Professional Documents
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Corporate Finance: Interpreting Financial Statements
Corporate Finance: Interpreting Financial Statements
• Grade CEO
• Qualification Doctor of Law (University of Zurich), Certified Tax Expert
• Career Development Joined PwC in 1985 and became Partner in 1992.
• Subject-related Exp. Corporate Tax
Mergers + Acquisitions
• Lecturing SFIT: Corporate Finance, University of St. Gallen: Tax Law
Multiple speeches on leadership, business, governance, commercial
and tax law
• Published Literature Author of commentary on the Swiss accounting rules
Publisher of book on transfer pricing
Author of multiple articles on tax and commercial law, M+A,
IPO, etc.
• Other professional roles: Member of the board of économiesuisse, member of the board
and chairman of the tax chapter of the Swiss Institute of
Certified Accountants and Tax Consultants
Winter Term 2009 Markus Neuhaus I Corporate Finance I neuhauma@ethz.ch 3
Marc Schmidli
PricewaterhouseCoopers AG, Zürich
Phone: +41 58 792 15 64
Email: marc.schmidli@ch.pwc.com
• Grade Director
• Qualification Dr oec. HSG., CFA charterholder
• Career Development Corporate Finance PricewaterhouseCoopers since July 2000
• Lecturing Euroforum – Valuation in M&A situations
Guest speaker at ZfU Seminars, Uni Zurich, ETH, etc.
• Published Literature Finanzielle Qualität in der schweizerischen
Elektrizitätswirtschaft
Various articles in „Treuhänder“, HZ, etc.
Learning targets
Pre-course reading
Lecture „Interpreting Financial Statements“
Pre-course reading case studies / questions
Solutions to case studies
Learning targets
Pre-course reading
Lecture „Interpreting Financial Statements“
Pre-course reading case studies / questions
Solutions to case studies
Books
Mandatory reading:
Brigham, Houston (2009): Chapter 4 (pp. 84-109)
White, Sondhi, Fried (2003): Chapter 3 (pp. 74-99)
Optional reading:
Brigham, Houston (2009): Chapter 3 (pp. 53-75)
Slides
Slides 1 to 11 – mandatory reading
Other Slides – optional reading, will be dealt within the lecture
Learning targets
Pre-course reading
Lecture „Interpreting Financial Statements“
Pre-course reading case studies / questions
Solutions to case studies
1. Introduction
Financial analysis
Classes of users
Need for financial statement analysis
2. Ratio analysis
Significance of ratio analysis
Sources
Financial reporting systems and standards
Important groups of ratio analysis
3. Case study
Beans Incorporation vs. Garlic Incorporation
Financial analysis
Classes of users
A well rounded financial analysis takes into account not only the financials alone but also
surrounding factors which can have significant influence on the firm’s development.
Financial management does not operate in a vacuum.
Macroeconomic situation,
Environment industry, market
External users of financial information encompass a wide range of interests but can be
classified into three general groups:
Credit and equity investors
Government, regulatory bodies, tax authorities
General public and special interest groups, labor unions and consumer groups
Internal: External:
financial statements provide the financial statements facilitate the
company with information on its interaction between the company
performance and development over and its business environment by
time and are a crucial basis for most providing third parties with essential
financial decisions (i.e. investment, information on the company’s
financing) development
Costs Creditors
Efficiency Investors
Profitability Shareholders
Investments Government
Financing (needs)
Financial analysis has great significance and impact
on a company‘s development as it influences
expectations on the capital markets
Sources
Firm A has total debt of $ 200m whereas firm B has total debt of $ 2mm. Which firm is
stronger, more liquid? Or which firm is more likely to generate higher cash flows?
Figures standing alone, such as total debt, are not really helpful
By putting debt into perspective with other appropriate figures, we are able to
predict which firm is more likely to succeed
such comparisons are ratio analysis
However, there is no generally used list of ratios that could be applied to any company
Groups of ratios1):
Liquidity ratios
Asset management ratios
Debt or financing ratios
Profitability ratios
Market value ratios
1)
Details later: see page 25ff.
Balance sheet
Income statement
Statement of cash flows
Statement of stockholders‘ equity
Reporting systems and standards compel the company to meet a great number of
requirements in order to ensure that the financial statements are, above all, transparent
and comparable
Differences are found mainly in the classification of certain events (e.g. whether an
interest payment is reported under operating costs or financing costs etc.). Both aim to
provide a “true and fair view”of the company’s performance.
date Assets
Cash and cash equivalents 10 80
Accounts receivable 375 315
Inventories 615 415
Assets = Liabilities + Equity Current assets 1'000 810
Income Statement
Liquidity ratios
Is the company able to pay its debts as they become due this year?
Asset management ratios
Does the amount of assets seem to be reasonable in relation to current and projected sales? And
how efficiently does the company use its assets?”
Debt or financing ratios
To what extent is the company using financial leverage? Risk from capital structure?
Profitability ratios
How profitable is the company? How much output does the company generate in relation to a
certain input?
Market value ratios
How do the earnings and results appear in relation to the stock price?
If a company is getting into financial difficulties, it will pay its bills more slowly, borrowing money
from banks and from suppliers. This leads to increased current liabilities which causes the current
ratio to decrease. If current liabilities grow faster than current assets, this is a an indication of
financial difficulties.
Inventories are a firm’s least liquid current asset and therefore most likely to suffer losses if they
have to be sold in liquidation. A company should be able to pay current liabilities with current assets
less inventories.
If a company is getting into financial difficulties, it will pay its bills more slowly, borrowing money
from banks and from suppliers. This leads to increased current liabilities which causes the current
ratio to decrease. If current liabilities grow faster than current assets, this is a an indication of
financial difficulties.
Inventories are a firm’s least liquid current asset and therefore most likely to suffer losses if they
have to be sold in liquidation. A company should be able to pay current liabilities with current assets
less inventories.
Sales 3000
Inventory turnover ratio 4.9x
Inventory 615
Inventory turnover indicates whether a company (compared with peer companies) holds too much
inventory, which is very unproductive and represents an investment with a low return
Sales 3000
Fixed asset turnover ratio 3.0x
Net fixed assets 1000
The fixed assets turnover ratio indicates how effectively the company is using its fixed assets
compared with peer companies.
Sales 3000
Inventory turnover ratio 4.9x
Inventory 615
Inventory turnover indicates whether a company (compared with peer companies) holds too much
inventory, which is very unproductive and represents an investment with a low return
Sales 3000
Fixed asset turnover ratio 3.0x
Net fixed assets 1000
The fixed assets turnover ratio indicates how effectively the company is using its fixed assets
compared with peer companies.
Sales 3000
Inventory turnover ratio 4.9x
Inventory 615
Inventory turnover indicates whether a company (compared with peer companies) holds too much
inventory, which is very unproductive and represents an investment with a low return
Sales 3000
Fixed asset turnover ratio 3.0x
Net fixed assets 1000
The fixed assets turnover ratio indicates how effectively the company is using its fixed assets
compared with peer companies.
Creditors prefer a low debt to equity ratio whereas stockholders may want more leverage as it can
magnify expected earnings ( pecking order theory). The optimal ratio between debt and assets is
highly dependent on the firm’s business and industry.
EBIT 284
Times - interest - earned ratio 3.2x
Interest 88
The TIE ratio measures the extent to which operating costs can decline before the firm is unable to
meet its interest costs. Not being able to pay interest costs will bring legal troubles and can result in
bankruptcy.
Creditors prefer a low debt to equity ratio whereas stockholders may want more leverage as it can
magnify expected earnings ( pecking order theory). The optimal ratio between debt and assets is
highly dependent on the firm’s business and industry.
EBIT 284
Times - interest - earned ratio 3.2x
Interest 88
The TIE ratio measures the extent to which operating costs can decline before the firm is unable to
meet its interest costs. Not being able to pay interest costs will bring legal troubles and can result in
bankruptcy.
EBIT 284
Basic earning power 14.2%
Total assets 2000
This ratio shows the raw earning power of the firm’s assets excluding potential influence from
interest payments or leverage effects.
EBIT 284
Basic earning power 14.2%
Total assets 2000
This ratio shows the raw earning power of the firm’s assets excluding potential influence from
interest payments or leverage effects.
EBIT 284
Basic earning power 14.2%
Total assets 2000
This ratio shows the raw earning power of the firm’s assets excluding potential influence from
interest payments or leverage effects.
Your client tells you he is interested in investing in a company from the food industry as he sees
great growth potential in this industry
He has already selected two potential targets and now wants your professional advice on which
company is more likely to report good results in the future
Please try to give your client your opinion based on what you have learned in this course
Read the financial statements and calculate the ratios based on 2008 figures
Compare these ratios with those of the other company and with those of the industry average
Beans Inc.
Financing activities
Increase in notes payable 34
Increase in bonds 100
Payments of dividends (259)
Net cash provided by financing activities (125)
Garlic Inc.
Share price 32
Book value per share 26
Numbers of shares (in m) 50
Financing activities
Increase in notes payable (23)
Increase in bonds 322
Payments of dividends (55)
Net cash provided by financing activities 244
Value Creation
Liquidity ratios
Asset management ratios Profitability
Debt ratios
Profitability ratios
Market value ratios
Liquidity Security/Risk
Try to assess whether the given company shows a healthy relation between profitability, liquidity
and risk
If a company shows high exposure to risky investments, one expects the profitability to be
accordingly
Try to come to a conclusion on which company is more likely to pursue an expansive strategy and
strengthen its position within the market
In terms of ability to generate cash flows, capital structure and working capital management
Profitability
such questions. However, they can raise the Basic earning power 18.0%
Return on common equity
right questions
Market Value
Learning targets
Pre-course reading
Lecture „Interpreting Financial Statements“
Pre-course reading case studies / questions
Solutions to case studies