LOS J requires us to:
explain issues that analysts should consider when examining a company’s inventory disclosures and other sources of information.
a. There are three critical ratios for inventory management evaluation, they are:
i. Inventory Turnover, which is: (Cost of Goods Sold) / (inventory)
ii. Days of inventory in hands, which is: (365) / (Inventory Turnover Ratio)
iii. Gross profit margin, which is: [(Gross Profit) / (Net Sales)] × 100
b. These ratios are directly impacted by the firm’s choice of inventory valuation method.
The high inventory turnover coupled with low days of inventory in hands could be interpreted to mean:
i. Whether there is highly effective inventory management?
ii. Whether there is an inadequate inventory level or lost sales? or
iii. If there is a possibility of inventory write-downs during the period?
c. To resolve the questions raised by the above interpretation of ratios, we should:
i. Check the amount of sales growth (i.e. if it was above average or below average) and check the details of disclosures made as notes to financial statements.
ii. For the interpretation of gross margin, one needs to dig into, whether the profits are affected by the competition in the industry, the nature of goods and services provided, or the management of inventories.
iii. One also needs to see if the margins are increasing, decreasing, or stable. We also need to see the reasons behind the same, whether it is due to the degree of competition or the effectiveness of management.
One needs to note that while comparing the ratios against the industry or competitors there should be the comparability of the cost flow assumptions.