Understanding And Calculating Profitability Ratios For Your Business

Profitability ratios assist you in determining the return on sales and the capital employed by your business. There are several types of profitability ratios used to analyze the financial performance of companies. Here is a look at their differences and significances.

Gross Profit Margin

Setting up any business is a challenging task. You need to determine your company’s structure, come up with a business plan, and decide what type of business you wish to operate. For instance, is an online business a better option? According to Legalzoom, online companies can be better due to their inexpensive startup costs. One thing you must be on top of is your finances. You must pay attention to things like profitability ratios if your business is to be a success. It can, therefore, be worthwhile hiring an accountant to take care of your finances. A certified public accountant comes especially recommended, as CPAs have passed the rigorous CPA exam to become qualified and licensed. A CPA can ensure elements like calculating margin ratios are correct.

Margin ratios show the profitability of your business at different levels of cost. The margins can decrease as different cost levels become considered. Your cost levels include operating and non-operating expenses, taxes, and goods sold. There are four types of margin ratios. The first is the gross profit margin, which measures your company’s gross profit against its sales revenue.

The gross profit margin shows the amount of earnings your company generates once the costs incurred to produce services and goods are considered. If you discover a higher gross profit margin, it means your business is quite efficient in its operations. A higher gross profit indicates your profits are sufficient to cover expenses like operation costs, dividends and depreciation. A higher gross profit also leads to increased net earnings for your company, while a low gross profit suggests a higher expense of goods sold for your business. To work out your business’s gross profit margin, divide the gross profit by the revenue.

Operating Profit Margin

To calculate your operating profit margin, you first need to work out your operating profit. To do that, subtract your firm’s operating costs from its gross profit. Then divide the operating profit by the net sales to calculate your operating profit margin. If the operating margin increases quicker against your gross profit margin, it suggests your business’s management is running efficiently. Conversely, if a lower operating profit margin becomes revealed, it shows the inability of your company’s management to regulate its operation costs.

Pre-Tax Profit Margin

This ratio indicates how interest and non-operating items affect your business’s profitability. To work out the pre-tax profit margin, you first need to calculate your company’s earnings before tax. Divide that number by your company’s revenue to arrive at the ratio figure.

Net Profit Margin

This figure refers to the percentage of profit your firm generates from its revenue streams. That means you can discover the amount of net profit your company can create for each unit of increase in revenue. To calculate your net profit margin, divide your company’s net income by its revenue.

Return Ratios

The margin ratios listed above determine your business’s profitability at different levels of cost. Return ratios indicate your company’s ability to produce returns for its shareholders. Return ratios are used for assets, equity, and total capital. Take return on assets as an example. The higher your company’s ratio is, the more your business will be able to generate more income from the given number of assets. To arrive at your return on assets ratio, add your net income to your interest at the applicable tax rate, and divide the figure by your company’s average total assets.