Five Key Financial Ratios

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Five key types of ratios that help analyze a company's financial performance:

  1. Liquidity Ratios:

Purpose: Measure a company’s ability to cover its short-term obligations with its current assets.

Key Ratios:

Current Ratio

Quick Ratio (Acid-Test Ratio)

Cash Ratio

Defensive Interval

Importance: Crucial for assessing a company's short-term financial health and ability to avoid insolvency.

  1. Profitability Ratios:

Purpose: Analyze how effectively a company generates profit from its assets, equity, or revenue.

Key Ratios:

Net Profit Margin

Return on Assets (ROA)

Return on Equity (ROE)

Gross Profit Margin

Operating Profit Margin

Pre-Tax Margin

Importance: Essential for evaluating the company's earnings relative to its revenue, assets, and equity, helping to attract investors.

  1. Solvency Ratios:

Purpose: Evaluate a company’s ability to meet its long-term obligations.

Key Ratios:

Debt-to-Equity Ratio

Interest Coverage Ratio

Debt-to-Assets Ratio

Debt-to-Capital Ratio

Fixed-Charge Coverage

Financial Leverage

Importance: Provides insights into the company's financial structure and risk profile, focusing on long-term sustainability.

  1. Activity Ratios:

Purpose: Assess how well a company manages its normal business operations.

Key Ratios:

Cash Conversion Cycle

Receivables Turnover

Payables Turnover

Debt-to-Capital Ratio

Working Capital Turnover

Inventory Turnover

Days Inventory Outstanding (DIO)

Importance: Indicates operational efficiency by showing how effectively a company manages its resources.

  1. Valuation Ratios:

Purpose: Determine a company's intrinsic value compared to its current market price.

Key Ratios:

Price-to-Earnings (P/E) Ratio

Price-to-Book (P/B) Ratio

Enterprise Value to EBITDA (EV/EBITDA)

Earnings per Share (EPS)

Dividend Yield

Retention Rate

Dividend Payout Ratio

Importance: Helps investors and analysts make informed decisions about buying, selling, or holding a company’s stock.

These ratios serve as decision-making tools, allow for comparability, assess risk, and monitor performance.


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He is an accountant based in Kathmandu, Nepal. He holds an MBS and an LLB degree. In his free time, he enjoys cycling, hiking, reading, gardening, and spending time with friends and family. He is passionate about learning and sharing his knowledge with others.

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