Financial Ratios - What You Need to Know

Both business leaders and investors use financial ratios to assess a company's performance. They can help determine whether a company is undervalued or overvalued and whether its shares will likely experience long-term price appreciation.

 

There are many different financial ratios, each measuring a different aspect of a company's finances. Both business owners and average investors use these to evaluate a company's profitability, solvency, efficiency, coverage, market value and more.

 

Profit Margin

 

Profit margin, also known as the return on sales ratio (ROS), is one of the most important financial ratios. It measures how much revenue a company retains after deducting all business expenses.

 

Gross profit margin is the simplest of all profitability metrics and is calculated by subtracting the cost of goods sold (COGS) from total revenue. This figure excludes taxes, debt, operating costs, and one-time expenditures such as equipment purchases.

 

In comparison, the operating profit margin is a more complex ratio. It compares profit to operating expenses, which include sales, administrative, and overhead costs. Nevertheless, most investors and creditors often look at this ratio in assessing a company's profitability.

 

Liquidity

 

Liquidity measures how easily a company can convert assets into cash. It is a crucial factor in evaluating a firm's financial health.

 

Companies that generate more in current assets than they do in liabilities are considered to have higher liquidity. This is because they can access working capital and make payments on time.

 

The most common way to measure a company's liquidity is by comparing its current assets with its current liabilities. This is known as the current ratio.

 

Current Ratio

 

The current ratio is a liquidity ratio that measures how much cash a company can generate to pay short-term obligations. It divides a company's current assets (cash, accounts receivable, inventory) by its current liabilities.

 

It is a metric useful for investors and lenders to understand how a company's assets can be used to meet current debt and other short-term liabilities. A ratio higher than one generally indicates that a company can cover its short-term debt with its current assets.

 

Quick Ratio

 

The quick ratio is one of the most important liquidity measures, as it reflects whether or not a company has enough cash to pay its short-term liabilities. This ratio can be useful for potential creditors who want to know if a business will have money available in case of a financial crisis and investors who want to ensure that a company can weather a downturn.

 

The quick ratio excludes some current assets, like inventory. However, it excludes some liabilities, such as prepaid expenses and accounts receivable. This is because prepaid expenses may not be refundable, and inventory is sometimes difficult to convert to cash without severe product discounts.

 

Debt-To-Total-Assets Ratio

 

The debt-to-total-assets ratio is another important measure that helps investors and creditors evaluate a company's financial stability. It reflects how much of a company's assets are financed by debt, including loans, mortgages and other forms of credit.

 

A higher debt-to-assets ratio can indicate that a business may be in financial trouble. However, a lower debt-to-assets ratio can indicate a healthy business that can handle cash flow problems and other short-term issues.

 

Valuation

 

Financial ratios are good indicators of a company's performance and help business leaders make good decisions. They also provide information that can be used to evaluate competitors and the industry.

 

One of the most common financial ratios is a price to earnings, which divides a company's stock price by its earnings per share. It gives investors a quick way to determine whether a stock is undervalued or overvalued.

 

Other popular valuation metrics include P/E to growth, EBIT multiple and EV to sales ratio. These ratios can help you understand a company's value, but they only tell you some of what you need to know about its health and profitability.