Reference no: EM1315974

Deriving cash collected and cash paid using financial ratios given.

All questions relate to the Kimberly-Clark Corp. Annual Report (Form 10-K) for the year ending December 31, 2007. Kimberly-Clark (the "Company") "is a global health and hygiene company with manufacturing facilities in 36 countries and its products are sold in more than 150 countries." The Company's "products are sold under such well-known brands as Kleenex, Scott, Huggies, Pull-Ups, Kotex and Depend."

The Company operates in the Paper Mills industry. Median data relating to the Paper Mills industry are:

ROE	10.35%
Beta	0.97
Market-to-book	1.97
Net profit margin (Return on sales)	5.86%
Total asset turnover	1.12
Financial leverage	1.56
Gross profit margin	22.93%
Receivable days (Average collection period/Days to collect)	48.06
Inventory days (Days inventory held)	62.42
Payable days (Days to pay)	32.29
Current ratio	1.59
Interest coverage (Times interest earned)	1.81

 

Note: Although an individual company's ROE is the product of net profit margin, total asset turnover, and financial leverage, this relationship will not hold when using the three median variables as shown above because medians distort the relationships among individual company ratios.

Please read the instructions and each question carefully.

Some aspects of Kimberly-Clark's (hereafter, the "Company") 2007 financial statements are noteworthy.

1. Two "above-the-line" special, non-recurring items were reported. The first item was a $107.2 million net charge ($61.4 million after tax (given in annual report)) for a strategic cost reduction plan allocated as follows on a pre-tax basis: $89.4 million charge included in Cost of products sold; $31.8 million charge included in Marketing, research and general expenses; and $14 million gain on dispositions of facilities included in Other (income) and expense, net (See MD&A, pp. 24-25, Note 2, pp. 49-52). The second item was an $16.4 million gain for a settlement of litigation that was included in Other (income) and expense, net (See MD&A, p.25). The after-tax amount for the first item is given; however, consider the second item a taxable gain.

2. Treat Redeemable preferred securities of subsidiary, included in the balance sheet, as interest bearing debt in problem 8(d). Do not treat this item the same way as the preferred stock adjustment that was discussed in Module 5, p.23. Assume that the preferred dividends are already included in the interest expense reported in the 2007 income statement.

Show the adjustments for each problem individually and not a cumulative adjustment unless the question directs you to do so.

(a) Convert the Company's 2007 accrual-based gross profit (margin) to a cash-based gross profit (margin). The cash-based gross profit (margin) is the difference between the estimated amount of cash collected from the Company's customers and the cash paid to its suppliers during 2007. Be sure to include any appropriate adjustment(s), if any, for nonrecurring items. Note: Please use the changes in the balance sheet accounts, not figures from the statement of cash flows.

Accrual-based gross profit ____________________

Cash collected from customers ____________________

Cash paid to suppliers ____________________

Cash-based gross profit ____________________

Difference ____________________

b) In the Company's 2007 Cash Flow Statement (p. 43), note that there is an outflow of cash used by investing activities of $898.1 million and an outflow of cash used by financing activities of $1,426.8 million. Briefly explain why this outflow of cash for both investing and financing activities actually is a positive sign for the Company and its stockholders.