Lydex Company Comparative Balance Sheet
	This Year		Last Year
Assets
Current assets:
Cash	$	960,000	$	1,200,000
Marketable securities		0		300,000
Accounts receivable, net		2,700,000		1,800,000
Inventory		3,600,000		2,000,000
Prepaid expenses		260,000		200,000
Total current assets		7,520,000		5,500,000
Plant and equipment, net		9,520,000		9,050,000
Total assets	$	17,040,000	$	14,550,000
Liabilities and Stockholders' Equity
Liabilities:
Current liabilities	$	4,010,000	$	2,980,000
Note payable, 10%		3,660,000		3,060,000
Total liabilities		7,670,000		6,040,000
Stockholders' equity:
Common stock, $75 par value		7,500,000		7,500,000
Retained earnings		1,870,000		1,010,000
Total stockholders' equity		9,370,000		8,510,000
Total liabilities and stockholders' equity	$	17,040,000	$	14,550,000

Lydex Company Comparative Income Statement and Reconciliation
	This Year		Last Year
Sales (all on account)	$	15,860,000	$	13,580,000
Cost of goods sold		12,688,000		10,185,000
Gross margin		3,172,000		3,395,000
Selling and administrative expenses		1,006,000		1,604,000
Net operating income		2,166,000		1,791,000
Interest expense		366,000		306,000
Net income before taxes		1,800,000		1,485,000
Income taxes (30%)		540,000		445,500
Net income		1,260,000		1,039,500
Common dividends		400,000		519,750
Net income retained		860,000		519,750
Beginning retained earnings		1,010,000		490,250
Ending retained earnings	$	1,870,000	$	1,010,000

Current ratio	2.4
Acid-test ratio	1.1
Average collection period	40	days
Average sale period	60	days
Return on assets	9.3	%
Debt-to-equity ratio	0.7
Times interest earned ratio	5.9
Price-earnings ratio	10

Required:

(Round your "Percentage" answers to 1 decimal place and other answers to 2 decimal places.)

FOR THIS YEAR AND LAST YEAR, COMPUTE:

The times interest earned ratio.

The debt-to-equity ratio.

The gross margin percentage.

The return on total assets. (Total assets at the beginning of last year were $13,070,000.)

The return on equity. (Stockholders equity at the beginning of last year totaled $7,990,250. There has been no change in common stock over the last two years.)

f. Is the companys financial leverage positive or negative?