Question

Select 15 ratios to use at year end and give a description and example of each.

Answer 1

1) Price-to-Earnings Ratio (P/E)

Price-To-Earnings Ratio can be described as the price you'll pay for $1 of earnings.

P/E Ratio = Price per Share / Earnings Per Share

2) PEG Ratio

The PEG ratio uses the basic format of the P/E ratio for a numerator and then divides by the potential growth for EPS, which you'll have to estimate. The two ratios may seem to be very similar but the PEG ratio is able to take into account future earnings growth. A very generally rule of thumb is that any PEG ratio below 1.0 is considered to be a good value.

PEG Ratio = (P/E Ratio) / Projected Annual Growth in Earnings per Share

3) Price-to-Sales Ratio

Much like P/E or P/B, think of P/S as the price you'll pay for $1 of sales. If you are comparing two different firms and you see that one firm's P/S ratio is 2x and the other is 4x, it makes sense to figure out why investors are willing to pay more for the company with a P/S of 4x. The P/S ratio is a great tool because sales figures are considered to be relatively reliable while other income statement items, like earnings, can be easily manipulated by using different accounting rules.

Price-to-Sales Ratio = Price per Share / Annual Sales Per Share

4) Price-to-Book Ratio (P/B)

Book value (BV) is already listed on the balance sheet, it's just under a different name: shareholder equity. Equity is the portion of the company that owners (i.e. shareholders) own free and clear. Dividing book value by the number of shares outstanding gives you book value per share.

Like P/E, the P/B ratio is essentially the number of dollars you'll have to pay for $1 of equity.

P/B Ratio = Price per Share / Book Value per Share

5) Dividend Yield

Dividends are the main way companies return money to their shareholders. If a firm pays a dividend, it will be listed on the balance sheet, right above the bottom line. Dividend yield is used to compare different dividend-paying stocks. Some people prefer to invest in companies with a steady dividend, even if the dividend yield is low, while others prefer to invest in stocks with a high dividend yield.

Dividend Yield = Dividend per Share / Price per Share

6) Dividend Payout Ratio

The percentage of profits distributed as a dividend is called the dividend payout ratio. Some companies maintain a steady payout ratio, while other try to maintain a steady number of dollars paid out each year (which means the payout ratio will fluctuate). Each company sets its own dividend policy according to what it thinks is in the best interest of its shareholders. Income investors should keep an especially close eye on changes in dividend policy.

Dividend Payout Ratio = Dividend / Net Income

7) Return on Assets (ROA)

A company buys assets (factories, equipment, etc.) in order to conduct its business. ROA tells you how good the company is at using its assets to make money. For example, if Company A reported $10,000 of net income and owns $100,000 in assets, its ROA is 10%. For ever $1 of assets it owns, it can generate $0.10 in profits each year. With ROA, higher is better.

Return on Assets = Net Income / Average Total Assets

8) Return on Equity (ROE)

Equity is another word for ownership. ROE tells you how good a company is at rewarding its shareholders for their investment. For example, if Company B reported $10,000 of net income and its shareholders have $200,000 in equity, its ROE is 5%. For every $1 of equity shareholders own, the company generates $0.05 in profits each year. As with ROA, higher is better.

Return on Equity = Net Income / Average Stockholder Equity   

9) Profit Margin

What it means: Profit margin calculates how much of a company's total sales flow through to the bottom line. As you can probably tell, higher profits are better for shareholders, as is a high (and/or increasing) profit margin.   

Profit Margin = Net Income / Sales  

10) Current Ratio

The current ratio measures a company's ability to pay its short-term liabilities with its short-term assets. If the ratio is over 1.0, the firm has more short-term assets than short-term debts. But if the current ratio is less than 1.0, the opposite is true and the company could be vulnerable to unexpected bumps in the economy or business climate.

Current Ratio = Current Assets / Current Liabilities  

11) Quick Ratio

The quick ratio (also known as the acid-test ratio) is similar to the quick ratio in that it's a measure of how well a company can meet its short-term financial liabilities. However, it takes the concept one step further. The quick ratio backs out inventory because it assumes that selling inventory would take several weeks or months. The quick ratio only takes into account those assets that could be used to pay short-term debts today.

Quick Ratio = (Current Assets - Inventory) / Current Liabilities

12) Debt to Equity Ratio

Total liabilities and total shareholder equity are both found on the balance sheet. The debt-to-equity ratio measures the relationship between the amount of capital that has been borrowed (i.e. debt) and the amount of capital contributed by shareholders (i.e. equity). Generally speaking, as a firm's debt-to-equity ratio increases, it becomes more risky because if it becomes unable to meet its debt obligations, it will be forced into bankruptcy.

Debt-to-Equity Ratio = Total Liabilities / Total Shareholder Equity

13) Interest Coverage Ratio

Both EBIT (aka, operating income) and interest expense are found on the income statement. The interest coverage ratio, also known as times interest earned (TIE), is a measure of how well a company can meet its interest payment obligations. If a company can't make enough to make interest payments, it will be forced into bankruptcy. Anything lower than 1.0 is usually a sign of trouble.

Interest Coverage Ratio = EBIT / Interest Expense

14) Asset Turnover Ratio

Like return on assets (ROA), the asset turnover ratio tells you how good the company is at using its assets to make products to sell. For example, if Company A reported $100,000 of sales and owns $50,000 in assets, its asset turnover ratio is 2x. For ever $1 of assets it owns, it can generate $2 in sales each year.

Asset Turnover Ratio = Sales / Average Total Assets

15) Inventory Turnover Ratio

If the company you're analyzing holds has inventory, you want that company to be selling it as fast as possible, not stockpiling it. The inventory turnover ratio measures this efficiency in cycling inventory. By dividing costs of goods sold (COGS) by the average amount of inventory the company held during the period, you can discern how fast the company has to replenish its shelves. Generally, a high inventory turnover ratio indicates that the firm is selling inventory (thereby having to spend money to make new inventory) relatively quickly.

Inventory Turnover Ratio = Costs of Goods Sold / Average Inventory