Simon Companys year-end balance sheets follow.

At December 31	Current Yr					1 Yr Ago			2 Yrs Ago
Assets
Cash		$	34,945			$	43,374		$	44,312
Accounts receivable, net			104,412				72,956			58,492
Merchandise inventory			132,591				98,354			63,559
Prepaid expenses			11,369				11,386			4,874
Plant assets, net			327,281				300,308			276,363
Total assets		$	610,598			$	526,378		$	447,600
Liabilities and Equity
Accounts payable		$	155,080			$	90,737		$	57,902
Long-term notes payable secured by mortgages on plant assets			114,792				119,856			98,920
Common stock, $10 par value			162,500				162,500			162,500
Retained earnings			178,226				153,285			128,278
Total liabilities and equity		$	610,598			$	526,378		$	447,600

The companys income statements for the Current Year and 1 Year Ago, follow.

For Year Ended December 31	Current Yr						1 Yr Ago
Sales				$	793,777					$	626,390
Cost of goods sold	$	484,204					$	407,154
Other operating expenses		246,071						158,477
Interest expense		13,494						14,407
Income tax expense		10,319						9,396
Total costs and expenses					754,088						589,434
Net income				$	39,689					$	36,956
Earnings per share				$	2.44					$	2.27

For both the Current Year and 1 Year Ago, compute the following ratios:

(3-a) Times interest earned. (3-b) Based on times interest earned, is the company more or less risky for creditors in the Current Year versus 1 Year Ago?

Complete this question by entering your answers in the tabs below.

• Required 3A
• Required 3B

Times interest earned.

Times Interest Earned
	Choose Numerator:	/	Choose Denominator:	=	Times Interest Earned
		/		=	Times interest earned
Current Year:		/		=		times
1 Year Ago:		/		=		times