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All the information you need to know is provided by the question screencap. Please do NOT answer if you think there is missing information since
All the information you need to know is provided by the question screencap. Please do NOT answer if you think there is missing information since here already have all the information. I will appreciate it if you can give comprehensive answers and classify them. Thank you!
Tax 87 66 61 Profit for the period 185 141 135 A junior analyst in the company has correctly prepared a spreadsheet calculating the Z-score as follows: 2017 2018 2019 Share price ($) 1.56 2.17 1.64 No. of shares (millions) 450 450 450 Market value of equity ($m) 702 976.5 738 X1 WC/TA -0.163 0.103 -0.087 X2 RE/TA 0.151 0.167 0.167 X3 PBIT/TA 0.227 0.136 0.078 X4 MVE/Total long-term debt 1.510 0.758 0.478 X5 Revenue/TA 1.0775 0.756 0.780 Z Score 2.749 1.770 1.454 Gearing [debt/equity] 107% 133% 152% You are required to: 1. Comment on the results in the junior analyst's spreadsheet. (10 marks) 2. Identify the qualitative problems that are apparent in the company's structure and performance and explain why these are relevant to possible failure. (Hints: management structure, personality and culture, operational structure, financial indicators, etc.) (10 marks) 3. Critically assess the results of your analysis in parts (a) and (b) alongside details of the company's recent financial performance and suggest additional data that should be acquired and how it could be used to assess the financial health of the company. (10 marks)Question I (30 marks): Comfort Home Limited (Comfort) is a manufacturer of battery packs. It has expanded rapidly in the last few years under the leadership of its autocratic chairman and chief executive officer, Wong. Wong is relentlessly optimistic. He likes to get his own way and demands absolute loyalty from all his colleagues. The company has developed a major new product over the last three years which has necessitated a large investment in new equipment. The board has stated that this more efficient battery is critical to the future of the business as the company operates in a sector where customers expect constant innovation from their suppliers. However, the recent share price performance has caused concern at board level and there has been comment in the financial press about the increased gearing and the strain that this expansion is putting on the company. The average share price has been $1.56 (2017), $2.17 (2018) and $1.64 (2019). There are 450 million shares in issue. A relevant Z-score model for the industry sector is: Z = 1.2X1 + 1.4X2 + 3.3X3 + 0.6X4 + X5 Where X1 is working capital/total assets (WC/TA); X2 is retained earnings reserve/total assets (RE/TA); X3 is Profit before interest and tax/total assets (PBIT/TA); X4 is market value of equity/total long-term debt (MVE/total_long-term debt); and X5 is Revenue/total assets (Revenue/TA). Generally, with reference to this industry, a score of more than 3.5 is considered safe and at below 1.8, the company is at risk of failure in the next one to two years. The company's recent income statements are summarized below: Summary Income Statements 2017 2018 2019 $m $m $m Revenue 1,460 1,560 1,915 Operating costs 1,153 1,279 1,624 Operating profit 307 281 291 Interest 35 74 95 Profit before tax 272 207 196Step by Step Solution
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