Chapter 7
Analyzing Common Stocks

Outline
Learning Goals
I.
Security Analysis
A) Principles of Security Analysis
1. The Top-Down Approach to Security Analysis
B) Who Needs Security Analysis in an Efficient Market?
Concepts in Review
II.
Economic Analysis
A) Economic Analysis and the Business Cycle
B) Key Economic Factors
C) Developing an Economic Outlook
1. Assessing the Potential Impact on Share Prices
2. The Market as a Leading Indicator
Concepts in Review
III. Industry Analysis
A) Key Issues
1. The Industry Growth Cycle
B) Developing an Industry Outlook
Concepts in Review
IV. Fundamental Analysis
A) The Concept
B) Financial Statements
1. The Balance Sheet
2. The Income Statement
3. Statement of Cash Flows
C) Financial Ratios
1. What Ratios Have to Offer
2. Measuring Liquidity
a. Current Ratio
b. Net Working Capital
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3. Activity Ratios
a. Accounts Receivable Turnover
b. Inventory Turnover
c. Total Asset Turnover
4. Leverage Measure
a. Debt-Equity Ratio
b. Times Interest Earned
5. Measuring Profitability
a. Net Profit Margin
b. Return on Assets
c. Return on Equity
6. Breaking Down ROA and ROE
a. Going from ROA to ROE
b. An Expanded ROE Equation
7. Common Stock Ratios
a. Price/Earnings Ratio
b. Dividends per Share
c. Payout Ratio
d. Book Value per Share
D) Interpreting the Numbers
1. Using Historical and Industry Standards
2. Looking at the Competition
Concepts in Review
Summary
Putting Your Investment Know-How to the Test
Discussion Questions
Problems
Case Problems
7.1 Some Financial Ratios Are Real Eye-Openers
7.2 Doris Looks at an Auto Issue
Excel with Spreadsheets
Trading Online with OTIS

Key Concepts
1.
An overview of the security analysis process, including its goals and the functions it performs for the
individual investor.
2.
The role and importance of economic in the stock valuation process.
3.
The role and importance of industry analysis in the stock valuation process.
4.
The concept of fundamental analysis and how it is used to assess a company’s financial position and
operating results.
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123
5.
The various types of accounting statements and financial ratios used in evaluating the historical
performance of a company.
6.
An overview of fundamental analysis at work, including the need to evaluate company performance
against historical and industry standards, and how such comparisons form the basic input for the
valuation process.

Overview
This chapter and the next two analyze principles and concepts of sound common stock investing.
1.
The principles of security analysis are first presented, beginning with the three basic ingredients of
any viable analysis: (1) gathering relevant information, (2) organizing it into a logical framework, and
(3) determining the intrinsic value of the stock. Knowledge of the intrinsic value of a stock is
important in investment decision-making. An investor can decide whether a stock is overvalued or
undervalued relative to the market price only if he or she has an indication of the intrinsic worth of
the stock. Attention should be paid to the need for security analysis in an efficient market.
2.
The next section looks at the information-gathering process in detail. The instructor might mention
that information for security analysis is usually collected and analyzed in a top-down fashion, in this
order: economic analysis, industry analysis, and fundamental analysis.
(a) Economic analysis usually takes both the economy and the stock market into account. Key
factors that affect the economy are: governmental regulations, monetary and fiscal policies,
inflation, spending by consumers and businesses, and foreign trade/balance of payments. These
key economic indicators should be mentioned in class. Students should realize that only after
assimilating this information can the investor prepare an economic outlook. Specific reports on
the state of the economy (as noted in the text) should be mentioned.
(b) The key factors that bear on industry analysis are considered next. Again, the instructor should
mention specific sources of published reports on industry outlooks.
(c) Fundamental analysis is the analysis of a particular company and is described below.
3.
In order to do company analysis, relevant financial statements are required. The most important of
these are the company’s balance sheet and income statement. The usefulness of these financial
statements in revealing information about the company under consideration should be emphasized.
The components of both the balance sheet and the income statement, and exactly what they measure,
should be indicated. Time should also be spent describing the Statement of Cash Flows and how it
can be used by investors to assess the firm’s liquidity position. Bringing in financial statements of a
popular or local company typically makes this segment of the course more realistic.
4.
Ratio analysis provides insights into the performance of a company. The instructor should point out
that the historical ratios of a company reflect past performance. Also, comparing the company’s
ratios with industry ratios—and with ratios of some of its major competitors—shows how a particular
company performed in contrast to the performance of other companies in similar businesses. The
class’s understanding of the procedures for computing and interpreting ratios should be checked, and
the example in the text should be reviewed thoroughly.
5.
These additional points might also be mentioned in class:
(a) In all three types of analysis, the investor does not come up with a number, but instead a general
view or outlook.
(b) All analyses of past performance only help in generating estimates for the future.
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(c) Further development of this chapter’s concepts follows in Chapter 8.

Answers to Concepts in Review
1.
The three major parts of security analysis are economic analysis, industry analysis, and fundamental
analysis. Security analysis is important because it enables the investor to establish the expected return
and risk for a stock and to evaluate its desirability in a logical, rational manner.
2.
Intrinsic value, the end product of security analysis, is the measure of the underlying worth of a stock
and provides a standard for helping investors to judge whether a particular stock is undervalued,
fairly priced, or overvalued. If the intrinsic value of a stock is more than the market price, then the
stock might be a good buy under the assumption that the stock will rise up to its intrinsic value. The
converse would be true if the intrinsic value is less than the stock price. The stock might be a good
sell.
3.
A satisfactory investment vehicle is one which offers an expected return, from the combination of
current income and capital gains, that is commensurate with its perceived exposure to risk. The three
steps in security analysis should enable investors to identify satisfactory investment vehicles. First,
economic analysis assesses the general state of the economy and its potential effects on security
returns. Industry analysis examines specific industries and the characteristics and outlook of those
industries. Finally, fundamental analysis looks at the financial condition and operating results of a
particular company in depth. Together, they enable the investor to develop expectations about a
stock’s future course of behavior—what kind of return to expect and what kind of risk is likely to be
involved. By examining variables such as future earnings, dividends, and so on, the security analyses
process allows investors to develop a feel for the stock and what to expect of it in the future.
4.
If the stock market is efficient in the strongest form, then securities are never substantially mispriced
and hence there would be no need for security analysis. But in reality, the financial markets are not
perfectly efficient and pricing errors are inevitable. With thorough security analysis, individuals can
profit whenever pricing errors occur. Paradoxically, financial market efficiency is achieved only due
to the existence of traders who invest time and money in fundamental analysis to root out pricing
errors. Security analysis is also useful in assessing an asset’s liquidity, current income, and risk and in
verifying that these match investor criteria.
5.
Economic analysis involves studying the underlying nature of the economic environment in which a
firm operates. Economic analysis also helps the investor form expectations about the future course of
the economy. Such an analysis could be a detailed examination of the economy, sector by sector, or it
may be done on a very informal basis. In any event, it deals with such aspects as production and
unemployment statistics, inflation, fiscal and monetary policies, and their effects on security returns.
This analysis is, indeed, essential to an investor’s decision-making framework. We live in an
economy where firms are affected by general economic conditions; therefore, we cannot talk of
security analysis without addressing economic analysis. There’s plenty of real world evidence to
demonstrate the high correlation between the performance of stocks and general economic
activity—i.e., when the economy starts improving, so do stock returns, all of which indicate the
importance of economic analysis to the stock selection process.
6.
The behavior and current state of the economy is captured in the business cycle, which measures the
change in total economic activity over time. When economic prospects are strong (the business cycle
is on an upswing), security returns should do well. If economic prospects are poor (the business cycle
is on a downswing), the returns from most stocks will deteriorate as well.
Chapter 7
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125
7.
(a) Gross Domestic Product (GDP): This is the broadest measure of an economy’s performance.
GDP is an estimate of the total value of all goods and services produced in a country over the
period of a year.
(b) Leading Indicators: This is an index that combines the behavior of a dozen key measures, each of
which tends to be an indication of things to come in the economy. The index of leading indicators
is a single number that is supposed to “predict” the direction of the economy.
(c) Money Supply: This is a measure of the amount of money in circulation as reported by the
Federal Reserve. Actually, there are three measures of the money supply: M1, M2 (which is the
most widely followed and includes currency, demand deposits, NOW accounts, time deposits,
money market deposit accounts, and money funds), and M3.
(d) Producer Prices: This is a measure of price behavior at the “wholesale” level. It shows the rate of
change in prices at various stages of production, and is supposed to be a harbinger of things to
come at the consumer price level (i.e., future inflation rates).
8.
The effects of high rates of inflation on common stocks can be devastating. In inflationary times, the
quality of earnings declines as profit margins are squeezed and the purchasing power of the dollar
deteriorates. An increase in inflation results in an increase in interest rates. Hence the cost of
borrowing of firms increases resulting in less investments. Also, as interest rates rise, the return on
common stocks becomes less attractive relative to other securities, like bonds and preferred stocks.
However, when inflation subsides, common stocks become major beneficiaries, showing substantial
price appreciation.
9.
Industry analysis is the part of the security analysis process involving the study of stocks in terms of
their industry groupings. Industry analysis is important because stock prices are influenced, at least in
part, by industry effects. Industry analysis can be used to establish the competitive position for a
particular industry and to assess the nature of the opportunity the industry offers for the future. It also
enables the investor to identify promising firms in an industry.
10. Some important aspects of industry analysis include:
(a) The nature of the industry: whether it is monopolistic or competitive.
(b) The extent of regulation: whether regulation is minimal or intense.
(c) The role of big labor: the status of contract talks and general labor regulations.
(d) Technological progress: are any technological breakthroughs likely?
(e) Financial and operating characteristics: considerations involving labor, material, and capital.
Economic forces important to the industry include the demand for the industry’s goods and services
and the correlation with key economic variables. To the extent that an industry is influenced by
economic forces, we would want to determine the economic variables that are of primary importance
to an industry; it might be GDP, or the level of interest rates, or the unemployment rate. Also, the
future outlook for these variables would be important since they are likely to set the tone for future
industry performance.
11. The four stages of an industry’s growth cycle are:
initial development—product introduction
rapid expansion—everyone wants one
mature growth—almost everyone has one
stability or decline—there are other things to want
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The rapid expansion phase offers the biggest payoff to investors. At this stage, the industry’s products
have gained acceptance, investors can foresee the industry’s future more clearly, and economic
variables have little to do with the industry’s overall performance. The mature growth stage is most
influenced by the economic cycle.
12. Fundamental analysis is the study of the financial affairs of a business. It is essential to the valuation
process to the extent that the value of a stock is influenced by the performance of the company that
issues the stock. An equivalent statement is that the value of a security depends not only on return,
but also on risk—both of which are affected to a large extent by the operating characteristics and
financial condition of the firm. Fundamental analysis helps to capture insights to these dimensions
from financial statements and other information about a company and incorporates them in the
valuation process.
13. Historical analysis provides some insight, along with economic and industry figures, for formulating
expectations about the future growth prospects and profitability of a company. In particular, historical
analysis helps the investor to learn the strengths and weaknesses of a company, identify underlying
trends and developments, and evaluate the company’s operating efficiency.
14. Ratio analysis is the study of relationships that exist among and between various financial statement
accounts. Ratio analysis provides a different perspective on the operating results and financial
condition of the firm by expanding the information content of the financial statements. The most
significant contribution of ratio analysis is that it enables the investor to thoroughly assess the firm’s
past and present financial condition and operating results.
15. When historical standards are used, the company’s ratios are compared and studied from one period
to the next. Industry standards involve a comparison of a company’s ratios to that of other companies
in the same line of business. In the first case, the investor is looking for developing trends; in the
second case, the investor wants to see how the company stacks up to its competitors.

Suggested Answers to Investing in Action Questions
The Ten Commandments of Financial Statement Analysis (p. 304)
(a) Which of the “Ten Commandments” is most important?
(b) Why is it important to carefully read the footnotes?
Answers:
(a) The answer will vary by student. Perhaps the key is to note that all of each “Commandment” is
important. Paraphrasing the first “Commandment,” Thou shalt not use any commandment in isolation.
Instructors may discuss Point 7 (on the limitations of financial statements) and Point 3 (on the
importance of footnotes) in greater detail during class discussions.
(b) It is very important to read the footnotes carefully while analyzing financial statements. Any change in
accounting rules (e.g. change in inventory valuation from FIFO to LIFO etc.) will be disclosed here,
which might have important implications on financial performance. Any off-balance sheet items (like
leases) or contingent liabilities will also be disclosed in detail here. These disclosures will have
important implications for investors. Hence, a substantial amount of time must be spent on analyzing
the footnotes.
Chapter 7

Analyzing Common Stocks
127
Suggested Answers to Ethics in Investing Questions
Cooking the Books: What Were They Thinking? (p. 318)
Will the requirement that external auditors not be permitted to provide internal audits eliminate the conflict
of interest?
Answer:
In the wake of current accounting scandals, separation of internal and external audits and auditor
independence has been the focus of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and subsequent ruling of the SEC.
The role of internal audit is to perform the assessment of internal controls to and review of financial
documentation on behalf of the board and executive management to safeguard against fraud and to
strengthen corporate governance. The internal auditor may also provide advisory services in operational
matters, and perform special assignments if so directed.
The external audit, on the other hand, should give an independent review that the numbers in the accounts,
as reported to the shareholders, are a reasonable picture of how the company is doing and how it is serving
the interests of the shareholders. By separating both audits and making them independent it has become
easier for both auditors to detect instances of accounting irregularities. The passage of the Sarbanes-Oxley
Act of 2002 has expanded the role of external audit to attest of the effectiveness of management control
over financial reporting rather than rubberstamping the numbers provided by the management

Suggested Answers to Discussion Questions
1.
(a) Fiscal policy would usually remain fairly strict during a strong economy with automatic
stabilizers such as tax rates restraining inflation.
(b) Interest rates influenced by the Fed would tend to move higher if inflation threatened.
(c) Industrial production would grow at more than 3 to 5% annually.
(d) Retail sales would tend to hold or increase.
(e) Product prices would tend to rise given pressure to produce more and with the beginnings of the
wage-price spiral.
2.
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
(e)
Airline stock: production growth, fuel prices, and employment
A Cyclical stock: current business cycle, future predictions of economic activity
An electrical utility stock: interest rates, monetary policy
A building materials stock: national production growth, real estate sales, interest rates
An aerospace firm: government spending and contract size, employment
3.
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
(e)
Profitability: d, e
Activity: a, f
Liquidity: c
Leverage: b, h
Common stock: g, i, j
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
Solutions to Problems
1.
From abbreviated financial statements (dollars in millions)
Liquidity
(1) Net working capital
(2)
Current ratio
Activity
(3) Total asset turnover
 Current assets – Current liabilities
 $150 – $100  $50
 Current assets/Current liabilities
 $150/$100  1.50
 Sales/Total assets
 $500/$350  1.43
Leverage
(4) Debt–equity ratio
(5)
 Long-term debt/Stockholder’s equity
 $50/$200  0.25
Times interest earned  Earnings before interest and taxes/interest
 $65/$10  6.50
Profitability
(6) Net profit margin
(7)
(8)
 Net profits after taxes/Sales
 $35/$500  7.0%
Return on total assets  Net profits after taxes/Total assets
 $35/$350  10.0%
Return on equity
 Net profits after taxes/Stockholders’ equity
 $35/$200  17.5%
Common Stock Ratios
(9) Earnings per share
(10)
(11)
(12)
(13)
(14)
(15)
(16)
 (Net profits after taxes – Preferred dividends)/
Number of shares of common stock outstanding
 $35 – 0/10  $3.50 per share
Price/Earnings ratio  Share price/EPS
 $75/$3.50  21.43 times
Price-to-Sales ratio  Share price/Sales per share
 $75/($500/10)  1.50
Dividends per share  Total common dividends paid/
Common Shares outstanding
 $10/10  $1.00 per share
Dividend yield
 Dividends per share/Share price
 $1.00/$75  1.33%
Payout ratio
 Dividends per share/EPS
 $1.00/$3.50  29%
Book value per share  Common equity/Common shares outstanding
 $200/10  $20
Price-to-book value  Share price/Book value per share
Chapter 7
2.
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Analyzing Common Stocks
129
 $75/$20  $3.75
 Assets – Liabilities – Preferred Stock
 $550,000,000 – 400,000,000 – 0  $150,000,000
Book Value
Book Value per shares  Book Value/Number of Shares

 $150M/300M  $0.50 per share
3.
Price-to-Book Value  $5.50/$0.50 11
4.
(a) EPS

Net profits after taxes  Preferred dividends
Number of common shares outstanding

$10,000,000  $0
 $4 per share
2,500,000
For Amherst:
EPS
(Note: Only preferred dividends, zero here, are subtracted from net profits after taxes. Common
dividends are part of EPS.)
Stockholers' equity
(b) Book value per share 
number of common shares outstanding
For Amherst:
$45, 000, 000
 $18.00 per share
Book Value per share 
2,500, 000
Price-to-book value 
Market price of common stock
book value per share
For Amherst:
Price-to-Book value 
$20.00
 1.11
$18.00
(c) Price/earnings (P/E) ratio 
Market price of stock
EPS
For Amherst:
P/E
(d) Net profit margin 

$20
= 5 times
$4
net profit after taxes
total revenues
For Amherst:
Net profit margin 
$10,000,000
 6.7%
$150,000,000
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(e) Dividend payout ratio 
Dividends per share
EPS
For Amherst:
$1
 25%
$4
dividens per share

market price of common stock
Dividend payout ratio 
Dividend yield
For Amherst:
Dividend yield
(f) PEG Ratio
$1.00
 5%
$20.00
Stocks P/E Ratio

 5 / 7.5  0.667
35 years growth rate in earnings

5.
P/E  15 and P  $25
$25/E  15 $25/15  E  $1.67
6.
PEG  P/E  (Earnings Growth Rate  100)
Earnings Growth Rate: Ending Earnings  Beginning Earnings gives you the future value factor for
five years; Scanning across the fifth row of the FVIF table gives you can identify the column (return)
that results in that calculated amount.
$3.22/ $2.00  1.61; FVIF10%, 5 periods  1.611
PEG  15/10  1.5
7.

Annual sales
Total assets
Total asset turnover

$28,000,000
 1.87 times
$15,000,000
Net profit margin

Net profits after taxes
Annual sales

$2,000,000
 7.14%
$28,000,000
(b) Return on assets (ROA) 
Net profits after taxes
Total assets
(a) Total asset turnover
For Highgate Computer:
For Highgate Computer:
Net profit margin
For Highgate Computer:
ROA

$2,000,000
 13.33%
$15,000,000
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Analyzing Common Stocks
131
Note: The instructor might want to show that ROA can also be found by multiplying the firm’s
total asset turnover by its net profit margin. This approach can be used to demonstrate that ROA
is a function of a company’s profitability and its asset productivity. In the case of Highgate
Computer, we have:
ROA
 Total asset turnover  Net profit margin

 1.87  0.0714  13.3%
Net profits after taxes
Return on Equity (ROE) 
Stockholder's equity
For Highgate Computer:
ROE

$2, 000, 000
 33.33%
$6, 000, 000
Book value per share

Stockholders' equity
# of shares of common stock outsatnding

$6,000,000
 $12 per share
500,000
For Highgate Computer:
Book value per share
8.
TIE2003  $550/$200  2.75
TIE2004  $600/$250  2.40
Interest coverage fell. The company is less able to meet its interest payments in 2004.
9.
(a) (i)
EPS 
Net profits after taxes  Preferred dividends
Number of common shares outstanding
For Financial Learning Systems:
EPS 
$6,850,000  $500,000
 $2.54
2,500,000
Market price of stock
EPS
For Financial Learning Systems:
(ii) Price/Earning (P/E) ratio 
P/E 
(iii) Book value per share 
$45.00
 17.72
$2.54
Stockholders' equity
number of common shares outstanding
For Financial Learning Systems:
$78,000,000  $32,000,000  $5m
Book value per share 
2,500,000
 $16.40 per share
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(b) If the EPS rises to $3.75:
17.72 
market price of stock
$3.75
Market price of stock  $66.45
If the EPS drops to $1.50:
market price of stock
$1.50
Market price of stock  $26.58
17.72 
(c) If the EPS rises to $3.75 and P/E jumps to 25:
market price of stock
$3.75
Market price of stock  $93.75
25 
(d) Both the EPS and P/E drop—to $1.50 and 10 times earnings:
market price of stock
$1.50
Market price of stock  $15.00
10 
(e) As shown in the case of Financial Learning Systems, higher earnings improve the stock price for
a given P/E multiple, and when the P/E multiple rises, for a given level of earnings, the stock
price rises.
10. We will use the following three ratios:
Return on assets
 Net profit after taxes/Total assets
Net profit margin  Net profit after taxes/Sales
Total asset turnover  Sales/Total assets
(a) In this problem, we cannot calculate ROA until we find out what profits are. To do this, we must
determine sales and then apply the net profit margin to this sales figure to determine net profits.
That is, using the total asset turnover ratio, sales must be $20,000,000:
2.0  Sales/$10 million
Solving for sales:
Sales  $10 million  2.0  $20 million
Using the equation for net profit margin, net profits after taxes must be $3,000,000:
0.15  net profits after taxes/$20 million
Solving for net profits: Net profits  $20 million  0.15  $3 million
Given this information, we can compute ROA as:
$3,000,000/$10,000,000  30%
(Note: Or this problem can also be solved by simply multiplying the company’s asset turnover by
its profit margin; i.e., 2.0  0.15  30%).
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133
(b) To solve this part of the problem, first find the firm’s equity. We know it has $10 million in
assets and the problem states that 40% of the assets are financed with equity. Therefore:
Equity  $10,000,000  0.40  $4,000,000
Now, to find ROE:
ROE 
Net Profits $3,000,000

 75%
Equity
$4,000,000
(Note: Comparing ROE to ROA, we see that ROE is much larger [75% vs. 30%]. The reason is
the firm’s high debt/financial leverage—i.e., 60% of the firm’s assets are financed with debt,
which acts to magnify profitability.)
Market price of the stock
11. Price/Earnings (P/E) ratio 
EPS
First, find EPS:
EPS 
Net profit after taxes
Number of shares of stock outstanding
Since: Net profit after taxes  Sales  net profit margin:
$150,000,000  0.10 $15,000,000

 $3 per share
5,000,000
5,000,000
$25
P/E ratio 
 8.3 times
$3
Market price of stock
Price-to-sales ratio 
Sales per share
EPS 
Find sales per share:
Sales
$150, 000, 000

Number of shares outstanding
5, 000, 000
 $30 per share
SPS 
Now, the Price-Sales Ratio is:
$25
PSR 
 0.833
$30
Dividends per share
EPS  Dividend payout ratio*
Dividend Yield 

Market price of common
Market price of common
$3  0.35 $1.05

 4.2%
$25
$25
*Note: Dividends per share  EPS  Dividend payout ratio.
Stock's P/E Ratio
PEG Ratio

35 years growth rate in earnings
This implies: Growth
Growth
Stocks P/E Ratio
PEG Ratio
 8.3/2  4.15%

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12. ROA  Net Profit Margin  Total Asset Turnover  0.08  2  0.16 or 16%.
13. ROE  ROA  Equity Multiplier
ROA  Net Profit Margin  Total Asset Turnover
Equity Multiplier  Total Assets/Total Equity
ROA 0.08  2  0.16
Equity Multiplier  $1B/$500M  2
ROE  0.16  2  0.32 or 32%
14. Sales: Total Asset Turnover X Assets
Total Asset Turnover  2 and Total Assets  $1B
Sales  2  $1B  $2B
Net Profit  Net Profit Margin  Sales
Net Profit  0.08  $2B  $160M
15. There is no set solution to this problem, since the answer will vary with the stock selected by the
student. The students should be encouraged (or required) to actually compute the requested ratios
from the recent financial statements of the companies they select. They can use annual reports,
Mergent, or S&P to obtain needed balance sheet and income statement information. The Internet also
has several useful sites.
This problem may result in some interesting and possibly confusing responses, because students will get
their information from many diverse sources. Frequently the ratio calculations will differ. This presents the
instructor with the opportunity to discuss refinements to ratio calculations, the importance of consistency,
and the fact that the ratios are only tools to be used in the stock evaluation and selection process.
16. There is no set solution to this problem. In developing an answer, the students can either “pick up”
the ratios/information from Value Line or a similar source, or they can be required to actually
compute requested ratios from the recent financial statements of the companies they select. Annual
reports, Mergent or S&P will provide the needed balance sheet and income statement information.
The following information was taken from Part 1 of the Value Line Investment Survey.
Value
Line’s
Timeliness
Ranking
3
2
Beta
1.05
1.20
Sara Lee
Campbell Soup
5
3
0.55
0.65
13.5
17.2
3.7
2.4
0.29
0.18
IBM
Intel
3
2
1.05
1.35
20.6
41.6
0.7
0.2
1.02
0.25
Tupperware
Ball
4
2
0.75
0.95
20.0
14
5.9
1.1
0
1.34
Liz Claiborne
Quicksilver
3
3
0.95
1.00
13.8
16.3
0.6
0
0.89
0.21
General Dynamics
3
0.75
16.5
0
0.6
Wal-Mart
Target
P/E Ratio
27.3
19.5
Dividend Earnings
Yield
Per Share
0.7
0.46
0.7
0.33
Chapter 7
Boeing
4
1.00
38.7
Analyzing Common Stocks
1.7
0.32
17. (a) All of the following ratios for Otago Bay Marine are based on the 2003 and 2004 financial
statements ($ in thousands) and are computed using the formulas in the chapter:
(1) Current ratio
2003
2004
Industry
 Current assets/Current liabilities
$133,212/$22,498
 5.92
$111,914/$50,862
 2.20
 2.36
(2) Total asset turnover  Sales/Total assets
2003
$245,424/$224,470
2004
$259,593/$303,940
Industry
 1.09
 0.85
 1.27
(3) Debt-equity ratio
2003
2004
Industry
 Long-term debt/Stockholders’ equity
$20,268/$181,704
 11.15%
$40,735/$212,343
 19.18%
 10.0 %
(4) Net profit margin
2003
2004
Industry
 Net profit after taxes/Total Revenues
$32,032/$245,424
 13.05%
$35,442/$259,593
 13.65%
 9.30%
(5) ROA
2003
2004
Industry
 Net profit after taxes/Total assets
$32,032/$224,470
 14.27%
$35.442/$303,940
 11.66%
 15.87%
(6) ROE
2003
2004
Industry
 Net profit after taxes/Stockholders’ Equity
$32,032/$181,704
 17.63%
$35,442/$212,343
 16.69%
 19.21%
(7) EPS

Net profit after taxes  Preferred dividends
Number of common shares outstanding
2003
$32,032  $0
10,848
 $2.95 per share
2004
$35,442  $0
10,848
 $3.27 per share
 $1.59
Industry
(8) P/E Ratio
2003
2004
Industry
 shared price/EPS
$80.75/$2.95
$74.25/$3.27
 27.37
 22.71
 19.87
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Gitman/Joehnk • Fundamentals of Investing, Ninth Edition
(9) Dividend yield
2003
2004
Industry
 Dividends per share/Market price per share
$0.27/$80.75
 0.33%
$0.35/$74.25
 0.47%
 0.44%
(10)Dividend payout ratio
2003
2004
Industry
 Dividends per share/EPS
$0.27/$2.95
 9.15%
$0.35/$3.27
 10.70%
 26.00%
(11)Price-to-book value ratio Share price/Book value per share
stockholder's equity

Book value per share
number of common shares outstanding
2003 BV

$181,704
 $16.75
10,848
2004 BV

$212,343
 $19.57
10,848
Price-to-book-value:
2003
2004
Industry
 $80.75/$16.75
 $74.25/$19.57
 4.82
 3.79
 6.65
(b) Based on the comparison to industry average ratios, the financial condition of Otago Bay Marine
(OBM) appears to be deteriorating. First, OBM’s current ratio has declined 63%, indicating its
ability to meet short-term obligations has weakened substantially. OBM’s current liabilities,
which have grown 126% over the past year, are driving this weakened position in liquidity.
Also, the activity measure—total asset turnover—which was below the industry average last
year, has declined even further, suggesting that corporate resources are being poorly managed.
With respect to leverage, OBM’s ratio has grown to nearly twice the industry average, indicating
a need to control and reduce the amount of debt in the capital structure. Despite the high leverage
ratio, the firm’s ROE, which indicates the extent to which leverage has enhanced the returns to
stockholders, has declined even further below the industry’s average. Similarly, OBM’s ROA has
declined even further below the industry’s average ROA. The decline in ROA is related to the
large increase (115%) in PPE, and the 107% increase in other long-term assets. A complete
analysis would necessarily include an analysis of these assets. For example, the increase in PPE
could indicate that the company is anticipating future growth, or that the company has updated its
PPE and will be much more profitable in the future due to the efficiencies of modern equipment.
The market appears to reflect this deterioration in OBM’s financial picture from 2003 to 2004.
The stock price has declined 8% and the P/E ratio has declined 17%, and the price-to-book value
has decline another 1% to about half of the industry average.
In summary, despite the relatively small percentage increases in net profit after taxes, Otago Bay
Marine seems poorly managed. Gone unchecked, OBM’s financial condition will deteriorate
further and be reflected in profitability measures well below industry averages. Although OBM’s
ratios are only one part of their total financial outlook, they seem to indicate that problems exist
within the firm.
Chapter 7
18. (a)
Analyzing Common Stocks
137
FOR 2000
net earnings

Profit margin
net sales
$20.2
$179.3
 
 11.27%
net sales
Asset turnover

total assets
$179.3

$136.3
 
 1.32
Using profit margin and asset turnover to calculate ROA:

net earnings net sales

net sales
total assets
ROA  11.27%  1.32
ROA 
 14.88%
ROE  ROA  Equity multiplier
Where Equity multiplier  Total assets/stockholder’s equity
 $136.3/$109.6
 1.24
ROE
 14.88%  1.24
 18.45%
(b) For 2004:
ROA
 Profit margin Total asset turnover
 13.65%
0.85
 11.60%
ROE
 ROA
Equity multiplier
 11.60%
($303,940/$212,343)
 11.60%
.43
 16.59%
(c) Between 2000 and 2004, Otago Bay Marine’s ROA and ROE measures both deteriorated. With
respect to ROA, total assets have grown faster than net sales, thereby affecting total asset
turnover—and consequently, ROA—adversely: Whereas net sales grew 44%, total assets grew
123%. The second component of ROA, the profit margin, grew slightly. Thus, the decline in
ROA is attributable mainly to the dramatic increase in total assets (ROA fell from 14.88% in
2000 to 11.6% in 2004).
The growth in total assets is also a main contributor to the decline in ROE, which is composed of
ROA, multiplied by the equity multiplier. The higher equity multiplier reflects the fact that total
assets also outgrew stockholder’s equity (a large portion of new assets were debt-financed).
However, the multiplier was not large enough to reverse the effects of the decline in ROA on
ROE. Thus, through the sharp increase in total assets, ROA and ROE declined.
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(d) Generally, these changes from 2000 to 2004 do not appear fundamentally healthy for Otago Bay
Marine. The higher total assets, a large percentage of which was financed by debt, appears to
have reduced OBM’s profitability and its future ability to meet short and long-term obligations.
The decline in ROA is related to the large increase (115%) in PPE, and the 107% increase in
other long term assets. A complete analysis would necessarily include an analysis of these
assets. For example, the increase in PPE could indicate that the company is anticipating future
growth, or that the company has updated its PPE and will be much more profitable in the future
due to the efficiencies of modern equipment.

Solutions to Case Problems
Case 7.1
Some Financial Ratios are Real Eye-Openers
The objective of this case is to have students calculate and interpret ratios as part of the fundamental
analysis of a firm.
1.
All the ratios below for South Plains Chemical are computed according to the formulas in the chapter.
South Plains Chemical (dollars in thousands)
Liquidity
(a) Net working capital  Current assets – Current liabilities
 $21,250 – $10,000  $11,250
(b) Current ratio
 Current assets/Current liabilities
 $21,250/$10,000  2.12
Activity
(c) Receivables turnover  Sales/Accounts receivable
 $50,000/$8,000  6.25
(d) Inventory turnover  Sales/Inventory
 $50,000/$12,000  4.17
(e) Total asset turnover  Sales/Total assets
 $50,000/$30,000  1.67
Leverage
(f) Debt-equity ratio


(g) Times interest earned 

Profitability
(h) Net profit margin
Long-term debt/Stockholder’s equity
$8,000/$12,000  0.67
Earnings before interest and taxes/interest
$10,000/$2,500  4.0
 Net profits after taxes/Sales
 $5,000/$50,000  1 or 10%
(i) Return on total assets  Net profits after taxes/Total assets
 $5,000/$30,000  0.166 or 16.67%
(j) Return on equity
 Net profits after taxes/Stockholder equity
 $5,000/$12,000  0.4167 or 41.67%
Chapter 7
Analyzing Common Stocks
139
Common Stock Ratios
(k) Earnings per share  (Net profits after taxes – Preferred dividends)
/# of shares of common stock outstanding
 $5,000 – 0/5,000  $1/share
(l) Price/Earnings ratio  Share price/EPS
 $25/$1  25 times
(m) Dividends per share  Total common dividends paid/
Common shares outstanding
 $1,250/5,000  $0.25/sh.
(n) Dividend yield
 Dividends per share/Share price
 $0.25/$25.00  0.01 or 1%
(o) Payout ratio
 Dividends per share/EPS
 $ 0.25 / $1.00  0.25 or 25%
(p) Book value per share  Common equity/Common shares outstanding
 $12 million/5 million  $2.40
(q) Price-to-book value  Share price/Book value per share
 $25/$2.40  10.42
2.
Comparing the ratios computed in question 1 to the latest industry averages, we find:
(a) Liquidity: South Plains is more liquid than the average firm in its industry.
(b) Activity: Here South Plains is weak; the low ratios suggest poor utilization of assets. Since
accounts receivable and inventory are close to the industry figures, the deviation seems to come
from excess fixed assets.
(c) Leverage: The firm uses more debt than average, and its ability to cover interest is much lower
than the average firm.
(d) Profitability: The results are mixed here. The firm has higher margins and higher ROE. The
lower return on assets reflect the poor activity ratios mentioned above. (The fact that the firm can
have low ROA and high ROE is due to its high leverage. Since a smaller percentage of South
Plains is financed with equity, the ROE is magnified more than for the typical firm.)
(e) Common stock: All the measures relative to dividends are low for this firm, yet its price/earnings
ratio is higher than average. This suggests that the market anticipates above-average profitability
and returns in the future. That is why, although its current dividend yield is low, investors are
willing to pay a high price/earnings ratio. The same goes for price-to-book value; like the P/E
ratio, it’s much higher than average and provides further support that the market is anticipating
good things from South Plains.
3.
The firm seems to have good prospects for attractive returns but also has high risk. For Jack to
continue his evaluation of South Plains Chemical, he must feel the opportunities for the firm are
promising and commensurate with the risk involved. Due to South Plains’ strong profitability, he
should now proceed with a more in-depth analysis. (Although not discussed in the case, fundamental
analysis should not be performed alone; careful economic and industry analyses are also important.)
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Case 7.2
Doris Looks at an Auto Issue
This case allows the student to experience the three steps of security analysis.
(a) Other economic information that Doris might find helpful includes government fiscal policy (taxes,
spending, debt management); monetary policy (money supply growth, interest rates); consumer
spending and the investment plans of businesses; energy situation (oil imports, cost and availability of
supplies, domestic oil prospects); foreign trade and the balance of payments (especially the value of
the dollar); and the inflation rate. Although each is important, the three most important are probably
interest rates, foreign trade and the cost of oil. Interest rates are important since most automobiles are
purchased on credit. Foreign trade is important because of the impact that auto imports and exports
have on auto sales; also foreign trade affects the value of the dollar, which in turn makes U.S. cars
more or less expensive relative to imports. Finally, the cost of gas and oil is closely watched by
drivers, and can impact the demand for gas guzzlers versus more fuel efficient cars.
(b) 1. Auto imports: Trends in auto imports more clearly define potential growth for domestic
producers. The recent growth of imports has been at the expense of U.S. producers. Federal
restrictions on foreign imports would greatly alter industry conditions for domestic firms.
2. The relationship of the United Auto Workers (UAW) and the auto makers is an important part of
the analysis. A better relationship leads to lower costs of production; a poor relationship may
mean strikes, slowdowns, higher wage contracts, and so on. One important date here is the
expiration date of the existing contract.
3. Interest Rates: As mentioned above, automobiles are usually purchased with borrowed funds.
The cost and availability of these funds is quite important in the sale of new cars.
4. The cost of gas: Since most cars need gasoline to run, it is very important to assess the course of
gasoline prices in the future. If gasoline prices become extremely high, the auto industry is bound
to suffer. (Note to the instructor: The situation can be more complex. For example, if the gas
price is very high, consumers will tend to get rid of their old gas guzzlers and buy small economy
cars. Thus, the issue can also revolve around whether or not the company we are considering is
planning to produce small cars. If this is so, then increasing gasoline prices can boost the sales of
cars, at least in the short run.)
(c) 1. Sales can be found from the total asset turnover ratio:
Common shares outstanding 
Sales
Total assets
From the case:
1.5 
Sales
$25 billion
Solving for sales, we have:
Sales 1.5  $25 billion  $37.5 billion.
Chapter 7
Analyzing Common Stocks
2. Profits can be found from the net profit margin:
Net profit margin 
Net profits after taxes
Sales
From the case:
0.15  Net profit after taxes
$37.5 billion
Solving for net profits, we have:
Net profits after taxes  0.15  $37.5 billion  $5.625 billion
3. We can find current assets using the figure for current liabilities and the net working capital
formula:
Net working capital  Current assets – Current liabilities.
From the case:
$3.4 billion  Current assets – $5 billion
Solving for current assets, we have:
Current assets  $3.4 billion  $5 billion  $8.4 billion
Therefore, the current ratio equals:
Current assets
$8.4 billion

 1.68
Current liabilities $5 billion
4. The price of the stock can be found from the P/E ratio:
Price/Earnings ratio 
Price per share
EPS
From the case:
12.5 
Price per share
$3
Solving for share price, we have:
Price per share  12.5 $3  $37.50
141
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Gitman/Joehnk • Fundamentals of Investing, Ninth Edition
5. To find the dividend yield, we first have to find dividends, using the dividend payout ratio:
Dividend payout ratio 
Dividends per share
EPS
From the case:
0.4 
Dividends per share
$3
Solving for dividends, we have:
Dividends per share  $3  0.4  $1.20
Therefore, dividend yield equals:
Dividends per share $1.20

 3.2%
Price per share
$37.50

Outside Project
Chapter 7
Going to the Source: The Annual Report
Most financial statements and stock valuation examples found in college textbooks tend to be couched in
fairly simple terms. The question that students often ask is: How close to reality are we working? This
project will get you as close to reality as possible by having you look at the actual numbers of a real
corporation.
Get an annual report of any corporation. It does not have to be the most recent one, but it should be a large
company in a nonregulated, nonfinancial industry. Avoid utilities and financial institutions, like banks, as
the accounting for these companies is very different and could be confusing. Companies will usually send
annual reports if you simply ask them, or libraries often have annual report files. Once you have an annual
report, find the income statements and balance sheets, and calculate all the ratios you possibly can. Use the
liquidity, activity, leverage, profitability, and common stock formulas presented in the text. You will have
to look in the financial news for current price and dividend information. Note that there is little value in
knowing a ratio for one year. You need to look at several years, and the annual report will have a five or
ten year summary of the most important information. After you’ve run the ratios (you should have the
financial data to run the ratios for at least two years), take a few minutes and analyze your results: What do
the numbers tell you that you like? That you don’t like?
When doing this project, take time to think through and read the report; the annual report is not just
numbers. The discussion of the company by its chairman usually provides information about the recent
past and the prospects for the future; in addition, there’s considerable information in these reports about
product lines, corporate developments, and the like. This report is designed to bring stockholders
up-to-date on company operations. Share your comments and notes about the report with the class.