Simon Company's year-end balance sheets follow.

At December 31Current Yr1 Yr Ago2 Yrs AgoAssetsCash$26,600$31,400$32,061Accounts receivable, net74,80454,95141,910Merchandise inventory95,01269,05445,987Prepaid expenses8,4817,8393,527Plant assets, net241,483221,566194,015Total assets$446,380$384,810$317,500Liabilities and EquityAccounts payable$107,814$64,383$42,748Long-term notes payable secured by

mortgages on plant assets83,91986,73670,869Common stock, $10 par value162,500162,500162,500Retained earnings92,14771,19141,383Total liabilities and equity$446,380$384,810$317,500

The company's income statements for the Current Year and 1 Year Ago, follow.

For Year Ended December 31Current Yr1 Yr AgoSales$580,294$457,924Cost of goods sold$353,979$297,651Other operating expenses179,891115,855Interest expense9,86510,532Income tax expense7,5446,869Total costs and expenses551,279430,907Net income$29,015$27,017Earnings per share$1.79$1.66

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?