Efficiency Ratios

Efficiency Ratios are a measure of how well a company is managing its routine affairs. Conceptually, these ratios analyze how well a company utilizes its assets & how well it manages its liabilities.

Let’s look at each efficiency ratio closely to get a better idea:

Types of Efficiency Ratios

Accounts Receivable Turnover

This ratio measures how quickly a company collects bills from its customers. It indicates how efficient a company’s credit policies are & indicates the level of investment in receivables needed to maintain the firm’s sales level. The formula of accounts receivable turnover is:

Formula

Accounts Receivables Turnover = Revenue/Average Accounts Receivable

Interpretation

Higher accounts receivable turnover is better for any company. Suppose for any company, the accounts receivable turnover is too low. In that case, it indicates that a company is having difficulty collecting from its customers or being too generous with granting credit.

Average No. of Days Receivables Outstanding

We can go one step further and calculate the average number of days of receivables outstanding. The formula is:

Average No. of Days Receivables Outstanding = 365/Accounts Receivables Turnover

The result will indicate, on average, how many days a company is collecting its bills.

Keep reading: DEBTORS TURNOVER RATIO

Inventory Turnover

The inventory turnover ratio measures how efficiently a company manages its inventory. The formula for inventory turnover is:

Formula

Inventory Turnover = Cost of Goods Sold/Average Inventory

Interpretation

A lower inventory turnover ratio indicates that a company is not managing its inventory well. It may be overstocking, or it might have an issue with sales. A higher inventory turnover ratio is always better because it indicates that inventory does not remain on shelves but instead turns over rapidly.

Average No. of Days Inventory in Stock

We can further calculate the average number of days inventory in stock as follows:

Average No. of Days Inventory in Stock = 365/Inventory Turnover

The result will indicate, on average, how many days a company’s inventory is held until it is sold.

Read more: INVENTORY TURNOVER RATIO.

Accounts Payables Turnover

Although accounts payable are liabilities rather than assets, their trend is important as they represent an important source of finance for operating activities, thereby affecting operating efficiency. This ratio is important because it measures how a company manages its own bills. The formula of account payables turnover is:

Formula

Accounts Payables Turnover = Total Purchases/Average Accounts Payables

Interpretation

A high accounts payable turnover ratio indicates that the firm is not managing its bills very well. Maybe it is not getting favorable credit terms from its suppliers. A low accounts payable turnover is better. Learn more about it here How to Manage Accounts Payable?

Average No. of Days Payable Outstanding

We can further calculate the average number of days payable outstanding as follows:

Average No. of Days Payable Outstanding = 365/Accounts Payables Turnover

The result will indicate the average number of days a company pays its suppliers.

Read more on PAYABLE DEFERRAL PERIOD

Working Capital Turnover

The working capital turnover ratio reflects the amount of operating capital needed to maintain a given level of sales. Only operating assets & liabilities should be used to compute this ratio. The formula of the working capital ratio is:

Formula

Working Capital Turnover = Sales/Average Working Capital

Note – Working Capital = Current Assets-Current Liabilities

Interpretation

A higher working capital turnover ratio is always better. A higher working capital indicates that a company utilizes its working capital very efficiently. A low working capital ratio indicates that the company is not operating at its optimum.

Keep reading: WORKING CAPITAL TURNOVER

Fixed Assets Turnover

The fixed assets turnover ratio measures the efficiency of a company’s long-term capital investments. It reflects the level of sales generated by investments in productive capacity. The formula of fixed assets turnover is:

Formula

Fixed Asset Turnover = Sales/Average Fixed Assets

Interpretation

Interpreting the fixed asset turnover ratio is tricky. This is because this ratio is affected by many circumstances such as the company’s life cycle, the life cycle of a product, initial plant capacity, & relative sales. Also, factors such as asset valuation (accounting of depreciation), the timing of firms asset purchase, etc., affect this ratio. Thus all else equal, the higher the total asset turnover, the better.

Keep reading – FIXED ASSET TURNOVER RATIO

Total Asset Turnover

This ratio provides a measure of overall investment efficiency by totaling the joint impact of both short-term and long-term assets. The ratio can be calculated as follows:

Formula

Total Assets Turnover = Sales/Average Total Assets

Interpretation

Like the fixed asset turnover ratio, the total asset turnover ratio is also affected by similar factors. All else equal, a higher asset turnover is better as it indicates how effectively the entire funds (Assets=Capital + Liabilities) of a company are used. It is a holistic measure of a company’s equity.

Read more on ASSET TURNOVER RATIO.

Efficiency Ratios Example

FINANCIAL SUMMARY OF CISCO SYSTEMS

Following is the table representing the financial summary of Cisco Systems:

With the help of the above summary, we have calculated the efficiency ratios, and they are presented below. This will give a fair idea of how to calculate efficiency ratios.

Read more about other TYPES OF RATIOS.