You have just been hired as a financial analyst for Lydex Company, a manufacturer of safety helmets. Your boss has asked you to perform a comprehensive analysis of the company's financial statements, including comparing Lydex's performance to its major competitors. The company's financial statements for the last two years are as follows: To begin your assignment you gather the following financial data and ratios that are typical of companies in Lydex Company's industry: Required: 1. You decide first to assess the company's performance in terms of debt management and profitability. Compute the following for both this year and last year: (Round your "Percentage" answers to 1 decimal place and other answers to 2 decimal places.) a. The times interest earned ratio. b. The debt-to-equity ratio. c. The gross margin percentage. d. The return on total assets. (Total assets at the beginning of last year were $13,050,000 ) e. The return on equity. (Stockholders' equity at the beginning of last year totaled $8,214,950. There has been no change in common stock over the last two years.) f. Is the company's financial leverage positive or negative? \begin{tabular}{|l|l|l|l|} \hline a. The times interest earned ratio & & & \multicolumn{1}{|c|}{ Last Year } \\ \hline b. The debt-to-equity ratio & & & \\ \hline c. The gross margin percentage & & % \\ \hline d. The return on total assets & & % \\ \hline e. The return on equity & & % \\ \hline f. Is the company's financial leverage positive or negative? & & \\ \hline \end{tabular}