Profitability ratios
To assess a company's profitability, several ratios are used that provide insights into its financial performance. Below are the key profitability metrics and their interpretation guides.
Gross margin and gross margin %
Gross margin describes how much of the revenue remains for the company after the variable costs of sales have been deducted.
Gross Profit Interpretation Guide
Gross margin indicates the profitability of a company's core business without fixed costs and other operating expenses. A high gross margin means the company can more easily cover its other costs and achieve a better operating result. Differences between industries are significant; for example, software companies typically have a higher gross margin than retail companies.
Formula
EBITDA and EBITDA %
Operating margin percentage measures relative profitability and is suitable for comparing different industries because it takes into account industry-specific differences in cost structures.
Operating Margin Interpretation Guide
EBITDA is a good indicator for monitoring profitability. It describes a company's business result before depreciation, financial items, and taxes have been deducted. So, it tells how much margin remains from turnover after deducting operating expenses. A good EBITDA margin percentage varies by industry, and there are no uniform values for its interpretation. Here's how to calculate EBITDA and EBITDA margin percentage
Formula
Operating profit and operating profit %
The operating profit percentage describes the ratio of operating profit to revenue and measures the company's operational profitability.
Operating profit interpretation guide
The operating profit percentage is useful for comparing companies in the same industry because it does not include financial items. Capital-intensive companies usually have a higher percentage.
Formula
Financial result and financial result-%
The financing result is a key indicator that measures a company's ability to finance its investments and manage loan repayments with the profit generated by its operations. The financing result percentage is a profitability ratio used to measure a company's dynamic liquidity.
Financial Result Percentage Interpretation Guide
For a company to be in a stable growth phase, it should be able to cover at least loan amortizations. Since the figure also includes non-cash flow events, such as inventory changes, it is recommended to also review the actual cash flows.
Formula
Net result and net result %
The net profit percentage shows the company's profit after all expenses except for extraordinary items have been taken into account.
Net profit margin interpretation guide
This metric is useful for comparing companies in the same industry. A higher net profit percentage suggests a more productive and cost-effective company.
Formula
Total result and total result %
This ratio relates the total operating result shown in the adjusted income statement to the revenue, including extraordinary items.
Overall Result Interpretation Guide
It is comparable to net profit. Extraordinary items, such as group contributions, can significantly affect a company's profitability ratios and give a distorted picture of its true liquidity and profitability.
Formula
Return on equity %
Return on Equity (ROE) measures the ratio of net income to shareholder's equity and indicates the company's profitability in relation to the capital invested by its owners.
Return on Equity Interpretation Guide
Return on equity is one of the most important metrics used by owners and investors to describe a company's profitability. This key figure indicates the company's ability to manage the capital invested by owners in the company. The figure shows how much return has accumulated on the capital during the financial period.
Formula
Return on Invested Capital %
Return on Investment (ROI) is one of the most important ratios produced by financial statement analysis. It measures the company's relative profitability, i.e., the return generated on the capital invested in the company that requires a return.
Interpretation Guide for Return on Total Capital
The ratio helps in evaluating different investment options. If the ROI of an investment is positive or higher than that of other alternatives, the investment is profitable. However, it should be noted that ROI is easily manipulated and can be interpreted in different ways.
Formula
Return on total capital
ROA describes the relative profitability of the business and indicates how much of the profit has been achieved with the total capital.
Total Return on Capital Interpretation Guide
The figure indicates how much return has accumulated on the capital committed to business operations during the financial period. This key figure compares profit before financial expenses and taxes to the total capital committed to business operations.