Reference no: EM133156523

Working Capital Management

Question 1: Williams & Sons last year reported sales of $10 million and an inventory turnover ratio of 2. The company is now adopting a new inventory system. If the new system is able to reduce the firm's inventory level and increase the firm's inventory turnover ratio to 5 while maintaining the same level of sales, how much cash will be freed up?

Question 2: Medwig Corporation has a DSO of 17 days. The company averages $3,500 in credit sales each day. What is the company's average accounts receivable?

Question 3: What is the nominal and effective cost of trade credit under the credit terms of 3/15, net 30?

Question 4: A large retailer obtains merchandise under the credit terms of 1/15, net 45, but routinely takes 60 days to pay its bills. (Because the retailer is an important customer, suppliers allow the firm to stretch its credit terms.) What is the retailer's effective cost of trade credit?

Question 5: A chain of appliance stores, APP Corporation, purchases inventory with a net price of $500,000 each day. The company purchases the inventory under the credit terms of 2/15, net 40. APP always takes the discount but takes the full 15 days to pay its bills. What is the average accounts payable for APP?

Question 6: McDowell Industries sells on terms of 3/10, net 30. Total sales for the year are $912,500. Forty percent of customers pay on the 10th day and take discounts; the other 60% pay, on average, 40 days after their purchases.

a. What is the days sales outstanding?
b. What is the average amount of receivables?
c. What would happen to average receivables if McDowell toughened its collection policy with the result that all nondiscount customers paid on the 30th day?

Question 7: Calculate the nominal annual cost of nonfree trade credit under each of the following terms. Assume that payment is made either on the discount date or on the due date.
a. 1/15, net 20
b. 2/10, net 60
c. 3/10, net 45
d. 2/10, net 45
e. 2/15, net 40

Question 8: a. If a firm buys under terms of 3/15, net 45, but actually pays on the 20th day and still takes the discount, what is the nominal cost of its nonfree trade credit?

b. Does it receive more or less credit than it would if it paid within 15 days?

Question 9: Grunewald Industries sells on terms of 2/10, net 40. Gross sales last year were $4,562,500 and accounts receivable averaged $437,500. Half of Grunewald's customers paid on the 10th day and took discounts. What are the nominal and effective costs of trade credit to Grunewald's nondiscount customers? (Hint: Calculate sales/day based on a 365-day year, then calculate average receivables of discount custo-mers, and then find the DSO for the nondiscount customers.)

Question 10: The DJ. Masson Corporation needs to raise $500,000 for 1 year to supply working capital to a new store. Masson buys from its suppliers on terms of 3/10, net 90, and it currently pays on the 10th day and takes discounts. However, it could forgo the discounts, pay on the 90th day, and thereby obtain the needed $500,000 in the form of costly trade credit. What is the effective annual interest rate of this trade credit?

Cash Conversion Cycle

Question 11: The Zocco Corporation has an inventory conversion period of 60 days, an average collection period of 38 days, and a payables deferral period of 30 days. Assume that cost of goods sold is 75% of sales.

a. What is the length of the firm's cash conversion cycle?
b. If Zocco's annual sales are $3,421,875 and all sales are on credit, what is the firm's investment in accounts receivable?
c. How many times per year does Zocco turn over its inventory?

Working Capital Cash Flow Cycle

Question 12: The Christie Corporation is trying to determine the effect of its inventory turnover ratio and days sales outstanding (DSO) on its cash flow cycle. Christie's sales last year (all on credit) were $150,000, and it earned a net profit of 6%, or $9,000. It turned over its inventory 7.5 times during the year, and its DSO was 36.5 days. Its annual cost of goods sold was $121,667. The firm had fixed assets totaling $35,000. Christie's payables deferral period is 40 days.

a. Calculate Christie's cash conversion cycle.
b. Assuming Christie holds negligible amounts of cash and marketable securities, calculate its total assets turnover and ROA.
c. Suppose Christie's managers believe the annual inventory turnover can be raised to 9 times without affecting sales. What would Christie's cash conversion cycle, total assets turnover, and ROA have been if the inventory turnover had been 9 for the year?

Working Capital Policy

Question 13: The Rentz Corporation is attempting to determine the optimal level of current assets for the coming year. Management expects sales to increase to approximately $2 million as a result of an asset expansion presently being undertaken. Fixed assets total $1 million, and the firm wishes to maintain a 60% debt ratio. Rentz's interest cost is currently 8% on both short-term and longer-term debt (both of which the firm uses in its permanent capital structure). Three alternatives regarding the projected current asset level are available to the firm: (1) a tight policy requiring current assets of only 45% of projected sales, (2) a moderate policy of 50% of sales in current assets, and (3) a relaxed policy requiring current assets of 60% of sales. The firm expects to generate earnings before interest and taxes at a rate of 12% on total sales.

a. What is the expected return on equity under each current asset level? (Assume a 40% effective federal-plus-state tax rate.)
b. In this problem, we have assumed that the level of expected sales is independent of current asset policy. Is this a valid assumption?
c. How would the overall riskiness of the firm vary under each policy?

Question 14: Dorothy Koehl recently leased space in the Southside Mall and opened a new busi-Cash Budgeting ness, Koehl's Doll Shop. Business has been good, but Koehl has frequently run out of cash. This has necessitated late payment on certain orders, which is beginning to cause a problem with suppliers. Koehl plans to borrow from the bank to have cash ready as needed, but first she needs a forecast of just how much she should borrow. Accordingly, she has asked you to prepare a cash budget for the critical period around Christmas, when needs will be especially high.

Sales are made on a cash basis only. Koehl's purchases must be paid for during the fol-lowing month. Koehl pays herself a salary of $4,800 per month, and the rent is $2,000 per month. In addition, she must make a tax payment of $12,000 in December. The current cash on hand (on December 1) is $400, but Koehl has agreed to maintain an average bank balance of $6,000-this is her target cash balance. (Disregard cash in the till, which is insignificant because Koehl keeps only a small amount on hand in order to lessen the chances of robbery.)

The estimated sales and purchases for December, January, and February are shown below. Purchases during November amounted to $140,000.

a. Prepare a cash budget for December, January, and February.

b. Now suppose that Koehl starts selling on a credit basis on December 1, giving customers 30 days to pay. All customers accept these terms, and all other facts in the problem are unchanged. What would the company's loan requirements be at the end of December in this case? (Hint: The calculations required to answer this question are minimal.)