Comparison of Financial Performance of Merlin Entertainments Plc
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This report compares the financial performance of Merlin Entertainments Plc for FY2017 and FY2016 using ratio analysis. It analyzes profitability, liquidity, efficiency, and capital structure.
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TASK 2 Executive Summary The given report is aimed at drawing a comparison of the financial performance of Merlin Entertainments Plc for FY2017 and FY2016.The key tool used in this analysis is ratio analysis. The financial performance comparison for the company has been carried out regarding four aspects namelyprofitability, liquidity, efficiency and capital structure. With regards to profitability, it has been observed that there has been deterioration in performance in 2017 as compared to 2016 primairly because of increase in other operating expenses. On account of improved cash balance for 2017, the liquidity position of the company has improved.However,theefficiencymeasuredthroughreceivablecollectionperiodhas deteriorated in 2017 as compared to 2016. Similar observation can be made in the context of dividend coverage which puts the company’s future dividend paying ability at risk. A key shortcoming of this analysis is that it is based on past performance which may not be relevant for future performance. Introduction The objective of this report is to compare the financial performance of Merlin Entertainments Plc for the year ending 2017 and year ending 2016. The underlying tool that has been used for this task is ratio analysis. Ratios pertaining to different aspects of financial performance have been used so to provide a comparison of performance the different parameters. A key limitation of the report is associated to relying only on ratio analysis which is essentially based on past performance and thereby may not faithfully represent the future performance of the company. Analysis & Discussion The various ratios have been discussed below. (a)Profitability Ratios The relevant profitability ratios have been computed as shown below. 4
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From the above ratios, it is apparent that there has been a decrease in the profitability of the company from 2016 to 2017. This is evident from the fall in both the above ratios. While the decrease in net profit margin is comparatively lesser, the decrease in return on equity is higher. This may be attributed to the higher equity base for 2017 owing to the increase in retained earnings on account of the profits from the previous year (Damodaran, 2015). The decrease in profitability margins for the company may be attributed to the increase in other operating expenses from £229 million in 2016 to £256 million in 2017. Going forward, the company would need to improve on this particular aspect. (b)Liquidity Ratio The relevant liquidity ratio has been computed as shown below. The liquidity ratio highlights the ability of the business to meet the short term obligations using the current assets. From the current ratio comparison, it is apparent that there has been an improvement in the liquidity position as current ratio has increased from 2016 to 2017. This improvement in liquidity may be attributed to increase in current assets from 2016 to 2017 on account of significantly higher closing balance of cash and cash equivalents. The current liabilities did not change much during the given period. Going forward, the company should make attempts to keep the liquidity ratio higher than 1 (Parrino and Kidwell, 2014). (c)Efficiency Ratio The relevant efficiency ratio has been computed as shown below. This particular efficiency ratio aims to highlight the ability of the company to collect cash after credit sales. For lowering the cash cycle, it is advisable that the accounts receivable collection period should be lower (Beck et. al., 2013). However, it seems that this ratio has slightly worsened in 2017 as compared to 2017 as the receivable collection period has increased by about 1 day. This would lead to higher requirement of working capital leading to 5
higher interest costs and lower profitability. Going forward, it is pivotal that company should take steps to bring down the receivables collection period (Brealey, Myers and Allen, 2014). (d)Capital Structure The relevant capital structure ratio has been computed as shown below. The given ratio tends to highlight as to how long the earnings can be used to pay dividends at the current rate. A modestly high ratio is preferred which implies that it is likely that the company would continue paying dividends in the future (Petty et. al., 2015). In the given case, there is a decline in the dividend cover which implies lowering of the ability of the company’s future dividend paying ability. This is because any adverse impact on the earnings would lead to dividends being lowered or skipped all together. The current cover does not seem to provide enough comfort to the shareholders. However, it hints at a good payout ratio for the shareholders. Conclusion On the basis of the above analysis and discussion, it would be fair to conclude that the company’s financial performance on various counts has deteriorated in 2017 as compared to 2016. The most concerning and pressing issue seems to be falling profitability which needs to be addressed in the short run. A key positive from the analysis is that the liquidity position of the company has improved. However, efficiency ratio with regards to receivable collection has shown minor deterioration which does not auger well for the cash cycle and resultant financing needs of the company. Finally, the capital structure ratio in the form of dividend cover has also shown adverse movement which highlights that the future dividends of the company may be highly sensitive to the future performance as the dividend coverage does not look particularly healthy. 6
References Berk, J., DeMarzo, P., Harford, J., Ford, G., Mollica, V. and Finch, N. (2013)Fundamentals of corporate finance, London: Pearson Higher Education, pp. 78-80 Brealey, R. A., Myers, S. C. and Allen, F. (2014)Principles of corporate finance, 2nd ed. New York: McGraw-Hill Inc, pp. 101-102 Damodaran,A.(2015),Appliedcorporatefinance:Auser’smanual,3rded.,New York:Wiley, John & Sons, pp. 65-66 Parrino, R. andKidwell, D. (2014) ,Fundamentals of Corporate Finance,4thed., London: Wiley Publications,pp. 76 Petty, JW, Titman, S, Keown, A, Martin, JD, Martin, P, Burrow, M & Nguyen, H (2015), Financial Management, Principles and Applications, 3rded., Sydney: Pearson Education & French Forest Australia, pp. 88-89 7