EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Ratio analysis is one of the most common methods of analyzing a company. They are simple to calculate needing only public information from financial statements. The purpose is to use past relationships of financial accounts to predict future results. Perhaps the most important ratios involve operating income. ROE, gross profit margin, operating margin, and net profit margin give information about how the company achieved results in the past. Of these, operating margin is the most important. This ratio demonstrates a company’s ability to generate income from normal business operations. Look for at least a 10% margin. Extraordinary items ...