Chapter 08 - Return On Invested Capital and Profitability Analysis

Return On Invested Capital And

Profitability Analysis
REVIEW
Return on invested capital is important in our analysis of financial statements. Financial
statement analysis involves our assessing both risk and return. The prior three chapters
focused primarily on risk, whereas this chapter extends our analysis to return. Return on
invested capital refers to a company's earnings relative to both the level and source of
financing. It is a measure of a company's success in using financing to generate profits, and
is an excellent measure of operating performance. This chapter describes return on
invested capital and its relevance to financial statement analysis. We also explain variations
in measurement of return on invested capital and their interpretation. We also disaggregate
return on invested capital into important components for additional insights into company
performance. The role of financial leverage and its importance for returns analysis is
examined. This chapter demonstrates each of these analysis techniques using financial
statement data.

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Chapter 08 - Return On Invested Capital and Profitability Analysis

OUTLINE

Importance of Return on Invested Capital

Measuring Managerial Effectiveness
Measuring Profitability
Measuring for Planning and Control

Components of Return on Invested Capital

Defining Invested Capital
Adjustments to Invested Capital and Income
Computing Return on Invested Capital

Analyzing Return on Net Operating Assets

Disaggregating Return on Net Operating Assets
Relation between Profit Margin and Asset Turnover
Profit Margin Analysis
Asset Turnover Analysis

Analyzing Return on Common Equity

Disaggregating Return on Common Equity
Financial Leverage and Return on Common Equity
Assessing Growth in Common Equity

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Chapter 08 - Return On Invested Capital and Profitability Analysis

ANALYSIS OBJECTIVES

Describe the usefulness of return measures in financial statement analysis.

Explain return on invested capital and variations in its computation.

Analyze return on net operating assets and its relevance in our analysis.

Describe disaggregation of return on net operating assets and the importance of its
components.

Describe the relation between profit margin and turnover.

Analyze return on common shareholders' equity and its role in our analysis.

Describe disaggregation of return on common shareholders' equity and the

relevance of its components.

Explain financial leverage and how to assess a company's success in trading on

the equity across financing sources.

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Chapter 08 - Return On Invested Capital and Profitability Analysis

QUESTIONS
1. The return that is achieved in any one period on the invested capital of a company
consists of the returns (and losses) realized by its various segments and divisions. In
turn, these returns are made up of the results achieved by individual product lines and
projects. A well-managed company exercises rigorous control over the returns achieved
by each of its profit centers, and it rewards the managers on the basis of such results.
Specifically, when evaluating new investments in assets or projects, management will
compute the estimated returns it expects to achieve and use these estimates as a basis
for its decision to invest or not.
2. Profit generation is the first and foremost purpose of a company. The effectiveness of
operating performance determines the ability of the company to survive financially, to
attract suppliers of funds, and to reward them adequately. Return on invested capital is
the prime measure of company performance. The analyst uses it as an indicator of
managerial effectiveness, and/or a measure of the company's ability to earn a
satisfactory return on investment.
3. If the investment base is defined as comprising net operating assets, then net operating
profit (e.g., before interest) after tax (NOPAT) is the relevant income figure to use. The
exclusion of interest from income deductions is due to its being regarded as a payment
for the use of money from the suppliers of debt capital (in the same way that dividends
are regarded as a payment to suppliers of equity capital). NOPAT is the appropriate
amount to measure against net operating assets as both are considered to be operating.
4. First, the motivation for excluding nonproductive assets from invested capital is based
on the idea that management is not responsible for earning a return on non-operating
invested capital. Second, the exclusion of intangible assets from the investment base is
often due to skepticism regarding their value or their contribution to the earning power of
the company. Under GAAP, intangibles are carried at cost. However, if their cost exceeds
their future utility, they are written down (or there will be an uncertainty exception
regarding their carrying value in the auditor's opinion). The exclusion of intangible
assets from the asset base must be based on more substantial evidence than a mere
lack of understanding of what these assets represent or an unsupported suspicion
regarding their value. This implies that intangible assets should generally not be
excluded from invested capital.
5. The basic formula for computing the return on investment is net income divided by total
invested capital. Whenever we modify the definition of the investment base by, say,
omitting certain items (liabilities, idle assets, intangibles, etc.) we must also adjust the
corresponding income figure to make it consistent with the modified asset base.
6. The relation of net income to sales is a measure of operating performance (profit
margin). The relation of sales to total assets is a measure of asset utilization or
turnovera means of determining how effectively (in terms of sales generation) the
assets are utilized. Both of these measures, profit margin as well as asset utilization,
determine the return realized on a given investment base. Sales are an important factor
in both of these performance measures.

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Chapter 08 - Return On Invested Capital and Profitability Analysis

7. Profit margin, although important, is only one aspect of the return on invested capital.
The other is asset turnover. Consequently, while Company B's profit margin is high, its
asset turnover may have been sufficiently depressed so as to drag down the overall
return on invested capital, leading to the shareholder's complaint.
8. The asset turnover of Company X is 3. The profit margin of Company Y is 0.5%. Since
both companies are in the same industry, it is clear that Company X must concentrate on
improving its asset turnover. On the other hand, Company Y must concentrate on
improving its profit margin. More specific strategies depend on the product and industry.
9. The sales to total assets (asset turnover) component of the return on invested capital
measure reflects the overall rate of asset utilization. It does not reflect the rate of
utilization of individual asset categories that enter into the overall asset turnover. To
better evaluate the reasons for the level of asset turnover or the reasons for changes in
that level, it is helpful to compute the rate of individual asset turnovers that make up the
overall turnover rate.
10. The evaluation of return on invested capital involves many factors. The
inclusion/exclusion of extraordinary gains and losses, the use/nonuse of trends, the
effect of acquisitions accounted for as poolings and their chance of recurrence, the
effect of discontinued operations, and the possibility of averaging net income are just a
few of many such factors. Moreover, the analyst must take into account the effects of
price-level changes on return calculations. It also is important that the analyst bear in
mind that return on invested capital is most commonly based on book values from
financial statements rather than on market values. And finally, many assets either do not
appear in the financial statements or are significantly understated. Examples of such
assets are intangibles such as patents, trademarks, research and development activities,
advertising and training, and intellectual capital.
11. The equity growth rate is calculated as follows:
[Net income Preferred dividends Common dividend payout] / Average common equity.
This is the growth rate due to the retention of earnings and assumes a constant dividend
payout over time. It indicates the possibilities of earnings growth without resort to
external financing. The resulting increase in equity can be expected to earn the rate of
return that the company earns on its assets and, thus, further contribute to growth in
earnings.
12. a. The return on net operating assets and the return on common stockholders' equity
differ by the capital investment base (and its corresponding effects on net income).
RNOA reflects the return on the net operating assets of the company whereas ROCE
reflects the perspective of common shareholders.
b. ROCE can be disaggregated into the following components to facilitate analysis:
ROCE = RNOA + Leverage x Spread. RNOA measures the return on net operating
assets, a measure of operating performance. The second component (Leverage x
Spread) measures the effects of financial leverage. ROCE is increased by adding
financial leverage so long as RNOA>weighted average cost of capital. That is, if the
firm can earn a return on operating assets that is greater than the cost of the capital
used to finance the purchase of those assets, then shareholders are better off adding
debt to increase operating assets.

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Chapter 08 - Return On Invested Capital and Profitability Analysis

13. a. ROCE can be disaggregated as follows:

Net income - Preferred dividends
Sales

Sales
Average common equity
This shows that equity turnover (sales to average common equity) is one of the two
components of the return on common shareholders' equity. Assuming a stable profit
margin, the equity turnover can be used to determine the level and trend of ROCE.
Specifically, an increase in equity turnover will produce an increase in ROCE if the
profit margin is stable or declines less than the increase in equity turnover. For
example, a common objective of discount stores is to lower prices by lowering profit
margins, but to offset this by increasing equity turnover by more than the decrease in
profit margin.
b. Equity turnover can be rewritten as follows:
Net operating assets
Sales

Net operating assets

Average common equity
The first factor reflects how well net operating assets are being utilized. If the ratio is
increasing, this can signal either a technological advantage or under-capacity and the
need for expansion. The second factor reflects the use of leverage. Leverage will be
higher for those firms that have financed more of their assets through debt. By
considering these factors that comprise equity turnover, it is apparent that EPS
cannot grow indefinitely from an increase in these factors. This is because these
factors cannot grow indefinitely. Even if there is a technological advantage in
production, the sales to net operating assets ratio cannot increase indefinitely. This
is because sooner or later the firm must expand its net operating asset base to meet
rising sales or else not meet sales and lose a share of the market. Also, financing
new assets with debt can increase the net operating assets to common equity ratio.
However, this can only be pursued to a pointat which time the equity base must
expand (which decreases the ratio).

14. When convertible debt sells at a substantial premium above par and is clearly held by
investors for its conversion feature, there is justification for treating it as the equivalent
of equity capital. This is particularly true when the company can choose at any time to
force conversion of the debt by calling it in.

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Chapter 08 - Return On Invested Capital and Profitability Analysis

EXERCISES
Exercise 8-1 (35 minutes)
a. First alternative:
NOPAT = $6,000,000 * 10% = $600,000
Net income = $600,000 [$1,000,000*12%](1-.40) = $528,000
Second alternative:
NOPAT = $6,000,000 * 10% = $600,000
Net income = $600,000 [$2,000,000*12%](1-.40) = $456,000
b. First alternative:
ROCE = $528,000 / $5,000,000 = 10.56%
Second alternative:
ROCE = $456,000 / $4,000,000 = 11.40%
c. First alternative:
Assets-to-Equity = $6,000,000 / $5,000,000 = 1.2
Second alternative:
Assets-to-Equity = $6,000,000 / $4,000,000 = 1.5
d. First, lets compute return on assets (RNOA):
First alternative: $600,000 / $6,000,000 = 10%
Second alternative: $600,000 / $6,000,000 = 10%
Second, notice that the interest rate is 12% on the debt (bonds). More importantly,
the after-tax interest rate is 7.2% (12% x (1-0.40)), which is less than RNOA.
Hence, the company earns more on its assets than it pays for debt on an after-tax
basis. That is, it can successfully trade on the equityuse bondholders funds to
earn additional profits. Finally, since the second alternative uses more debt, as
reflected in the assets-to-equity ratio in c, the second alternative is probably
preferred. The shareholders would take on additional risk with the second
alternative, but the expected returns are greater as evidenced from computations
in b.

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Chapter 08 - Return On Invested Capital and Profitability Analysis

Exercise 8-2 (40 minutes)

a. NOPAT = Net income = $10,000,000 x 10% = $1,000,000
b. First alternative:
NOPAT = $1,000,000 + $6,000,000*10% = $1,600,000
Net income = $1,600,000 ($2,000,000 5% x [1-.40]) = $1,540,000
Second alternative:
NOPAT = $1,000,000 + $6,000,000*10% = $1,600,000
Net income = $1,600,000 ($6,000,000 6% x [1-.40]) = $1,384,000
c. First alternative: ROCE = $1,540,000 / ($10,000,000 + $4,000,000) = 11%
Second alternative: ROCE = $1,384,000 / ($10,000,000 + $0) = 13.84%
d. ROCE is higher under the second alternative due to successful use of leverage
that is, successfully trading on the equity. [Note: Asset-to-Equity is 1.14=$16
mil./$14 mil. (1.60=$16 mil./$10 mil.) under the first (second) alternative.] The
company should pursue the second alternative in the interest of shareholders
(assuming projected returns are consistent with current performance levels).

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Chapter 08 - Return On Invested Capital and Profitability Analysis

Exercise 8-3 (15 minutes)

a. RNOA = 2 x 5% = 10%
b.
c.

ROCE = 10% + 1.786 x 4.4% = 17.86%

RNOA
Leverage advantage
Return on equity

10.00%
7.86%
17.86%

Exercise 8-4 (30 minutes)

a. Computation and Interpretation of ROCE:
Year 5
0.112
0.46
3.25
0.570
9.54%

Year 9
0.109
0.44
3.40
0.556
9.07%

Pre-tax profit margin ..........................................................

Asset turnover ....................................................................
Assets-to-equity .................................................................
After-tax income retention * ..............................................
ROCE (product of above) ..................................................
* 1-Tax rate.
ROCE declines from Year 5 to Year 9 because: (1) pre-tax margin decreases by
approximately 3%, (2) asset turnover declines by roughly 4.3%, and (3) the tax
rate increases by about 3.8%. The combination of these factors drives the decline
in ROCEthis is despite the slight improvement in the assets-to-equity ratio.
b. The main reason EPS increases is that shareholders had a large amount of assets
and equity working for them. Namely, the company grew while return on assets
and return on equity remained fairly stable. In addition, the amount of preferred
stock declined, as did the amount of preferred dividends. With this decline in the
cost of carrying preferred stock, earnings available to common stock increased.
(CFA Adapted)

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Chapter 08 - Return On Invested Capital and Profitability Analysis

Exercise 8-5 (15 minutes)

a. RNOA = 3 x 7% = 21%
b. ROCE = RNOA + LEV x Spread = 21% + (1.667 x 8.4%) = 35%
c. Net leverage advantage to common equity
Return on net operating assets ..................................
Leverage advantage ....................................................
Return on common equity (rounding difference) .....

21%
14%
35%

Exercise 8-6 (30 minutes)

a. At the present level of debt, ROCE = $157,500 / $1,125,000 = 14%.
In the absence of leverage, the noncurrent liabilities would be substituted with
equity. Accordingly, there would be no interest expense with all-equity financing.
Consequently, in this case, net income would be as follows:
Net income (with leverage) ...................................
$157,500
Plus interest saved ($675,000 8%) .................... $54,000
Less tax effect of interest expense ...................... 27,000
27,000
Net income (without leverage) .............................
$184,500
ROCE without leverage = $184,500 / $1,800,000 = 10.25%.
This means that leverage is beneficial to Rose's shareholders since ROCE is 14%
with leverage but only 10.25% without leverage.
b. NOPAT = $157,500 + [$675,000 x 8% x (1-.50)] = $184,500
RNOA = $184,500 / ($2,000,000-$200,000) = 10.25%
c. The company is utilizing borrowed funds in its capital structure. Since the
ROCE is greater than RNOA, the use of financial leverage is beneficial to
stockholders. Specifically, the after cost of debt is 4% and the financial
leverage (NFO/Equity) is $675,000 / $1,125,000 = 60%. Therefore,
ROCE = RNOA + LEV x Spread = 10.25% + 0.60 x (10.25% - 4%) = 14%, as
before. The favorable effect of financial leverage is given by the term [0.60 x
(10.25% - 4%)] = 3.75%.

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Chapter 08 - Return On Invested Capital and Profitability Analysis

Exercise 8-7 (10 minutes)

1.
2.
3.

c
a
c

Exercise 8-8 (20 minutes)

a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.

(Assessments of profit margin and asset turnover are relative to industry norms.)
Higher profit margin and lower asset turnover.
Higher asset turnover and lower profit margin.
Higher profit margin and similar/lower asset turnover.
Higher asset turnover and similar/lower profit margin.
Higher asset turnover and lower/similar profit margin.
Higher asset turnover and similar/higher profit margin.
Higher asset turnover and lower profit margin.

Exercise 8-9 (20 minutes)

The memorandum to Reliable Auto Sales President would include the following
points:
Both Reliable and Legend Auto Sales are perpetually investing $100,000 in
automobile inventory.
Legend Auto Sales is able to generate more profit than Reliable because it is
turning over its inventory (10 cars) more often. Specifically, Legend is turning its
inventory over 10 times per year while Reliable is turning its inventory over only 5
times per year. Hence, given the same investment in automobile inventory,
Legend is twice as profitable as Reliable.
Encourage Reliable to sacrifice some return on each sale to increase the
inventory turnover. By slightly reducing price, relative to that charged by Legend,
Reliable predictably will find that overall profitability increases. This is because
while profit per sale declines, the number of units sold and, therefore, inventory
turnover will increase. These factors predictably yield increased return on assets.

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Chapter 08 - Return On Invested Capital and Profitability Analysis

Exercise 8-10 (20 minutes)

Computation of Asset (PP&E) Turnover [computed as Sales / PP&E (net)]:
Northern: $12,000 / $20,000 = 0.60
Southern: $6,000 / $20,000 = 0.30
This implies that Northern generates $0.60 in sales per year for each $1 investment in
PP&E. In contrast, Southern generates $0.30 in sales per year for each $1
investment in PP&E. This shows that Northern is able to generate twice the return
for each $1 invested in PP&E. Assuming equal profit margins, Northern will report a
higher return on assets because of the volume of sales that the company is able to
generate with its investment in PP&E (at least in the short run).
Exercise 8-11 (15 minutes)
Low volume operations mean that fixed costs, which in the case of automakers are
substantial, must be absorbed by a low number of units produced. Since the lower of
cost or market rule implies that inventory cannot be priced higher than expected
sales price less costs of disposal plus a normal profit margin, much of that excess
cost must be charged to the period incurred. In this case, that means the fourth
quarter financial statements absorb much of this cost. This is probably the most
likely accounting-based reason for the fourth quarter losses described in the news
release.

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Chapter 08 - Return On Invested Capital and Profitability Analysis

PROBLEMS
Problem 8-1 (30 minutes)
a. 1. Quaker Oats does not reveal its computation of this return. Accordingly, we
make some simple computations and assumptions: (i) For simplicity, focus on
one share, (ii) The dividend is $1.56 for Year 11, (iii) The average stock price is
$55 and the price increase for Year 11 is $14based on the beginning price of
$48 and the ending price of $62. Using this information, we compute return to
a share of stock as follows:
= [Dividend per share + Price increase per share] / Average price per share
= [$1.56 + $14] / $55
= 28.3%
However, if we use the beginning price of $48 per share, we get closer to the
company's 34% return:
= [$1.56 + $14] / $48
= 32.4%
2. The return on common equity is based on the relation between net income
and the book value of the equity capital. In contrast, Quaker Oats return to
shareholders uses dividends plus market value change in relation to the
market price per share (cost of investment to shareholders.)
b. The company must have derived the 3.6% from price, market, and other factors
that are not disclosed. Conceptually, this 3.6% should reflect the added risk of an
investment in Quaker Oats stock vis--vis a risk-free security such as a U.S.
Treasury bond.
c. Quaker does not reveal its computations. It may disclose a variety of interest
rates on long-term debt that it carries in the notes to financial statements. Based
on data available to it, but not to the financial statement reader, it probably
computed a weighted-average interest rate from which it deducted the tax benefit
in arriving at the 6.4% cost of debt.

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Chapter 08 - Return On Invested Capital and Profitability Analysis

Problem 8-2 (50 minutes)

a. Computation of Return on Invested Capital Measures:
As a first step, we construct the companys income statement.
Sales (500,000 units @ $10). ...............................................
Fixed costs ......................................................................
Variable costs (500,000 units @ $4)..............................
Labor costs (20 employees x $35,000). ........................
Income before taxes .........................................................
Taxes (50% rate) ................................................................
Net income .........................................................................

$5,000,000
1,500,000
2,000,000
700,000
800,000
400,000
$ 400,000

(1) RNOA = [$400,000 + ($2,000,000 x 7.5%)(1-0.50)] / ($8,000,000-$2,00,000)

= $475,000 / $6,000,000 = 7.92%
(2) ROCE = [$400,000 - ($1,000,000 x 6%)] / $3,000,000 = 11.33%
b. Wage Rate Analysis to meet a Target Return on Invested Capital:
Estimated Fiscal Year 9 Operations:
Sales (550,000 units @ $10) ............................................................. $5,500,000
Fixed costs ($1,500,000 x 1.06) .......................................................... 1,590,000
Variable costs ($550,000 units @ $4) .............................................. 2,200,000
Income before labor costs and taxes .............................................. $1,710,000
To obtain a 10% return on long-term debt and equity capital, Zear will need a
numerator of $600,000 given an invested capital base of $6,000,000. The required
operating income to yield this $600,000 amount is computed as:
Net income + Interest expense x (1 - 0.50) = $600,000
Net income + ($2,000,000 x 7.5%) x (1-0.50) = $600,000
Net income = $525,000
Assuming taxes at a 50% rate, Zear needs pre-tax income of $1,050,000,
computed as:
Income before labor and taxes ............ $1,710,000
Labor costs ............................................
?
Pre-tax income ...................................... $1,050,000
This implies:
Labor costs = $660,000 or
Average wage per worker = $660,000 / 22 employees = $30,000 per employee
Since the current salary level is $35,000, Zear cannot achieve its target return
level and give a salary raise to its employees.
(CFA Adapted)

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Chapter 08 - Return On Invested Capital and Profitability Analysis

Problem 8-3 (30 minutes)

a. ROCE = $1,650 / $3,860 = 42.7%
b. NOPAT = ($2,550 + $10) x (1-0.35) = $1,664
NOA = $7,250-$3,290 = $3,960
RNOA (using year-end NOA balance) = $1,664 / $3,960 = 42%
The effect of financial leverage, thus, is only 0.7% as NFO/NFE are insignificant.
Most of Mercks ROCE in this year is derived from operating results.
Pre-tax income to sales

0.36

Net income to sales

0.23

Sales/current assets

1.47

Sales / fixed assets

2.97

Sales / total assets

0.98

Total liabilities / equity

0.88

L-T liabilities / equity

0.03

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Chapter 08 - Return On Invested Capital and Profitability Analysis

Problem 8-4 (60 minutes)

a. 1. RNOA = NOPAT
Avg. NOA
NOPAT = [$186,000 + $2,000 - $120,000 - $37,000 + $1,000] x 50% = $16,000
Note: we include income from equity investments under the assumptions that these are operating
rather than financial investments. We also include the cumulative effect as operating in the
absence of information to the contrary. Minority interest and discontinued operations are
nonoperating (minority interest is therefore, treated as equity in the ROCE computation).

NOA Year 6 = $138,000 - $29,000 - $7000 - $3,600 = $98,400

NOA Year 5 = $105,000 - $23,000 - $2,000 - $2,000 = $78,000
RNOA = $16,000 / ([$98,400 + $78,000]/2) = 18.14%
2. ROCE = Net income - Preferred dividends
Average common equity
ROCE = ($10,000 $0) /[($55,400* + $47,800*)/2]

= 19.38%

*Note: minority interest is treated as equity. If Minority interest is ignored, the ROCE is 19.8%

b. NFO = NOA - Equity

Year 6: $43,000; Year 5: $30,200
LEV = Avg. NFO / Ave Equity = ([$43,000 + $30,200] / 2) / ([$55,400* + $47,800*] / 2)
= 0.71
NFE = NOPAT Net income
Year 6: $6,000
NFR = NFE / Avg. NFO = $6,000 / ([$43,000 + $30,200] / 2) = 16.4%
Spread = RNOA NFR = 18.14% - 16.4% = 1.74%
ROCE = RNOA + LEV x Spread = 18.14 + 0.71 x 1.74% = 19.38%
94% (18.14%/19.38%) of Zetas ROCE is derived form operating activities. The
company is effectively using leverage, however, as indicated by the positive
spread, but the leverage does not contribute significantly to Zetas return on
equity and may not be worth the added risk.

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Chapter 08 - Return On Invested Capital and Profitability Analysis

Problem 8-5 (40 minutes)

a. ROCE = [Net income preferred dividends] / stockholders equity*
*end of year in this problem
ROCE Year 5: [$14 $0] / $125 = 11.2%
ROCE Year 9: [$34 - $0] / $220 = 15.5%
RNOA Year 5 = ($35 x 0.50) / ($52 + $123) = 10.0%
RNOA Year 9 = ($68 x 0.50) / ($63 + $157) = 15.5%
ROCE = RNOA + Leverage x Spread
Year 5: 10.0% + 1.2% = 11.2%
Year 9: 15.5% + 0
= 15.5%
b. Texas Talcoms ROCE has increased form years 5 to 9. The source is this
increase, however, has been an increase in RNOA as the leverage effect is zero in
Year 9 since its long-term debt has been retired. Given the RNOA increase,
additional leverage might be explored as a way to increase shareholder returns.

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Chapter 08 - Return On Invested Capital and Profitability Analysis

Problem 8-6 (75 minutes)

Background Information:
Product A
Yr 7
Yr 6
Number of units sold ..................... 10,000
7,000
Selling price per unit ..................... $6.00
$5.00
Unit cost ......................................... $5.00
$4.00

Product B
Yr 7
Yr 6
600
900
$50.00
$50.00
$32.50
$30.00

Johnson Corporation
Analysis Statement of Changes in Gross Margin
Year 2 versus Year 1
Analysis of Variation in Product A Sales

Increased quantity at Yr 6 prices (3,000 x $5) .........................

Price increase at Yr 6 quantity (7,000 x $1) ............................
Quantity increase x price increase (3,000 x $1) .....................

$ 15,000
7,000
3,000

Analysis of Variation in Product A Cost of Sales

Increased quantity at Yr 6 cost (3,000 x $4) ...........................

Increased cost at Yr 6 quantity (7,000 x $1) ...........................
Cost increase x quantity increase (3,000 x $1) ......................
Net Variation (Increase) in Gross Margin for Product A .............

(12,000)
(7,000)
(3,000)
$ 3,000

Analysis of Variation in Product B Sales

Decreased quantity at Yr 6 prices (300 x $50) .......................

$ (15,000)

Analysis of Variation in Product B Cost of Sales:

Decreased quantity at Yr 6 cost (300 x $30) ..........................

Increased cost at Yr 6 quantity (900 x $2.50) .........................
Cost increase x quantity decrease (300 x $2.50) ...................
Net Variation (Decrease) in Gross Margin for Product B ............
Summary of Net Variation in Margins for Products A and B
Net increase from product A .........................................................
Net decrease from product B ........................................................
Net Decrease in Gross Margin .......................................................

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9,000
(2,250)
750
(7,500)

3,000
(7,500)
$ (4,500)

Chapter 08 - Return On Invested Capital and Profitability Analysis

Problem 8-7 (60 minutes)

a.
SPYRES MANUFACTURING COMPANY
Comparative Common-Size Income Statements
Year Ended December 31
Year 9
Year 8

Increase
(Decrease)

Net sales .............................

100.0%

100.0%

20.0%

Cost of goods sold ............

81.7

86.0

14.0

Gross margin on sales ......

18.3

14.0

57.1

Operating expenses ..........

16.8

10.2

98.0

Income before taxes ..........

1.5

3.8

(52.6)

Income taxes ......................

0.4

1.0

(52.0)

Net income .........................

1.1

2.8

(52.9)

b. Performance in Year 9 is poor when compared with Year 8. One bright spot is the
percentage of Cost of Goods Sold to Sales, which decreased in Year 9. However,
Operating Expenses climbed sharply. This sharp climb in operating expenses is
unexpected since there is usually a larger fixed cost component comprising these
costs compared with that for Cost of Goods Sold.
Management should further check operating expenses. If operating expenses had
remained at the Year 8 level of 10.2%, income would have been up favorably for
Year 9. Operating expenses may have included a future-directed component such
as advertising or training costs. Also, management would want to follow up on
the change in gross margin. The sharp improvement in gross margin may have
been due to factors such as the liquidation LIFO inventory layers or, alternatively,
to something more fundamental with the activities of the firm.

8-19

Chapter 08 - Return On Invested Capital and Profitability Analysis

Problem 8-8 (75 minutes)

ZETA CORPORATION
Statement of Variations in Income and Income Components
Year 6 versus Year 5
Items tending to increase net income:
Increase in net sales:
Net sales, Year 6 ........................................ $186,000
$31,000
Net sales, Year 5 ........................................
155,000
Deduct increase in cost of goods sold:
Cost of goods sold, Year 6 .......................
120,000
21,000
Cost of goods sold, Year 5 .......................
99,000
Net increase in gross margin on sales:
Gross margin, Year 6 ................................
66,000
Gross margin, Year 5 ................................
56,000
10,000
Increase in equity in income (loss) of assoc. co.:
Equity in income, Year 6 ...........................
2,000
3,000
Equity in loss, Year 5 ................................
(1,000)
Decrease in loss of discont. oper. (net of taxes):
Loss on disc. oper., Year 6 .......................
1,100
100
Loss on disc. oper., Year 5 .......................
1,200
Increase in cum. effect of accounting change:
Cumulative effect, Year 6 ..........................
1,000
1,000
Cumulative effect, Year 5 ..........................
0
Total of items tending to increase income ...
14,100

Items tending to decrease net income:

Increase in S&A expense:
S&A, Year 6 ................................................
37,000
S&A, Year 5 ................................................
33,000
Increase in interest expense:
Interest expense, Year 6 ...........................
10,000
Interest expense, Year 5 ...........................
6,000
Increase in income taxes:
Income taxes, Year 6 .................................
10,000
Income taxes, Year 5 .................................
7,800
Increase in minority interest:
Minority interest, Year 6 ............................
200
Minority interest, Year 5 ............................
0
Increase in loss on disposal of disc oper.:
Loss on disposal, Year 6 ..........................
700
Loss on disposal, Year 5 ..........................
0
Total of items tending to decrease net income ..................
Net increase in net income:
Net income, Year 6 ....................................
Net income, Year 5 ....................................

8-20

10,000
7,000

20.0%

21.2

17.9

300.0

8.3

4,000

12.1

4,000

66.7

2,200

28.2

200

700
11,100

3,000

42.9

Chapter 08 - Return On Invested Capital and Profitability Analysis

Problem 8-8continued
Analysis and Interpretation:
(1) ZETA has two "below the line" items--discontinued operations and a change in
accounting principle. While net income increased by 42.9%, income from
continuing operations increased by 31.7%. (Per note 1, the increase in Year 6
income from operations due to the change in inventory accounting is only $400.)
(2) Per note 3, ZETA acquired most of TRO Company effective December 31, Year 6.
As the acquisition was accounted for as a purchase, the Year 5 and 6 income
statements do not reflect the results of TRO. Certain pro forma information is
included in note 3.
(3) The 21.2% increase in COGS slightly exceeds the 20% increase in sales, leading
to a lower gross profit margin despite the accounting change.
(4) The increase in equity in income of associated companies helped increase net
income. The analyst should assess whether a dollar of income for associated
companies is equivalent to a dollar of income for ZETA.
(5) S&A expenses rose less than sales, contributing to increased income.
(6) The increase in interest expense is matched by an increase in long-term debt.

8-21

Chapter 08 - Return On Invested Capital and Profitability Analysis

Problem 8-9 (75 minutes)

a. 1.
Data communications ............................
Time recording devices .........................
Hardware for electronics .......................
Home sewing products .........................
Corporate total .......................................

Inventory-to-Sales
1,897/6,890
= 27.5%
2,728/4,100
= 66.5%
287/1,850
= 15.5%
526/1,265
= 41.6%
5,438/14,105
= 38.6%

2.
Inventory-to-Contribution
Data communications ............................ 1,897/1,510
= 1.26
Time recording devices ......................... 2,728/412
= 6.62
Hardware for electronics ....................... 287/919
= 0.31
Home sewing products ......................... 526/342
= 1.54
Corporate total ....................................... 5,438/3,183
= 1.71
b.
Data communications ............
Time recording devices .........
Hardware for electronics .......
Home sewing products ..........
Total .........................................

Year 1
44%
34%
-22%
100%

Year 2
Year 3
Year 4
59%
48%
21%
2%
-37%
20%
13%
100%
100%

47%
13%
29%
11%
100%

c. Desirability of Investment for Each Product Line (ranked):

Data communications equipment seems to be the best candidate for investment. Its
growth has been steady while the amount of inventory/sales (27.5%) and
inventory/income contribution (1.26) is relatively low.
The trend of income contribution of hardware for electronics is stable and both the
amount of inventory/sales (15.5%) and inventory/income contribution (0.31)
compares very well with others.
Home sewing products also shows a stable income contribution trend; however, it
should be noted that the amount of sales is decreasing every year and the
inventory/sales (41.6%) and inventory/income contribution (1.54) do not compare
favorably with others.
The least desirable candidate for investment is time recording devices whose data
compare very poorly with others in all the respects mentioned above.

8-22

Chapter 08 - Return On Invested Capital and Profitability Analysis

CASES
Case 8-1 (120 minutes)
a. Computation of Return on Invested Capital Measures:
2005
(1) Return on net operating assets [a] .............. 73.9%
(2) Disaggregated RNOA:
Oper. Profit margin [a] ............................ 5.9%
NOA turnover [a] ...................................... 12.49
(3) Return on common equity [b] ...................... 47.7%
(4) Disaggregated ROCE [c]:
RNOA
................................................. 73.9
LEV
................................................. -38.3%
Spread ...................................................... 68.6%
Computation notes:
[a]
NOPAT
Average net operating assets
= ($4,254 x (1-[$1,402/$4,445])) / (($1,9301+$5,9502)/2) = 73.9%
1
2

2005: $23,215 - $5,060 - $14,136 - 2,089 = $1,930

2004: $19,311 - $835 - $10,896 - $1,630 = $5,950

Disaggregated:
2005 profit margin: ($4,254 x (1-[$1,402/$4,445])) / $49,205 = 5.9%
2005 net operating asset turnover: $49,205 / (($1,930+$5,950)/2) = 12.49
[b] Net income [11] - Preferred dividends
Average common equity
2005: [$3,043 - $0] / [($6,485 + $6,280)/2] = 47.7%
[c] 2005 NFO = $505 - $5,060 = -$4,555
2004 NFO = $505 - $835 = -$330
LEV = Avg. NFO
Avg. Equity

(-$4,555 - $330)/2
($6,485 + $6,280)/2

-38.3%

NFE = NOPAT - Net income = $2,912 - $3,043 = -$131

NFR = NFE / Avg. NFO = $-131 / (-$4,555 - $330)/2 = 5.3%
Spread = RNOA NFR = 73.9% 5.3% = 68.6%

8-23

Chapter 08 - Return On Invested Capital and Profitability Analysis

Case 8-1continued
b. Computation of Asset Turnover Ratios:
2005
(1) Accounts receivable turnover ................................

12.23

Average collection period .......................................

29.85

(2) Inventory turnover ...................................................

102.26

Average inventory days outstanding .....................

3.57

(3) Long-term operating asset turnover ......................

6.56

(4) Accounts payable turnover ....................................

4.96

Average payables days outstanding ......................

73.61

c. Dell achieves extraordinary returns (both on net operating assets and equity) due to
its high turnover of net operating assets. Dells working capital management is
legendary. The Accounts receivable turnover rate has decreased in recent years as
the company expanded into more corporate sales, but remains high with an average
collection period of only 29.9 days. Dells ability to operating with very little inventory
and long-term operating assets, however, is the primary driver of its profitability.
Inventories turn 102 times a year, with an average inventory days outstanding of only
3.57. This is extraordinary. Furthermore, the company turns its long-term operating
assets 6.56 times a year, significantly greater than nearly every other publicly traded
company. Finally, Dell is able to use its market power to delay payment to suppliers.
Its accounts payable turnover rate is 4.96 times a year, for an average payable days
outstanding of 73.61. Dell is, therefore, collecting cash in 28.85 days and paying its
suppliers in 73.61 days. The cash generated by this relation is invested in marketable
securities, $5 billion in 2005, resulting in a negative NFO.
The fact that ROCE is lower than RNOA results from the use of relatively
high cost equity capital to finance investment in marketable securities. The company
could eliminate this problem by repurchasing stock with its marketable
investments, and has, indeed, repurchased a considerable amount of stock over the
past 3 years. Since it operates in a fast changing industry, the additional liquidity is
probably warranted. Dells ROE of 47.7% is still considerably greater than the 12%
median for publicly traded companies.

8-24

Chapter 08 - Return On Invested Capital and Profitability Analysis

Case 8-2 (75 minutes)

a. Nikes ROCE, currently at 21.6%, has been steadily increasing over the 5 year
period, while Reeboks has remained at a constant level for the past 3 years, and is
currently 15.7%.
ROCE = RNOA + LEV x Spread.
The computation of ROCE, based on its disaggregated components is as follows:
NIKE: 19.2% + 0.144 x 16.6% = 21.6%
Reebok: 12.7% + 0.367 x 8.2% = 15.7%
The recent 5-year trend in the ROCE components is as follows:
NIKE (NKE)
Reebok (RBK)
Sales growth

NKEs sales growth has increased

significantly in the past 2 years

After suffering sales declines 5 and 4 years

ago, RBKs growth has improved and is
significant in the current year

Gross Profit

NKEs gross profit margin has increased by

3.5 percentage points in the past 3 years and
is currently 4.5 percentage points higher
than RBKs.

RBKs gross profit margin increased by 1.6

percentage points in year 4 and has leveled
off.

SG&A exp %

NKEs SG&A percentage has increased by

2.1 percentage points from its trough and is
currently 0.5 percentage points higher than
RBKs.

RBKs SG&A percentage is 3 percentage

points lower than 5 years ago and has
leveled off in the recent 2 years.

NOPAT/Sales

NKEs NOPAT% has increased by 1

percentage point form 5 years ago and is
currently 2.8 percentage points higher than
RBKs.

RBKs NOPAT% has also increased over the

5 year period, and is currently 1.8
percentage points higher than in year 1. It is
currently significantly lower than NKEs.

TAX exp. %

NKEs tax expense has been increasing and

is currently higher than RBKs.

RBKs tax expense has been decreasing

over the 5 year period.

NOA turnover

NKEs NOA turnover has increased

significantly over the 5 year period, but is
currently lower than RBKs.

RBKs NOA turnover has decreased form its

high in Year 3, but has leveled off in the past
2 years.

Receivables
turnover

NKEs receivables turn has fluctuated within

a constant band over the past 5 years and
the average collection period currently
stands at 63 days.

RBKs receivable turn is significantly higher

than NKEs, and has remained fairly
constant during the past 3 years. Its average
collections period is 50 days.

Inventory turnover

NKE turns its inventories 4.45 times a year,

for an average inventory days outstanding
of 82 days.

RBK turns its inventories 5.71 times a year

for an average inventory days outstanding
of 64 days.

L-T oper. asset

turn

NKE has been turning its long-term

operations assets more quickly over the
past 5 years, but only half as fast as RBK
does.

RBKs long-term operating asset turnover

rate is twice that of NKE and has been
increasing steadily over the past 5 years.

Accts. Pay turn

NKEs accounts payable turnover rate has

slowed over the past 3 years, increasing its
average payable days outstanding to 35
days.

RBKs accounts payable turnover has

increased over the past 3 years, reducing its
average payable days outstanding to 27
days.

8-25

Chapter 08 - Return On Invested Capital and Profitability Analysis

Case 8-2concluded
b. NKEs operating performance is better than RBKs. Its NOPAT margin is 2.8
percentage points higher, driven by a significantly higher gross profit margin. It
appears that NKE is able to use its brand recognition and effective advertising to
command higher unit selling prices for its products.
The NOA turnover is roughly comparable to the two companies. Most of the
assets are current and NKE working capital turnover rate (not listed) is 3.89 times,
compared with RBKs of 3.14. The higher turnover of the more significant working
capital accounts more than offsets NKEs slower long-term operating assets
turnover rate.
Based on this analysis, NKE appears to exhibit superior operating performance.
Whether the stock is a buy depends on two factors: 1. is NKEs higher profit
margin sustainable, and 2. has the market already impounded the superior
operating performance into NKE stock price.

8-26

Chapter 08 - Return On Invested Capital and Profitability Analysis

Case 8-3 (75 minutes)

a. Computation and Disaggregation of ROCE
Year 13

Year 9

13.34%
5,527
497
5,030

23.09%
3,243
199
3,044

LEVB

0.10

0.07

NOPAT
NFEC
Net income

654
17
671

677
26
703

11.82%
-3.52%
15.34%

20.87%
-13.17%
34.04%

ROCE
NOA
NFOA
Equity

RNOA
NFRD
SpreadE

NOA - Equity
NFO/Equity
C
Net income-NOPAT
D
Negative amount indicates net income vs. expense
E
RNOA-NFR
B

Computations
ROCE
NOA
NOPAT
1

Year 13
$671/$5,030 = .133
$363+$1,390+$609+5,228+$2,272$2,821-$1,514=$5,527
($8,529-$6,968-$515)x(1($403/$1,074))=$654

Year 9
$703/$3,044=.231
$381+$224+$+909+3,397+$1,084$1,262-$1,490=$3,243
($4,594-$3,484)x(1($450/$1,153)=$677

Ending assets are used because information is unavailable to compute average assets.

b. Disneys profit margin on sales decreased substantially from Year 9 to Year 13.
Some reasons for this change include:
Disney experienced above average growth in the film entertainment business,
which has the lowest operating margin of any of its business segments.
Disney experienced deterioration in consumer product margins as the
business mix shifted away from licensing and royalty income.
Euro Disney losses and reserve provision (write-off) hurt Year 13 results, as
compared with no effect in Year 9.
Disney experienced deterioration in the theme park margins because of lower
attendancethis, in turn, stemmed from a slower economy and more
expensive admission prices.
The profit margin on sales is offset, to some extent, by the favorable effects of
financial leverage as the return on financial assets (other current assets)
exceeds borrowing costs.

8-27

Chapter 08 - Return On Invested Capital and Profitability Analysis

Case 8-4 (55 minutes)

a. The level of sales would be affected by many factors, including the following: (i)
the quality and popularity of products for the particular fashion season, (ii) the
number of customers reached via the catalog or the internet, (iii) the prices at
which goods are offered, and (iv) the state of the economy.
The gross profit level would be affected by: (i) the quality of materials used in
production, (ii) the costs of manufacturing products, (iii) the price of goods
purchased for resale, and (iv) the prices at which goods are sold.
b. In simple terms, the gross profit percent gives you a measure of how much of
each dollar sold is available to cover the non-product costs. For Land's End in
Year 9, the gross profit percent indicates that for every $1 of sales, there was
$0.45 to cover selling, general, and administrative expenses, and all other
expenses.
c. The selling, general, and administrative expenses would be determined by all of
the following: (i) the cost of paper, (ii) the cost of postage to mail the catalogs, (iii)
the cost of the photography and catalog production, (iv) the number of pages per
catalog, and (v) the number of catalogs mailed. The cost of paper is most likely
directly related to the quality of the paper used. The quality of the paper used can
impact sales by influencing the customer's opinion of the quality of the products
(that is, if cheap paper is used, the products may be perceived as cheaply made,
but if the catalog is made of heavy, glossy paper, the products may be expected
to be of similar high quality). Limiting the size and weight of each catalog can
control the cost of postage. However, limiting the size and weight of each catalog
may mean lower sales because customers may not get enough information about
the products available.
By choosing a higher or lower quality production, the cost of the photography
and the catalog production can be controlled. The expected impact on the sales
level would be similar to the impact of the paper quality. The number of pages can
be easily controlled. There is probably an optimum number of pages to maximize
sales levels (that is, more is probably not absolutely better). The number of
catalogs mailed can easily be controlled with proper address tracking (to avoid
doubling or tripling up on some customers). Again, there is probably an optimum
number of different addresses to target.

8-28

Chapter 08 - Return On Invested Capital and Profitability Analysis

Case 8-5 (95 minutes)

a.
Petersen Corporation
(1) $ of Total
(2) % of Divisional
(3) Divisional Income
Consolidated Revenue Income to Total Income
as % of Revenue

Manuf. engin. products ...............

Engineering equipment .............. 28.1 18.3 16.8 17.0

--

--

--

--

--

--

--

--

Other equipment ..........................

2.9

--

--

--

--

--

--

--

--

Parts, supplies & services .......... 27.5 18.4 17.3 17.2

--

--

--

--

--

--

--

--

Total .............................................. 61.1 40.4 37.6 37.1 52.5 30.7 43.5 40.7

5.7

5.5

2
3.7

Engin. & erecting services .........

--

--

International operations .............

--

--

3
3.5

6.3 14.3

5.8 12.0

-- 10.0

9.6

8.8

--

Systems Group ............................ 61.1 40.4 43.9 51.4 83.9 48.3 58.9 61.5

9.2

9.5 14.612.3

5.7

7.2

9.0 9.2

--

6.9

8.1 8.4

5.5 (1.8)

6.1

6.4 5.9

6.9

8.0 8.2

--

--

--

6.0 12.611.3

-- 31.4 17.6

--

8.7
--

--

Total Environmental

Graphics Group
Frye Copy Systems ..................... 23.6 17.3 16.1 15.3 20.2 15.6 13.2 13.6
Sinclair and Valentine .................

-- 33.0 29.5 23.7

A. C. Garber ................................. 15.3

9.3 10.5

-- 28.9 21.8 19.4

9.6 (4.1)

7.2

6.1

Total Graphics Group ................. 38.9 59.6 56.1 48.6 16.1 51.7 41.1 38.5
Total rev. or div. income ............. 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

8-29

2.8

Chapter 08 - Return On Invested Capital and Profitability Analysis

Case 8-5concluded
b. The Environmental Systems Group has generally declined in its contribution to
total consolidated revenue. The exception is in Year 3 when the decline was
reversed due to a strong increase in the revenue of the engineering and erection
services division. The Graphics Group markedly increased its dollar revenue
share in Year 2. This increase is largely due to the acquisition of Sinclair and
Valentine in Year 2. Accordingly, this increase has largely leveled off.
Note that only income-related data are reported for international operations. In
such a case, the analyst must carefully examine the related textual disclosures. In
the case of Petersen Corp., these figures consist of royalty income and the
Company's equity participation in the income before taxes of the international
subsidiaries and affiliates of the group, neither of which are included in revenue.
While the Environmental Systems Group has declined overall in its contribution
to sales, it has grown in its contribution to income. Its income share is much
larger than its share of revenuesthis is due to greater profitability by the
Environmental Systems Group and, particularly, the Manufactured Engineering
Products where profitability (as measured by divisional income as a percent of
revenues) has been growing. While this profitability has declined somewhat from
Year 2 to Year 3, it remains at a level considerably higher than the company as a
whole.

8-30

Chapter 08 - Return On Invested Capital and Profitability Analysis

Case 8-6 (150 minutes)

1. Sears and Wal-Mart-Recast Income Statement
Sears

Wal-Mart

1999
OR

Operating Revenue
Sales and Service
Other Income
Credit Revenues

1998

36728
6
4343

36957
28
4618
41077

OE

Less Operating Expenses

Cost of Sales
Selling & General Admin
Provision for Uncollectible Accounts
Depreciation & Amortization
Restructuring and Impairment
Cumulative Effect of Acctg Change

27212
8418
871
848
41

Less Tax Expense

Reported Provision
Interest Tax Shield

OI

Operating Income

NFE

Less Net Financial Expense

Interest Expense
Interest
Interest on Capital Lease
Extraordinary Loss on Debt
Extinguishment

27444
8384
1287
830
352

MIN

Less Minority Interest

NI

Net Income

1998
137634
1574

166809
129664
27040

139208
108725
22363

198
904
444

38297
766
498

156902
3338
358

131088
2740
279

1348

1264

3696

3019

2339

2042

6211

5101

1268

1423

756
266

529
268

1022

797

24
1268

Less Interest Income

Less Int. Tax Shield (@ 35% tax rate)

165013
1796
41603

37390
TE

1999

1447

444

8-31

498

358

279

824

949

664

518

62

45

170

153

1453

1048

5377

4430

Chapter 08 - Return On Invested Capital and Profitability Analysis

Case 8-6continued
Sears and Wal-MartRecast Balance Sheet
Sears
1998

1999
Net Operating Assets
Operating Assets
OA
Cash and cash equivalents
729
Retained interest in transferred
3144
credit card receivables
Net credit card receivables
18033
Trade Receivables
404
Merchandise inventories
5069
Prepaid exp & deferred charges
579
Deferred Taxes
1076
Property, Plant & Equipment, net
6450
Property under Capital Leases,net
Goodwill and Intangibles
Other Assets & Deferred Charges
1470

495
4294

612
3719

17972
397
4816
506
1363
6380

18003
401
4943
543
1220
6415

1452
36954

OL

NOA

less Operating Liabilities

Accounts Payable etc
Accrued Liabilities
Unearned Revenues
Accrued Taxes
Deferred Taxes
Postretirement Benefits1

1461
37675

6732

6862

971
584

928
524

950
554

Net Operating Assets

2346
10727
26227

Financial Obligations and Equity

Financial Liabilities
FL
Commercial Paper
Short Term Borrowings
2989
Long-Term Debt Due within 1 year 2165
Capital Lease Obligations due
within 1 year
Long Term Debt
12884
Capital Lease Obligations

Ave.

1856

1879

1868

1341
19793
1366

1118
17076
1059

1230
18435
1213

32839
3130
9392
632

23674
2299
2538
353

28257
2715
5965
493

37315

6992

2180

Wal-Mart
1999
1998

Ave.

70349

49996

60173

13105
6161

10257
4998

11681
5580

1129
759

501
716

815
738

2263
10530
27145

21154
49195

26686

4624
1414

3807
1790

13631

13258

16472
33524

18813
41360

3323

1662

1964
121

900
106

1432
114

13672
3002

6908
2699

10290
2851

18038

19669

18854

22082

10613

16348

Net Financial Obligations

Minority Interest
Equity

18038
1350
6839

19669
1410
6066

18854
1380
6453

22082
1279
25834

10613
1799
21112

16348
1539
23473

Net Financing

26227

27145

26686

49195

33524

41360

FA

less Financial Assets

NFO
MIN
E
NFO
+E

1 Including this as operating because the pension expense has been included with operating expenses. Part 6 of the case
involves restating the balance sheet and income statement and redoing the analysis. At that stage it is necessary to classify
interest cost, return on plan assets and the funded status of the pension plans as non-operating (financial).
8-32

Chapter 08 - Return On Invested Capital and Profitability Analysis

Case 8-6continued
2.
1999
BALANCE SHEET
Net Operating Assets
OA
Operating Assets
OL
less Operating Liabilities
NOA
Net Operating Assets

Sears

Financial Obligations and Equity

FL
Financial Liabilities
FA
less Financial Assets
NFO
Net Financial Obligations
MIN
Minority Interest
E
Equity
NFO+ Net Financing
E
INCOME STATEMENT
OR
Operating Revenue
OE
Less Operating Expenses
TE
Less Tax Expense
OI
Operating Income
NFE Less Net Financial Expense
MIN Less Minority Interest
NI
Net Income

Wal-Mart

37315
10629
26686

60173
18813
41360

18854

16348

18854
1380
6453
26686

16348
1539
23473
41360

41077
37390
1348
2339
824
62
1453

166809
156902
3696
6211
664
170
5377

Sears
22.52%
19.34%
1.16

Wal-Mart
22.91%
22.18%
1.03

8.76%
6.27%
4.37%

15.02%
10.32%
4.06%

2.41
0.40

0.65
0.45

1.54
1.10
5.69%

4.03
2.77
3.72%

1ST STAGE RATIO ANALYSIS

ROE (excl MI)
ROE (incl MI)
MI Sharing Factor
RNOA
ROA
NFR
FLEV
OLLEV
NATO
ATO
PM

8-33

Chapter 08 - Return On Invested Capital and Profitability Analysis

Case 8-6continued
FIRST STAGE ANALYSIS
ROEexcl MI
22.52%
22.91%

=
=
=

ROEincl MI
19.34%
22.18%

ROEexcl MI

RNOA

FLEV

Sears

19.34%

8.76%

2.41

Wal-Mart

22.18%

15.02%

0.65

Sears
Wal-Mart

RNOA
8.76%
15.02%

=
=
=

ROA
6.27%
10.32%

x (1+OLLEV)
x (1+0.40)
x (1+0.45)

Sears
Wal-Mart

x MI Sharing Factor
x
1.16
x
1.03
x

(RNOA-NBC)
<--Spread-->
x (8.76%-4.37%)
<--4.39%-->
(15.02%x
4.06%)
<--10.96%-->

3.

SECOND STAGE ANALYSIS

Sears
Wal-Mart

RNOA
8.76%
15.02%

=
=
=

PM
5.69%
3.72%

x
x
x

NATO
1.54
4.03

Sears
Wal-Mart

RNOA
8.76%
15.02%

=
=
=

PM
5.69%
3.72%

x
x
x

ATO
1.10
2.77

x
x
x

(1+OLLEV)
(1+0.40)
(1+0.45)

THIRD STAGE ANALYSIS----PROFIT MARGIN DRIVERS

Sears
Wal-Mart

PM
5.69%
3.72%

=
=
=

Pre-Tax PM =
Sears
8.97%
=
Wal-Mart
5.94%
=

Sears
Wal-Mart

Pre-Tax
Sales PM
9.07%
6.06%

Pre-Tax PM
8.97%
5.94%

Pre-Tax Sales
PM
+/9.07%
6.06%
-

= Gross Margin
=
29.56%
=
22.26%

Tax Expense/OR
3.28%
2.22%
Other PM
0.10%
0.12%
SG&A/OR
20.49%
16.20%

8-34

Chapter 08 - Return On Invested Capital and Profitability Analysis

Case 8-6continued
THIRD STAGE ANALYSIS----TURNOVER DRIVERS
First determine current and noncurrent portions of operating assets
and operating liabilities (average)
Sears
Wal-Mart
Operating Assets
Current
Non-Current
Total
Operating Liabilities
Current
Non-Current
Total
Operating WC

Sears

WalMart

1
NATO
1
1.54

237

183

1
4.03

91

28929
8386
37315

22746
37427
60173

8366
2263
10629
20563

18075
738
18813
4671

1
+
OWCTO
1
=
+
2

1
FATO
1
4.9

1
LOLTO
1
18.15

75

21

1
35.71

1
4.45

1
226

10

82

(days)

(days)

BREAK-UP OF OPERATING WORKING CAPITAL

(Average)
Inventory
Receivables
Other Current Assets
Current Operating Assets

Sears
4943
22122
1864
28929

Wal-Mart
18434
1230
3082
22746

6862
1504
8366

11681
6394
18075

Payables
Other Current Liabilities
Current Operating Liabilities

Sears

WalMart

1
OWCTO
1
2

=
=

183

1
35.71

10

1
ITO
1
8.3

1
1
+
ARTO
OTHCATO
1
1
+
+
1.86
22

44

196

1
1
+
+
135.62
9.04
40

1
APTO
1
5.99

1
OTHCLTO
1
27.3
-

17

61

14

1
54.12

1
14.28

1
26.09

26

14

8-35

(days)

(days)

Chapter 08 - Return On Invested Capital and Profitability Analysis

Case 8-6continued
4. Recast Financial Statements of Sears Business Segments
Income Statement
Revenue
Cost of Sales
Depreciation
Interest Expense
Provision for
uncollectible amounts
Others (Balancing)
Operating Income
Allocated Corporate
Other Income
Income before taxes
Tax
Net Income before
minority interest
OR Operating Revenues
OE Operating Expenses
Tax Expense
Interest Tax Debt
Shield
TE Tax Expense
OI Operating Income
Interest
Interest Tax Debt
Shield
NFE Net Financial Expense
NI Net Income

Credit
4085

Others
36986
27212

Total
41071
27212

14

792

848

1116
871

152

1268

737
1347
32
1315
491
824

7442
1388
290
6
1104
413
691

2413
322
6
2419
904
1515

4085
1654
491
391

36986
35730
413
53

41071
37384
904
444

882
1549
1116
391

466
790
152
53

1348
2339
1268
444

725
824

99
691

824
1515

OA

Average Balance Sheet

Operating Assets
Retained Interest in
Credit Card Recbles.
Net Credit Card
Receivables
Trade Receivables
Merchandise Inventory

8-36

Others
221

Total
3719

16934

1069

18003

401
4943

401
4943

5991
1915
14541
890
15431

6415
37315

2209
2209

6862
1558
8420

6862
3767
10629

PP&E
106
Others (Balancing Amt.)
85
Sub-Total
20622
Allocated Corp. Assets
1262
Total
21884
OL

37315

Operating Liabilities
Payables
Others
Total

NOA

Net Operating Assets

19675

7011

26686

FL

Financial Liabilities

16594

2260

18854

FA

Financial Assets

NFO

Net Financial
Obligations

16594

2260

18854

3081

4751

7832

E+MIN Equity+Minority Interest

Key Ratios for Sears Segments Compared with
Wal-Mart
Sears
Total
Credit
ROE
19.34%
26.73%
RNOA
8.77%
7.87%
ROA
6.27%
7.08%
NFR
4.37%
4.37%
FLEV
2.41
5.39
OLLEV
0.40
0.11
PM
5.70%
37.92%
NATO
1.54
0.21
ATO
1.10
0.19

Credit
3498

Others
14.55%
11.27%
5.12%
4.37%
0.48
1.20
2.14%
5.28
2.40

WalMart
Total
22.91%
15.02%
10.32%
4.06%
0.65
0.45
3.72%
4.03
2.77

Chapter 08 - Return On Invested Capital and Profitability Analysis

Case 8-6continued
5. Although the ROCEs are similar the source of the ROCE is very different. WalMarts ROCE comes from business operations and, in particular, its ability to
control costs of retail operations as evidenced by higher profit margins in its
retail business. Sears, on the other hand, derives its ROCE from financial
leverage, particularly through its finance subsidiary. That means Sears is much
more risky and, therefore, is accorded a lower valuation.

8-37