#financial-ratios
Financial Ratios
Key financial ratios like ROA, ROE, and profitability metrics for measuring business performance
The Cash Conversion Cycle Explained: How Long Your Money Is Actually Tied Up
The cash conversion cycle (CCC = DIO + DSO − DPO) measures how many days cash stays trapped in operations. A worked example shows a wholesale firm with a 66-day cycle tying up roughly $110,000 in working capital, and lays out tactics to shorten collections, inventory, and payables.
Return on Net Assets (RONA): How to Tell If Your Equipment and Inventory Are Earning Their Keep
Return on Net Assets (RONA = Net Income ÷ Fixed Assets + Net Working Capital) measures whether the equipment, vehicles, and inventory a business owns are actually generating profit. Includes a worked example, rough benchmarks (above 5% acceptable, above 20% outstanding), and how RONA differs from ROA and ROE for capital-intensive small businesses.
The Quick Ratio (Acid-Test Ratio): The Liquidity Number Lenders Trust More Than Your Current Ratio
The quick ratio (acid-test ratio) measures whether a business can cover current liabilities using only cash, marketable securities, and receivables — deliberately excluding inventory and prepaid expenses. Covers the formula with a worked example, why loan covenants often set a quick-ratio minimum instead of a current-ratio one, why 1.0 is the textbook benchmark but fast-turn retailers healthily run 0.3–0.4, and the mistakes that make the ratio misleading.
Asset Coverage Ratio: The Solvency Number Lenders Check Before You Ever See a Term Sheet
The asset coverage ratio measures whether tangible assets could repay total debt in a liquidation — [(total assets − intangibles) − (current liabilities − short-term debt)] ÷ total debt. Below 1.0 is a red flag, 2.0 is a common healthy benchmark, and lenders often write a minimum ACR into loan covenants that can trigger technical default.
Net Debt to EBITDA: The Leverage Ratio That Decides Your Business Loan
Net debt to EBITDA measures how many years of operating cash flow it would take to repay your debt. Lenders typically cap leverage covenants at 3.0x–4.5x, read below 2.0x as strong, and flag anything above 6.0x — here's how to calculate yours in ten minutes and avoid the mistakes that distort it.
Return on Equity (ROE) Explained: What It Measures, What Counts as Good, and How to Break It Down
Return on Equity (ROE) divides net income by owner's equity — a 15% ROE means the business earned 15 cents per dollar of the owner's capital. This guide covers healthy benchmarks (12–15% baseline, 15–20%+ strong), the three-part DuPont breakdown of margin, asset turnover, and leverage, and the pitfalls — debt-inflated returns, negative equity, one-time items — that distort the ratio.
Operating Margin, Explained: Formula, Industry Benchmarks, and How to Improve It
Operating margin — operating income divided by revenue — shows whether a business's core operation makes money before interest and taxes. Here's the formula with a worked example, 2026 benchmarks by industry (SaaS 15–35%, services 15–25%, manufacturing 8–15%, retail under 5%), how it differs from gross and net margin, and the bookkeeping errors that distort it.
Fixed Asset Turnover Ratio, Explained: Is That New Equipment Actually Pulling Its Weight?
The fixed asset turnover ratio — net sales divided by average net fixed assets — measures revenue generated per dollar of PP&E. Capital-intensive businesses typically run 1–3, asset-light ones 5+, and the trend matters more than the level. Here's how to calculate it, benchmark it, and avoid the bookkeeping errors that distort it.
Inventory Turnover Ratio Explained: Formula, Industry Benchmarks, and How to Improve It
Inventory turnover ratio = COGS ÷ average inventory, and it shows how many times a business sells through its stock each year. This guide covers the formula, converting turnover to days sales of inventory, industry benchmarks from 2–4 turns (industrial parts) to 10–20+ (grocery), and why slow-moving stock costs 20–30% of its value annually to hold.
The Quick Ratio (Acid-Test Ratio): The One Number That Catches a Cash Crunch Before It Happens
The quick ratio (acid-test ratio) strips inventory and prepaid expenses from current assets to test whether cash, receivables, and marketable securities alone can cover current liabilities. Includes the formula, a worked example where a 2.5 current ratio hides a 1.0 quick ratio, industry benchmarks, and the aged-receivables blind spot.
Debt Service Coverage Ratio (DSCR) Explained: The Number That Decides Your Business Loan
DSCR equals net operating income divided by total debt service. Most conventional lenders require at least 1.25, SBA programs 1.1 to 1.25, and a ratio below 1.0 is an automatic decline. Here is how to calculate yours, the mistakes that sink applications, and how to improve a weak ratio before you apply.
Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio Explained: Formula, Benchmarks, and the Loan Covenant That Can Default You on Time Payments
The fixed charge coverage ratio (FCCR) compares operating cash flow to debt payments, leases, taxes, and other fixed obligations. Most lenders set covenant minimums between 1.1x and 1.5x — and dropping below the threshold can trigger technical default even when every payment is current. Here is the formula, the benchmarks, and what actually moves the number.