Why Doesn’t the Private Sector Invest In Infrastructure Projects?
As explained in the previous articles, the infrastructure sector is facing a significant funding gap. There is an urgent need to double the spending on infrastructure projects. One of the ways to fulfill this gap is by increasing the participation of the private sector in infrastructure projects. At the present moment, the private sector is […]
What are Development Impact Bonds and How are they Evaluated
Development impact bonds are a revolutionary new type of bonds which are being introduced in the market. These bonds have been introduced to ensure that the profit motive of the financier is also met while meeting the development needs of the social entrepreneur. What are Development Impact Bonds? Development impact bonds are a three-way financial […]
Types of Sponsorships Given to Individual Players
In the previous article, we have already seen that sponsorship is one of the predominant ways in which a sports league can generate revenues. However, it is important to note that sponsorships can happen at various levels. For instance, sponsorship can be given to an individual, a team, or even an entire sports league. In […]
Calculating Free Cash Flow to Firm: Method 3: EBIT
In the previous articles, we learned about how to calculate the cash flow from operations if the cash flow statement or the income statement were given in the question paper. In many cases, these financial statements may not be given in full in the question paper. Instead, some excerpts from these statements may be provided […]
Case Study of the Indian Banking and Financial Services Industry using Strategic Tools
Finance is like Oil to the Engine of the Indian Economy As finance is the grease and the oil that keeps the engine of any economy running, the BFSI sector assumes importance in this context. While the post independence era witnessed many large private banks that were either family or community run as well as […]
Ratio analysis, without a doubt, is amongst the most powerful tools of financial analysis. Any investor, who wants to be more efficient at their job, must devote more time towards understanding ratios and ratio analysis. However, this does not mean that it is free of limitations. Like all techniques, financial ratios have their limitations too. Understanding the limitations will help investors understand the possible shortcomings with ratios and avoid them. Here are the shortcomings:
The first and foremost threat to ratio analysis is deliberate misleading statements issued by the management. The management of most companies is aware that investors look at certain numbers like sales, earnings, cash flow etc very seriously. Other numbers on the financial statements do not get such attention. They therefore manipulate the numbers within the legal framework to make important metrics look good. This is a common practice amongst publicly listed companies and is called “Window Dressing”. Investors need to be aware of such window dressing and must be careful in calculating and interpreting ratios based on these numbers.
Comparison is the crux of ratio analysis. Once ratios have been calculated, they need to be compared with other companies or over time. However, many times companies have accounting policies that do not match with each other. This makes it impossible to have any meaningful ratio analysis. Regulators all over the world are striving to make financial statements standardized. However in many cases, companies can still choose accounting policies which will make their statements incomparable.
Comparison over time is another important technique used in ratio analysis. It is called horizontal analysis. However, many times comparison over time is meaningless because of inflation. Two companies may be using the same machine with the same efficiency but one will have a better ratio because it bought the machine earlier at a low price. Also, since the machine was purchased earlier, it may be closer to impairment. But the ratio does not reflect this.
Financial ratios are established “thumb of rules” about the way a business should operate. However some of these rules of thumb have become obsolete. Therefore when companies come with a new kind of business model, ratios show that the company is not a good investment. In reality the company is just “unconventional”. Many may even call these companies innovative. Ratio analysis of such companies does not provide meaningful information. Investors must look further to make their decisions.
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