital markets. Under these conditions, then firms that have high profit margins will tend to have high asset turnover ratios, and firms with low profit margins will tend to have low turnover ratios.

False

It is appropriate to use the fixed assets turnover ratio to appraise firms' effectiveness in managing their fixed assets if and only if all the firms being compared have the same proportion of fixed assets to total assets.

False

If a firm finances with only debt and common equity, and if its equity multiplier is 3.0, then its debt ratio must be 0.667.

True

Market value ratios provide management with an indication of how investors view the firm's past performance and especially its future prospects.

True

Profitability ratios show the combined effects of liquidity, asset management, and debt management on operating results.

True

Ratio analysis involves analyzing financial statements in order to appraise a firm's financial position and strength.

True

Significant variations in accounting methods among firms make meaningful ratio comparisons between firms more difficult than if all firms used similar accounting methods.

True

Suppose Firms A and B have the same amount of assets, pay the same interest rate on their debt, have the same basic earning power (BEP), and have the same tax rate. However, Firm A has a higher debt ratio. If BEP is greater than the interest rate on debt, Firm A will have a higher ROE as a result of its higher debt ratio.

True

Suppose a firm wants to maintain a specific TIE ratio. It knows the amount of its debt, the interest rate on that debt, the applicable tax rate, and its operating costs. With this information, the firm can calculate the amount of sales required to achieve its target TIE ratio.

True

The "apparent," but not the "true," financial position of a company whose sales are seasonal can differ dramatically, depending on the time of year when the financial statements are constructed.

True

If the CEO of a large, diversified, firm were filling out a fitness report on a division manager (i.e., "grading" the manager), which of the following situations would be likely to cause the manager to receive a better grade? In all cases, assume that other things are held constant. a. The division's basic earning power ratio is above the average of other firms in its industry. b. The division's total assets turnover ratio is below the average for other firms in its industry. c. The division's debt ratio is above the average for other firms in the industry. d. The division's inventory turnover is 6, whereas the average for its competitors is 8. e. The division's DSO (days' sales outstanding) is 40, whereas the average for its competitors is 30.

A

The inventory turnover ratio and days sales outstanding (DSO) are two ratios that are used to assess how effectively a firm is managing its assets.

True

A firm wants to strengthen its financial position. Which of the following actions would increase its quick ratio? a. Offer price reductions along with generous credit terms that would (1) enable the firm to sell some of its excess inventory and (2)lead to an increase in accounts receivable. b. Issue new common stock and use the proceeds to increase inventories. c. Speed up the collection of receivables and use the cash generated to increase inventories. d. Use some of its cash to purchase additional inventories. e. Issue new common stock and use the proceeds to acquire additional fixed assets.

A

Branch Corp.'s total assets at the end of last year were $315,000 and its net income after taxes was $22,750. What was its return on total assets? a. 7.22% b. 7.58% c. 7.96% d. 8.36% e. 8.78%

A

Casey Communications recently issued new common stock and used the proceeds to pay off some of its short-term notes payable. This action had no effect on the company's total assets or operating income. Which of the following effects would occur as a result of this action? a. The company's current ratio increased. b. The company's times interest earned ratio decreased. c. The company's basic earning power ratio increased. d. The company's equity multiplier increased. e. The company's debt ratio increased.

A

Companies HD and LD have the same sales, tax rate, interest rate on their debt, total assets, and basic earning power. Both companies have positive net incomes. Company HD has a higher debt ratio and, therefore, a higher interest expense. Which of the following statements is CORRECT? a. Company HD pays less in taxes. b. Company HD has a lower equity multiplier. c. Company HD has a higher ROA. d. Company HD has a higher times interest earned (TIE) ratio. e. Company HD has more net income.

A

Last year Rosenberg Corp. had $195,000 of assets, $18,775 of net income, and a debt-to-total-assets ratio of 32%. Now suppose the new CFO convinces the president to increase the debt ratio to 48%. Sales and total assets will not be affected, but interest expenses would increase. However, the CFO believes that better cost controls would be sufficient to offset the higher interest expense and thus keep net income unchanged. By how much would the change in the capital structure improve the ROE? a. 4.36% b. 4.57% c. 4.80% d. 5.04% e. 5.30%

A

Last year Vaughn Corp. had sales of $315,000 and a net income of $17,832, and its year-end assets were $210,000. The firm's total-debt-to-totalassets ratio was 42.5%. Based on the Du Pont equation, what was Vaughn's ROE? a. 14.77% b. 15.51% c. 16.28% d. 17.10% e. 17.95%

A

LeCompte Corp. has $312,900 of assets, and it uses only common equity capital (zero debt). Its sales for the last year were $620,000, and its net income after taxes was $24,655. Stockholders recently voted in a new management team that has promised to lower costs and get the return on equity up to 15%. What profit margin would LeCompte need in order to achieve the 15% ROE, holding everything else constant? a. 7.57% b. 7.95% c. 8.35% d. 8.76% e. 9.20%

A

Lindley Corp.'s stock price at the end of last year was $33.50, and its book value per share was $25.00. What was its market/book ratio? a. 1.34 b. 1.41 c. 1.48 d. 1.55 e. 1.63

A

Pace Corp.'s assets are $625,000, and its total debt outstanding is $185,000. The new CFO wants to employ a debt ratio of 55%. How much debt must the company add or subtract to achieve the target debt ratio? a. $158,750 b. $166,688 c. $175,022 d. $183,773 e. $192,962

A

Quigley Inc. is considering two financial plans for the coming year. Management expects sales to be $301,770, operating costs to be $266,545, assets to be $200,000, and its tax rate to be 35%. Under Plan A it would use 25% debt and 75% common equity. The interest rate on the debt would be 8.8%, but the TIE ratio would have to be kept at 4.00 or more. Under Plan B the maximum debt that met the TIE constraint would be employed. Assuming that sales, operating costs, assets, the interest rate, and the tax rate would all remain constant, by how much would the ROE change in response to the change in the capital structure? a. 3.83% b. 4.02% c. 4.22% d. 4.43% e. 4.65%

A

Walter Industries' current ratio is 0.5. Considered alone, which of the following actions would increase the company's current ratio? a. Borrow using short-term notes payable and use the cash to increase inventories. b. Use cash to reduce accruals. c. Use cash to reduce accounts payable. d. Use cash to reduce short-term notes payable. e. Use cash to reduce long-term bonds outstanding.

A

Which of the following statements is CORRECT? a. Suppose a firm's total assets turnover ratio falls from 1.0 to 0.9, but at the same time its profit margin rises from 9% to 10% and its debt increases from 40% of total assets to 60%. Under these conditions, the ROE will increase. b. Suppose a firm's total assets turnover ratio falls from 1.0 to 0.9, but at the same time its profit margin rises from 9% to 10% and its debt increases from 40% of total assets to 60%. Without additional information, we cannot tell what will happen to the ROE. c. The modified Du Pont equation provides information about how operations affect the ROE, but the equation does not include the effects of debt on the ROE. d. Other things held constant, an increase in the debt ratio will result in an increase in the profit margin on sales. e. Suppose a firm's total assets turnover ratio falls from 1.0 to 0.9, but at the same time its profit margin rises from 9% to 10%, and its debt increases from 40% of total assets to 60%. Under these conditions, the ROE will decrease.

A

You observe that a firm's ROE is above the industry average, but its profit margin and debt ratio are both below the industry average. Which of the following statements is CORRECT? a. Its total assets turnover must be above the industry average. b. Its return on assets must equal the industry average. c. Its TIE ratio must be below the industry average. d. Its total assets turnover must be below the industry average. e. Its total assets turnover must equal the industry average.

A

Last year Central Chemicals had sales of $205,000, assets of $127,500, a profit margin of 5.3%, and an equity multiplier of 1.2. The CFO believes that the company could reduce its assets by $21,000 without affecting either sales or costs. Had it reduced its assets in this amount, and had the debt ratio, sales, and costs remained constant, by how much would the ROE have changed? a. 1.81% b. 2.02% c. 2.22% d. 2.44% e. 2.68%

B

Helmuth Inc.'s latest net income was $1,250,000, and it had 225,000 shares outstanding. The company wants to pay out 45% of its income. What dividend per share should it declare? a. $2.14 b. $2.26 c. $2.38 d. $2.50 e. $2.63

D

A firm's new president wants to strengthen the company's financial position. Which of the following actions would make it financially stronger? a. Increase accounts receivable while holding sales constant. b. Increase EBIT while holding sales constant. c. Increase accounts payable while holding sales constant. d. Increase notes payable while holding sales constant. e. Increase inventories while holding sales constant.

B

Amram Company's current ratio is 1.9. Considered alone, which of the following actions would reduce the company's current ratio? a. Borrow using short-term notes payable and use the proceeds to reduce accruals. b. Borrow using short-term notes payable and use the proceeds to reduce long-term debt. c. Use cash to reduce accruals. d. Use cash to reduce short-term notes payable. e. Use cash to reduce accounts payable.

B

Beranek Corp. has $410,000 of assets, and it uses no debt--it is financed only with common equity. The new CFO wants to employ enough debt to bring the debt/assets ratio to 40%, using the proceeds from the borrowing to buy back common stock at its book value. How much must the firm borrow to achieve the target debt ratio? a. $155,800 b. $164,000 c. $172,200 d. $180,810 e. $189,851

B

Heaton Corp. sells on terms that allow customers 45 days to pay for merchandise. Its sales last year were $425,000, and its year-end receivables were $60,000. If its DSO is less than the 45-day credit period, then customers are paying on time. Otherwise, they are paying late. By how much are customers paying early or late? Base your answer on this equation: DSO - Credit period = days early or late, and use a 365-day year when calculating the DSO. A positive answer indicates late payments, while a negative answer indicates early payments. a. 6.20 b. 6.53 c. 6.86 d. 7.20 e. 7.56

B

Muscarella Inc. has the following balance sheet and income statement data: Cash $ 14,000 Accounts payable $ 42,000 Receivables 70,000 Other current liabilities 28,000 Inventories 210,000 Total CL $ 70,000 Total CA $294,000 Long-term debt 70,000 Net fixed assets 126,000 Common equity 280,000 Total assets $420,000 Total liab. and equity $420,000 Sales $280,000 Net income $ 21,000 The new CFO thinks that inventories are excessive and could be lowered sufficiently to cause the current ratio to equal the industry average, 2.70, without affecting either sales or net income. Assuming that inventories are sold off and not replaced to get the current ratio to the target level, and that the funds generated are used to buy back common stock at book value, by how much would the ROE change? a. 4.28% b. 4.50% c. 4.73% d. 4.96% e. 5.21%

B

Safeco's current assets total to $20 million versus $10 million of current liabilities, while Risco's current assets are $10 million versus $20 million of current liabilities. Both firms would like to "window dress" their end-of-year financial statements, and to do so they tentatively plan to borrow $10 million on a short-term basis and to then hold the borrowed funds in their cash accounts. Which of the statements below best describes the results of these transactions? a. The transactions would raise Safeco's financial strength as measured by its current ratio but lower Risco's current ratio. b. The transactions would lower Safeco's financial strength as measured by its current ratio but raise Risco's current ratio. c. The transaction would have no effect on the firm' financial strength as measured by their current ratios. d. The transaction would lower both firm' financial strength as measured by their current ratios. e. The transaction would improve both firms' financial strength as measured by their current ratios.

B

Vang Corp.'s stock price at the end of last year was $33.50 and its earnings per share for the year were $2.30. What was its P/E ratio? a. 13.84 b. 14.57 c. 15.29 d. 16.06 e. 16.86

B

Which of the following statements is CORRECT? a. Borrowing by using short-term notes payable and then using the proceeds to retire long-term debt is an example of "window dressing." Offering discounts to customers who pay with cash rather than buy on credit and then using the funds that come in quicker to purchase additional inventories is another example of "window dressing." b. Borrowing on a long-term basis and using the proceeds to retire short-term debt would improve the current ratio and thus could be considered to be an example of "window dressing." c. Offering discounts to customers who pay with cash rather than buy on credit and then using the funds that come in quicker to purchase additional inventories is an example of "window dressing." d. Using some of the firm's cash to reduce long-term debt is an example of "window dressing." e. "Window dressing" is any action that improves a firm's fundamental, long-run position and thus increases its intrinsic value.

B

Which of the following statements is CORRECT? a. If Firms X and Y have the same P/E ratios, then their market-tobook ratios must also be the same. b. If Firms X and Y have the same net income, number of shares outstanding, and price per share, then their P/E ratios must also be the same. c. If Firms X and Y have the same earnings per share and market-tobook ratio, they must have the same price earnings ratio. d. If Firm X's P/E ratio exceeds that of Firm Y, then Y is likely to be less risky and also to be expected to grow at a faster rate. e. If Firms X and Y have the same net income, number of shares outstanding, and price per share, then their market-to-book ratios must also be the same.

B

Which of the following statements is CORRECT? a. The use of debt financing will tend to lower the basic earning power ratio, other things held constant. b. A firm that employs financial leverage will have a higher equity multiplier than an otherwise identical firm that has no debt in its capital structure. c. If two firms have identical sales, interest rates paid, operating costs, and assets, but differ in the way they are financed, the firm with less debt will generally have the higher expected ROE. d. Holding bonds is better than holding stock for investors because income from bonds is taxed on a more favorable basis than income from stock. e. All else equal, increasing the debt ratio will increase the ROA.

B

Ziebart Corp.'s EBITDA last year was $390,000 (= EBIT + depreciation + amortization), its interest charges were $9,500, it had to repay $26,000 of long-term debt, and it had to make a payment of $17,400 under a longterm lease. The firm had no amortization charges. What was the EBITDA coverage ratio? a. 7.32 b. 7.70 c. 8.09 d. 8.49 e. 8.92

B

Even though Firm A's current ratio exceeds that of Firm B, Firm B's quick ratio might exceed that of A. However, if A's quick ratio exceeds B's, then we can be certain that A's current ratio is also larger than that of B.

False

. If a bank loan officer were considering a company's request for a loan, which of the following statements would you consider to be CORRECT? a. The lower the company's EBITDA coverage ratio, other things held constant, the lower the interest rate the bank would charge the firm. b. Other things held constant, the higher the debt ratio, the lower the interest rate the bank would charge the firm. c. Other things held constant, the lower the debt ratio, the lower the interest rate the bank would charge the firm. d. The lower the company's TIE ratio, other things held constant, the lower the interest rate the bank would charge the firm. e. Other things held constant, the lower the current ratio, the lower the interest rate the bank would charge the firm.

C

. Other things held constant, which of the following alternatives would increase a company's cash flow for the current year? a. Increase the number of years over which fixed assets are depreciated for tax purposes. b. Pay down the accounts payables. c. Reduce the days' sales outstanding (DSO) without affecting sales or operating costs. d. Pay workers more frequently to decrease the accrued wages balance. e. Reduce the inventory turnover ratio without affecting sales or operating costs.

C

Bonner Corp.'s sales last year were $415,000, and its year-end total assets were $355,000. The average firm in the industry has a total assets turnover ratio (TATO) of 2.4. Bonner's new CFO believes the firm has excess assets that can be sold so as to bring the TATO down to the industry average without affecting sales. By how much must the assets be reduced to bring the TATO to the industry average, holding sales constant? a. $164,330 b. $172,979 c. $182,083 d. $191,188 e. $200,747

C

Chambliss Corp.'s total assets at the end of last year were $305,000 and its EBIT was 62,500. What was its basic earning power (BEP)? a. 18.49% b. 19.47% c. 20.49% d. 21.52% e. 22.59%

C

Last year Altman Corp. had $205,000 of assets, $303,500 of sales, $18,250 of net income, and a debt-to-total-assets ratio of 41%. The new CFO believes the firm has excessive fixed assets and inventory that could be sold, enabling it to reduce its total assets to $152,500. Sales, costs, and net income would not be affected, and the firm would maintain the 41% debt ratio. By how much would the reduction in assets improve the ROE? a. 4.69% b. 4.93% c. 5.19% d. 5.45% e. 5.73%

C

Last year Mason Inc. had a total assets turnover of 1.33 and an equity multiplier of 1.75. Its sales were $195,000 and its net income was $10,549. The CFO believes that the company could have operated more efficiently, lowered its costs, and increased its net income by $5,250 without changing its sales, assets, or capital structure. Had it cut costs and increased its net income in this amount, by how much would the ROE have changed? a. 5.66% b. 5.95% c. 6.27% d. 6.58% e. 6.91%

C

Northwest Lumber had a profit margin of 5.25%, a total assets turnover of 1.5, and an equity multiplier of 1.8. What was the firm's ROE? a. 12.79% b. 13.47% c. 14.18% d. 14.88% e. 15.63%

C

Rappaport Corp.'s sales last year were $320,000, and its net income after taxes was $23,000. What was its profit margin on sales? a. 6.49% b. 6.83% c. 7.19% d. 7.55% e. 7.92%

C

Taggart Technologies is considering issuing new common stock and using the proceeds to reduce its outstanding debt. The stock issue would have no effect on total assets, the interest rate Taggart pays, EBIT, or the tax rate. Which of the following is likely to occur if the company goes ahead with the stock issue? a. The ROA will decline. b. Taxable income will decrease. c. The tax bill will increase. d. Net income will decrease. e. The times interest earned ratio will decrease.

C

Which of the following statements is CORRECT? a. A reduction in inventories held would have no effect on the current ratio. b. An increase in inventories would have no effect on the current ratio. c. If a firm increases its sales while holding its inventories constant, then, other things held constant, its inventory turnover ratio will increase. d. A reduction in the inventory turnover ratio will generally lead to an increase in the ROE. e. If a firm increases its sales while holding its inventories constant, then, other things held constant, its inventory turnover ratio will decrease.

C

Firms A and B have the same current ratio, 0.75, the same amount of sales, and the same amount of current liabilities. However, Firm A has a higher inventory turnover ratio than B. Therefore, we can conclude that A's quick ratio must be smaller than B's.

False

High current and quick ratios always indicate that a firm is managing its liquidity position well.

False

Which of the following statements is CORRECT? a. If one firm has a higher debt ratio than another, we can be certain that the firm with the higher debt ratio will have the lower TIE ratio, as that ratio depends entirely on the amount of debt a firm uses. b. A firm's use of debt will have no effect on its profit margin on sales. c. If two firms differ only in their use of debt—i.e., they have identical assets, sales, operating costs, interest rates on their debt, and tax rates—but one firm has a higher debt ratio, the firm that uses more debt will have a lower profit margin on sales. d. The debt ratio as it is generally calculated makes an adjustment for the use of assets leased under operating leases, so the debt ratios of firms that lease different percentages of their assets are still comparable. e. If two firms differ only in their use of debt—i.e., they have identical assets, sales, operating costs, and tax rates—but one firm has a higher debt ratio, the firm that uses more debt will have a higher profit margin on sales.

C

Which of the following would, generally, indicate an improvement in a company's financial position, holding other things constant? a. The TIE declines. b. The DSO increases. c. The EBITDA coverage ratio increases. d. The current and quick ratios both decline. e. The total assets turnover decreases.

C

A firm wants to strengthen its financial position. Which of the following actions would increase its current ratio? a. Reduce the company's days' sales outstanding to the industry average and use the resulting cash savings to purchase plant and equipment. b. Use cash to repurchase some of the company's own stock. c. Borrow using short-term debt and use the proceeds to repay debt that has a maturity of more than one year. d. Issue new stock and then use some of the proceeds to purchase additional inventory and hold the remainder as cash. e. Use cash to increase inventory holdings.

D

Arshadi Corp.'s sales last year were $52,000, and its total assets were $22,000. What was its total assets turnover ratio (TATO)? a. 2.03 b. 2.13 c. 2.25 d. 2.36 e. 2.48

D

Companies HD and LD are both profitable, and they have the same total assets (TA), Sales (S), return on assets (ROA), and profit margin (PM). However, Company HD has the higher debt ratio. Which of the following statements is CORRECT? a. Company HD has a lower total assets turnover than Company LD. b. Company HD has a lower equity multiplier than Company LD. c. Company HD has a higher fixed assets turnover than Company B. d. Company HD has a higher ROE than Company LD. e. Company HD has a lower operating income (EBIT) than Company LD.

D

Considered alone, which of the following would increase a company's current ratio? a. An increase in net fixed assets. b. An increase in accrued liabilities. c. An increase in notes payable. d. An increase in accounts receivable. e. An increase in accounts payable.

D

HD Corp. and LD Corp. have identical assets, sales, interest rates paid on their debt, tax rates, and EBIT. However, HD uses more debt than LD. Which of the following statements is CORRECT? a. Without more information, we cannot tell if HD or LD would have a higher or lower net income. b. HD would have the lower equity multiplier for use in the Du Pont equation. c. HD would have to pay more in income taxes. d. HD would have the lower net income as shown on the income statement. e. HD would have the higher net income as shown on the income statement.

D

Harper Corp.'s sales last year were $395,000, and its year-end receivables were $42,500. Harper sells on terms that call for customers to pay 30 days after the purchase, but many delay payment beyond Day 30. On average, how many days late do customers pay? Base your answer on this equation: DSO - Allowed credit period = Average days late, and use a 365-day year when calculating the DSO. a. 7.95 b. 8.37 c. 8.81 d. 9.27 e. 9.74

D

Last year Swensen Corp. had sales of $303,225, operating costs of $267,500, and year-end assets of $195,000. The debt-to-total-assets ratio was 27%, the interest rate on the debt was 8.2%, and the firm's tax rate was 37%. The new CFO wants to see how the ROE would have been affected if the firm had used a 45% debt ratio. Assume that sales and total assets would not be affected, and that the interest rate and tax rate would both remain constant. By how much would the ROE change in response to the change in the capital structure? a. 2.08% b. 2.32% c. 2.57% d. 2.86% e. 3.14%

D

Last year Urbana Corp. had $197,500 of assets, $307,500 of sales, $19,575 of net income, and a debt-to-total-assets ratio of 37.5%. The new CFO believes a new computer program will enable it to reduce costs and thus raise net income to $33,000. Assets, sales, and the debt ratio would not be affected. By how much would the cost reduction improve the ROE? a. 9.32% b. 9.82% c. 10.33% d. 10.88% e. 11.42%

D

Nikko Corp.'s total common equity at the end of last year was $305,000 and its net income after taxes was $60,000. What was its ROE? a. 16.87% b. 17.75% c. 18.69% d. 19.67% e. 20.66%

D

Which of the following statements is CORRECT? a. If a firm has the highest price/earnings ratio of any firm in its industry, then, other things held constant, this suggests that the board of directors should fire the president. b. If a firm has the highest market/book ratio of any firm in its industry, then, other things held constant, this suggests that the board of directors should fire the president. c. Other things held constant, the higher a firm's expected future growth rate, the lower its P/E ratio is likely to be. d. The higher the market/book ratio, then, other things held constant, the higher one would expect to find the Market Value Added (MVA). e. If a firm has a history of high Economic Value Added (EVA) numbers each year, and if investors expect this situation to continue, then its market/book ratio and MVA are both likely to be below average.

D

A new firm is developing its business plan. It will require $565,000 of assets, and it projects $452,800 of sales and $354,300 of operating costs for the first year. Management is quite sure of these numbers because of contracts with its customers and suppliers. It can borrow at a rate of 7.5%, but the bank requires it to have a TIE of at least 4.0, and if the TIE falls below this level the bank will call in the loan and the firm will go bankrupt. What is the maximum debt ratio the firm can use? (Hint: Find the maximum dollars of interest, then the debt that produces that interest, and then the related debt ratio.) a. 47.33% b. 49.82% c. 52.45% d. 55.21% e. 58.11%

E

An investor is considering starting a new business. The company would require $475,000 of assets, and it would be financed entirely with common stock. The investor will go forward only if she thinks the firm can provide a 13.5% return on the invested capital, which means that the firm must have an ROE of 13.5%. How much net income must be expected to warrant starting the business? a. $52,230 b. $54,979 c. $57,873 d. $60,919 e. $64,125

E

Aziz Industries has sales of $100,000 and accounts receivable of $11,500, and it gives its customers 30 days to pay. The industry average DSO is 27 days, based on a 365-day year. If the company changes its credit and collection policy sufficiently to cause its DSO to fall to the industry average, and if it earns 8.0% on any cash freed-up by this change, how would that affect its net income, assuming other things are held constant? a. $267.34 b. $281.41 c. $296.22 d. $311.81 e. $328.22

E

Companies E and P each reported the same earnings per share (EPS), but Company E's stock trades at a higher price. Which of the following statements is CORRECT? a. Company E probably has fewer growth opportunities. b. Company E is probably judged by investors to be riskier. c. Company E must have a higher market-to-book ratio. d. Company E must pay a lower dividend. e. Company E trades at a higher P/E ratio.

E

Companies HD and LD have the same tax rate, sales, total assets, and basic earning power. Both companies have positive net incomes. Company HD has a higher debt ratio and, therefore, a higher interest expense. Which of the following statements is CORRECT? a. Company HD has a lower equity multiplier. b. Company HD has more net income. c. Company HD pays more in taxes. d. Company HD has a lower ROE. e. Company HD has a lower times interest earned (TIE) ratio.

E

Companies HD and LD have the same total assets, sales, operating costs, and tax rates, and they pay the same interest rate on their debt. However, company HD has a higher debt ratio. Which of the following statements is CORRECT? a. Given this information, LD must have the higher ROE. b. Company LD has a higher basic earning power ratio (BEP). c. Company HD has a higher basic earning power ratio (BEP). d. If the interest rate the companies pay on their debt is more than their basic earning power (BEP), then Company HD will have the higher ROE. e. If the interest rate the companies pay on their debt is less than their basic earning power (BEP), then Company HD will have the higher ROE.

E

Orono Corp.'s sales last year were $435,000, its operating costs were $362,500, and its interest charges were $12,500. What was the firm's times interest earned (TIE) ratio? a. 4.72 b. 4.97 c. 5.23 d. 5.51 e. 5.80

E

Stewart Inc.'s latest EPS was $3.50, its book value per share was $22.75, it had 215,000 shares outstanding, and its debt ratio was 46%. How much debt was outstanding? a. $3,393,738 b. $3,572,356 c. $3,760,375 d. $3,958,289 e. $4,166,620

E

Which of the following statements is CORRECT? a. If a security analyst saw that a firm's days' sales outstanding (DSO) was higher than the industry average and was also increasing and trending still higher, this would be interpreted as a sign of strength. b. If a firm increases its sales while holding its accounts receivable constant, then, other things held constant, its days' sales outstanding (DSO) will increase. c. There is no relationship between the days' sales outstanding (DSO) and the average collection period (ACP). These ratios measure entirely different things. d. A reduction in accounts receivable would have no effect on the current ratio, but it would lead to an increase in the quick ratio. e. If a firm increases its sales while holding its accounts receivable constant, then, other things held constant, its days' sales outstanding will decline.

E

Which of the following statements is CORRECT? a. The ratio of long-term debt to total capital is more likely to experience seasonal fluctuations than is either the DSO or the inventory turnover ratio. b. If two firms have the same ROA, the firm with the most debt can be expected to have the lower ROE. c. An increase in the DSO, other things held constant, could be expected to increase the total assets turnover ratio. d. An increase in the DSO, other things held constant, could be expected to increase the ROE. e. An increase in a firm's debt ratio, with no changes in its sales or operating costs, could be expected to lower the profit margin.

E

Which of the following would indicate an improvement in a company's financial position, holding other things constant? a. The inventory and total assets turnover ratios both decline. b. The debt ratio increases. c. The profit margin declines. d. The EBITDA coverage ratio declines. e. The current and quick ratios both increase.

E

A decline in a firm's inventory turnover ratio suggests that it is managing its inventory more efficiently and also that its liquidity position is improving, i.e., it is becoming more liquid.

False

One problem with ratio analysis is that relationships can be manipulated. For example, if our current ratio is greater than 1.5, then borrowing on a short-term basis and using the funds to build up our cash account would cause the current ratio to increase.

False

One problem with ratio analysis is that relationships can be manipulated. For example, we know that if our current ratio is less than 1.0, then using some of our cash to pay off some of our current liabilities would cause the current ratio to increase and thus make the firm look stronger.

False

Since the ROA measures the firm's effective utilization of assets (without considering how these assets are financed), two firms with the same EBIT must have the same ROA.

False

The basic earning power ratio (BEP) reflects the earning power of a firm's assets after giving consideration to financial leverage and tax effects.

False

Determining whether a firm's financial position is improving or deteriorating requires analyzing more than the ratios for a given year. Trend analysis is one method of measuring changes in a firm's performance over time.

True

Although a full liquidity analysis requires the use of a cash budget, the current and quick ratios provide fast and easy-to-use measures of a firm's liquidity position.

True

Debt management ratios show the extent to which a firm's managers are attempting to magnify returns on owners' capital through the use of financial leverage.

True

The current ratio and inventory turnover ratios both help us measure the firm's liquidity. The current ratio measures the relationship of a firm's current assets to its current liabilities, while the inventory turnover ratio gives us an indication of how long it takes the firm to convert its inventory into cash.

True

The inventory turnover and current ratio are related. The combination of a high current ratio and a low inventory turnover ratio, relative to industry norms, suggests that the firm has an above-average inventory level and/or that part of the inventory is obsolete or damaged.

True

The times-interest-earned ratio is one, but not the only, indication of a firm's ability to meet its long-term and short-term debt obligations.

True