Profitability Ratios and the DuPont Method

Profit margin represents how much of sales revenue has translated into income. This ratio shows how much of each $1 of sales is returned as profit. The larger the ratio figure (the closer it gets to 1), the more of each sales dollar is returned as profit. The portion of the sales dollar not returned as profit goes toward expenses. The formula for profit margin is

Profit Margin = Net Income / Net Sales

For Clear Lake Sporting Goods, the profit margin in the current year is

Profit Margin=$35,000 / $120,000 = 0.29 (rounded) or 29%

This means that for every dollar of sales, $0.29 returns as profit. If Clear Lake Sporting Goods thinks this is too low, the company would try to find ways to reduce expenses and increase sales.

The return on total assets measures the company’s ability to use its assets successfully to generate a profit. The higher the return (ratio outcome), the more profit is created from asset use. Average total assets are found by dividing the sum of beginning and ending total assets balances found on the balance sheet. The beginning total assets balance in the current year is taken from the ending total assets balance in the prior year. The formula for return on total assets is

Return on Total Assets=Net Income / Average Total Assets

Average Total Assets = (Beginning Total Assets + Ending Total Assets) / 2

For Clear Lake Sporting Goods, the return on total assets for the current year is

Average Total Assets = ($200,000+$250,000) / 2 = $225,000

Return on Total Assets = $35,000 / $225,000 = 0.16 (rounded) or 16%

The higher the figure, the better the company is using its assets to create a profit. Industry standards can dictate what an acceptable return is.

Return on Assets

This video explains how to calculate return on assets and how to interpret the results. The video provides the formula, a discussion of the concept, and the importance of the ratio.

Return on equity measures the company’s ability to use its invested capital to generate income. The invested capital comes from stockholders’ investments in the company’s stock and its retained earnings and is leveraged to create profit. The higher the return, the better the company is doing at using its investments to yield a profit. The formula for return on equity is

Return on Equity = Net Income / Average Stockholder Equity

Average Stockholder Equity = (Beginning Stockholder Equity + Ending Stockholder Equity) / 2

Average stockholders’ equity is found by dividing the sum of beginning and ending stockholders’ equity balances found on the balance sheet. The beginning stockholders’ equity balance in the current year is taken from the ending stockholders’ equity balance in the prior year. Keep in mind that the net income is calculated after preferred dividends have been paid.

For Clear Lake Sporting Goods, we will use the net income figure and deduct the preferred dividends that have been paid. The return on equity for the current year is

Average Stockholder Equity = (90,000+100,000) / 2=95,000

Return on Equity=($35,000−$5,000) / $95,000 = 0.32 (rounded) or 32%

The higher the figure, the better the company is using its investments to create a profit. Industry standards can dictate what an acceptable return is.

ROE in its basic form is useful; however, there are really three components of ROE: operating efficiency (profit margin), asset usage (total asset turnover), and leverage (equity ratio). This is known as the DuPont method. It originated in 1919 when the DuPont company implemented it for internal measurement purposes. The DuPont method can be expressed using this formula:

ROE = Profit Margin × Total Asset Turnover × Equity Multiplier

Profit margin indicates how much profit is generated by each dollar of sales and is computed as shown:

Profit Margin = Net Income / Net Sales

Total asset turnover indicates the number of sales dollars produced by every dollar invested in capital assets—in other words, how efficiently the company is using its capital assets to generate sales. It is computed as shown:

Equity Multiplier = Average Total Assets / Average Stockholders' Equity

The equity multiplier measures leverage. It is computed as shown:

Equity Multiplier = Average Total Assets / Average Stockholders' Equity

Using DuPont analysis, investors can see overall performance broken down into smaller pieces, which helps them better understand what is driving ROE. We already have the computations for Clear Lake Sporting Goods’ profit margin and total asset turnover:

Profit Margin = $35,000$ / 120,000 = 0.29 (rounded) or 29%

Total Asset Turnover = $120,000 / $225,000 = 0.53 times (rounded)

We can calculate the equity multiplier using the equity multiplier equation and prior calculations for Clear Lake’s average total assets and average stockholder equity:

Equity Multiplier = Average Total Assets / Average Stockholders' Equity

Average Total Assets = ($200,000 + $250,000) / 2 = $225,000

Average Stockholder Equity = ($90,000+$100,000) / 2 = $95,000

Equity Multiplier = $225,000 / $95,000 = 2.37

Now that we have all three elements, we can complete the DuPont analysis for Clear Lake Sporting Goods:

ROE = Profit Margin × Total Asset Turnover × Equity Multiplier

ROE = 29% × 0.53 × 2.37 = 0.36 or 36.4%

Performance Analysis

ROE captures the nuances of all three elements. A good sales margin and a proper asset turnover are both needed for a successful operation. Like all ratios, assessing performance is relative. It’s important to look at the ratio in context of the organization, its history, and the industry. If we compare Clear Lake’s ROE of 26.4% to the recreational products industry average of 12.56% for the same year, it would appear as though Clear Lake Sporting Goods is outperforming the general industry. However, recreational products can include a wide variety of businesses beyond just the outdoor gear in which Clear Lake Sporting Goods specializes. An analyst could look at other key competitors such as Cabela’s or Bass Pro Shops to get even more relevant comparisons.

Clear Lake Sporting Goods is also technically a retail store, albeit a specialized one. An analyst might also consider the industry averages for general or online retail of 20.64% and 27.05%, respectively. Compared to the broader retail industry, Clear Lake Sporting Goods is still performing well, but its performance is not as disparate to industry average as when compared to recreational products (see Table 6.1).

Table 6.1 Return on Equity by Industry in 2020 It’s important to look at any ratio in context of the organization, its history, and the industry. (data source: Aswath Damodaran Online)

The DuPont Method

This video about the DuPont method walks through its history, discusses its basic components, and shows how to calculate and interpret each measurement.