In this post, we will dive into how Kraft Heinz (KHC) recognizes its assets and manages its working capital. This entails understanding which assets are reflected in their financial statements. I will conduct a comparative analysis by comparing key financial ratios with those of KHC's primary competitors: Nestle, Unilever, and Tyson Foods. These ratios are important in demonstrating how well the company portrays its assets on the balance sheet and how these figures connect with other variables, revealing the efficiency of asset recognition for revenue growth. To provide a clearer view, I will start by explaining the critical ratios associated with asset recognition and include in my analysis visual graphs for better understanding.
Note: All graphs displayed were found using Capital IQ and the Company´s 10k..........
The components of the Cash Ratio are cash and cash equivalents divided by the total current liabilities of the company. In general accounting terms a ratio of more than 0.5 is recommended for companies to be able to hold enough cash in hand to have some sort of cushion to pay those current liabilities. In terms of this number, KHC does not have more than 0.5 in any of the last few years. Meaning that their cash in hand is considerably low in regards of the liabilities they currently. This is not ideal because it also means that KHC will not have the same facilities to pay off short term debt and will need more cash on hand to pay off the short term debt. In terms of its competition, Nestle has a very similar cash ratio in comparison to KHC. Unilever and General Mills are behind Nestle and KHC, meaning that KHC has a great cash ratio and is surpassing its competitiors in 3 of the 5 years. However, something happened last year because it had a sudden decrease in the cash ratio. This could mean that they had a year with more operating expenses which lead to them holding less cash.
In the data, we observe the current ratio of Kraft Heinz Company (KHC) and three of its competitors. The current ratio is calculated by dividing current assets by current liabilities, and it serves as a measure of the relationship between a company's available liquid assets and its immediate short-term financial debt. A favorable current ratio within the industry is typically defined as being equal to or greater than 1.
A notable observation from the chart is that KHC and its competitors generally exhibit current ratios that are closely aligned. Occasionally, these ratios dip slightly below 1, but the deviations are not significant. Such fluctuations are not uncommon, as short-term liquidity needs can vary year in year out. What is imoportant, however, is the longer-term trend. Maintaining a current ratio below 1 over subsequent years would raise alarms for investors.
In such a scenario, the company may need to resort to additional financing or make provisions for potential debt charge off, which could provoke a decrease in revenue and in gross profit.
Days Cash on Hand is an important financial number that offers insights into a company's ability to sustain its operations solely using its available cash, without relying on external financial help. It essentially tells us how many days a company can cover its operating expenses using its existing cash, and this is achieved without any external financial aid.
Kraft Heinz Company (KHC) notably has one of the highest Days Cash on Hand figures compared to its industry peers: Unilever, Nestle, and Tyson Foods. This indicates that KHC has a considerable cushion of cash available to cover its operational expenses, and it can do so for an extended period without necessitating external financing. This is a significant advantage as it means KHC is less likely to have higher interest expenses on their balance sheet.
The higher the number of days cash on hand, the longer a company can sustain its operations without external financial assistance. In the case of KHC, it stands out by consistently having more days than its competitors over the past five years, indicating a robust financial position and a reduced reliance on external funding sources. This robust cash position can enhance the company's financial stability and flexibility.
Accounts Receivable Days is a financial metric that quantifies the average number of days required for a company to collect payments from its clients following a sale. The more extended the duration a company takes to realize its receivables, the worse it is on its financial health. More DSO can be regarded as a managerialm problem.
In the context of B2B transactions, it is essential to acknowledge that a delay in payment is commonplace, given negotiated credit terms and industry-specific norms. It is imperative to consider these factors when assessing whether a high DSO is indicative of unfavorable financial performance or merely reflective of industry practices.
In the case of KHC (Kraft Heinz Company), it exhibits a relatively low DSO when compared to Nestle, signifying a more efficient receivables collection process. However, the comparison should be made while considering industry DSO benchmarks. In comparison to Tyson Foods and Unilever, the trends are very similar.
The Cash Conversion Cycle is a vital metric for most companies, offering insights into how efficient they manage their working capital. A shorter CCC is typically more favorable, indicating efficient operations. In the graph, it's evident that KHC has maintained a consistently low average CCC over the last few years, highlighting their efficient working capital management. However, when comparing KHC to some of its competitors, such as General Mills and Unilever, we notice an intriguing trend of negative CCC over the past five years. This situation, while unusual, can be advantageous for companies. A negative CCC means that they are receiving cash from customers before they need to settle their payables and other expenses. This is beneficial as it provides a financial cushion and simplifies debt repayment. However, KHC's CCC, while not in bad levels, does leave room for some improvement in comparison to their competitors. Their CCC is typically quite low, which means they are repaying their debts shortly after receiving income from sales.
The fixed asset ratio is a financial measure that assesses the proportion of a company's long-term assets compared to its total assets. It's worth noting that if a company owns certain fixed assets, these assets are not listed on the balance sheet; instead, they are placed in the off balance sheet. The assets reported on the balance sheet are typically assets that are leased and are treated as if they were financed through a loan..
In the graph, we can observe that KHC (Kraft Heinz Company) has the highest Fixed Asset ratio when compared to Unilever, Nestle, and General Mills. This suggests that a significant portion of KHC's total assets is composed of fixed assets that are listed on the balance sheet. This could be because KHC possesses more valuable fixed assets in categories such as headquarters, stores, and other long-term assets, in comparison to its competitors.
It's also important to note that when comparing these percentages with KHC, all three of these companies have adopted the new accounting standards introduced in October 2019. This standardization in accounting practices makes comparisons more......
The PPE is a financial metric which indicates how much of the revenue is generated from its fixed assets investments. This metric is very similar to the Fixed Asset Ratio, the difference is that it only includes Property Plants and Equipment. This gives a better wide view of fixed asset investments. Because the fixed ratio include the other long term assets and Goodwill, when the PPE exclude them it makes it more accurate. In the graph,Unilever and General Mills have a very similar levels of PPE turnover. Meaning that the return on its fixed PPE assets are higher than Nestle and KHC. For KHC this means that we look at only net property and equipment. This means that the reason why its fixed asset ratio is higher than its competitiors is because of other fixed assets that are not PPE.