Required information

Skip to question

[The following information applies to the questions displayed below.]

Simon Companys year-end balance sheets follow.

At December 31Current Year1 Year Ago2 Years AgoAssets Cash$ 33,305$ 38,931$ 41,389Accounts receivable, net89,40062,50050,000Merchandise inventory115,00082,00051,000Prepaid expenses10,72510,2194,599Plant assets, net333,523308,034284,012Total assets$ 581,953$ 501,684$ 431,000Liabilities and Equity Accounts payable$ 140,559$ 82,241$ 55,185Long-term notes payable106,125111,92692,393Common stock, $10 par value162,500162,500162,500Retained earnings172,769145,017120,922Total liabilities and equity$ 581,953$ 501,684$ 431,000

The company’s income statements for the current year and one year ago follow. Assume that all sales are on credit:

For Year Ended December 31Current Year1 Year AgoSales $ 756,539 $ 597,004Cost of goods sold$ 461,489 $ 388,053 Other operating expenses234,527 151,042 Interest expense12,861 13,731 Income tax expense9,835 8,955 Total costs and expenses 718,712 561,781Net income $ 37,827 $ 35,223Earnings per share $ 2.33 $ 2.17

(2-a) Compute accounts receivable turnover.

(2-b) For each ratio, determine if it improved or worsened in the current year.