Warning: foreach() argument must be of type array|object, bool given in /var/www/html/web/app/themes/studypress-core-theme/template-parts/header/mobile-offcanvas.php on line 20

Picasso Company is a wholesale distributor of packaging equipment and supplies. The company’s sales have averaged about \(900,000 annually for the 3-year period 2015–2017. The firm’s total assets at the end of 2017 amounted to \)850,000.

The president of Picasso Company has asked the controller to prepare a report that summarizes the financial aspects of the company’s operations for the past 3 years. This report will be presented to the board of directors at their next meeting.

In addition to comparative financial statements, the controller has decided to present a number of relevant financial ratios which can assist in the identification and interpretation of trends. At the request of the controller, the accounting staff has calculated the following ratios for the 3-year period 2015–2017.

2015

2016

2017

Current ratio

1.80

1.89

1.96

Acid-test (quick) ratio

1.04

0.99

0.87

Accounts receivable turnover

8.75

7.71

6.42

Inventory turnover

4.91

4.32

3.42

Debt to assets ratio

51.0%

46.0%

41.0%

Long-term debt to assets ratio

31.0%

27.0%

24.0%

Sales to fixed assets (fixed asset turnover)

1.58

1.69

1.79

Sales as a percent of 2015 sales

1.00

1.03

1.07

Gross margin percentage

36.0%

35.1%

34.6%

Net income to sales

6.9%

7.0%

7.2%

Return on assets

7.7%

7.7%

7.8%

Return on common stockholders’ equity

13.6%

13.1%

12.7%

In preparation of the report, the controller has decided first to examine the financial ratios independent of any other data to determine if the ratios themselves reveal any significant trends over the 3-year period.

Instructions

a) The current ratio is increasing while the acid-test (quick) ratio is decreasing. Using the ratios provided, identify and explain the contributing factor(s) for this apparently divergent trend.

Short Answer

Expert verified

Inventory turnover has decreased considerably during the previous three years, falling from 4.91 to 3.42.

Step by step solution

01

Meaning of Financial Statements

Financial management is the department interior and organization or trade that's concerned with cash flow, profitability, credits, costs, etc. in order to guarantee that the company has the resources essential to realize its trade targets and objectives.

02

Explaining the contributing factors for apparently divergent trend

The acid-test ratio is the current ratio with the subtraction of stock and prepaid costs(by and large inconsequential relative to stock) from current assets. Any disparity in drift between these two ratios would subsequently be subordinate to the inventory account.

Inventory turnover has declined strongly within the three-year period, from 4.91 to 3.42. Amid the same period, deals to settled resources have expanded, and total deals have expanded 7 percent.

The decline within the inventory turnover is subsequently not due to a decline in sales. The clear cause is that venture in stock has expanded at a quicker rate than deals, and this has accounted for the uniqueness between the acid-test and current ratios.

Unlock Step-by-Step Solutions & Ace Your Exams!

  • Full Textbook Solutions

    Get detailed explanations and key concepts

  • Unlimited Al creation

    Al flashcards, explanations, exams and more...

  • Ads-free access

    To over 500 millions flashcards

  • Money-back guarantee

    We refund you if you fail your exam.

Over 30 million students worldwide already upgrade their learning with Vaia!

One App. One Place for Learning.

All the tools & learning materials you need for study success - in one app.

Get started for free

Most popular questions from this chapter

Morlan Corporation is preparing its December 31, 2017, financial statements. Two events that occurred between December 31, 2017, and March 10, 2018, when the statements were issued, are described below.

  1. A liability, estimated at \(160,000 at December 31, 2017, was settled on February 26, 2018, at \)170,000.
  2. A flood loss of $80,000 occurred on March 1, 2018.

What effect do these subsequent events have on 2017 net income?

Answer each of the questions in the following unrelated situations.

b) A company had an average inventory last year of $200,000 and its inventory turnover was 5. If sales volume and unit cost remain the same this year as last and inventory turnover is 8 this year, what will average inventory have to be during the current year?

(Disclosure of Estimates) Nancy Tercek, the financial vice president, and Margaret Lilly, the controller, of Romine Manufacturing Company are reviewing the financial ratios of the company for the years 2017 and 2018. The financial vice president notes that the profit margin on sales ratio has increased from 6% to 12%, a hefty gain for the 2-year period. Tercek is in the process of issuing a media release that emphasizes the efficiency of Romine Manufacturing in controlling cost. Margaret Lilly knows that the difference in ratios is due primarily to an earlier company decision to reduce the estimates of warranty and bad debt expense for 2018. The controller, not sure of her supervisor’s motives, hesitates to suggest to Tercek that the company’s improvement is unrelated to efficiency in controlling cost. To complicate matters, the media release is scheduled in a few days.

Instructions

  1. What, if any, is the ethical dilemma in this situation?

In calculating inventory turnover, why is cost of goods sold used as the numerator? As the inventory turnover increases, what increasing risk does the business assume?

The following information was described in a note of Canon Packing Co.

“During August, Holland Products Corporation purchased 311,003 shares of the Company’s common stock which constitutes approximately 35% of the stock outstanding. Holland has since obtained representation on the Board of Directors.”

“An affiliate of Holland Products Corporation acts as a food broker for Canon Packing in the greater New York City marketing area. The commissions for such services after August amounted to approximately $20,000.”

Why is this information disclosed?

See all solutions

Recommended explanations on Business Studies Textbooks

View all explanations

What do you think about this solution?

We value your feedback to improve our textbook solutions.

Study anywhere. Anytime. Across all devices.

Sign-up for free