Western Alliance Bancorporation
Buy or Sell?

Measures how much profit a company makes for each $1 of sales after paying variable costs (production costs, wages) but before taxes.

How to use 

An operating margin of 20% means the company generated $0,2 for each $1 in revenue (before taxes).

• Higher is better
• Above 15% is considered healthy (always use industry average)
• Can be very different between industries
• Can be used to compare companies

Why do investors use operating margin in their analysis

To determine how much profit a company is making from it’s core business.

Things to be aware of

• Only compare with other companies in the same industry
• Can be calculated in different ways

How to calculate operating margin

• Operating margin = operating earnings / revenue

Real life example

A real life example of Tesla. You need the following data to determine operating margin:

• Income statement

• Operating margin = operating earnings / revenue
• $2,464,000 / $16,934,000 = 0.145 *100% = 14.5%

Tesla generated $0,145 for each $1 of sales (before taxes).

Operating margin is used to calculate how much profit a company makes after variable costs of production but before paying interest and taxes. Some variable costs examples are wages, raw materials, packaging, and transaction fees. The amount of variable costs is different for each company and industry. In general, a higher operating margin is better as this implicates that a company is running efficiently. 

For investors, a higher operating margin is a good sign. Although you should always look at operating margin in the long term. If operating margin is fluctuating over the years this might be a sign that things are not running efficiently enough. It’s a way to check how much profit a company is making from its core business.

Operation earnings can be calculated in multiple ways:

• Operation earnings = EBIT - non operating income + non operating expense
• Operation earnings = Gross profit - operating expense - depreciation and amortisation
• Operation earnings =  Total revenue - COGS (costs of goods sold) - indirect costs

Don’t worry about all the terms, I already calculated the operation margin for every company. Just use the search bar at the top of this page and fill in the ticker symbol of the stock you want to check. A healthy operating margin is above 15%. Always compare operating margin between the same type of companies and industries.

Measures how efficient the company is creating its products or services while keeping operating costs low.

If the operating ratio is below 1 that means the company is making money. The lower the operating ratio, the more efficient the company.

How to use operating ratio

keypoint text= An operation ratio of 0.5 means that the operating costs are $0,5 for each $1 in net sales.

• Lower is better
• Below 1 is considered healthy (always use industry average)
• Can be very different between industries
• Can be used to compare companies

Why do investors use operating ratio in their analysis

Shows if costs of creating products and or services is increasing or decreasing. The lower the operating ratio, the more efficient the company is creating products and services. 

Things to be aware of

• Only compare with other companies in the same industry
• You need COGS (Cost Of Goods Sold) to calculate operating ratio which is not always shown in the income statement
• Does not consider debt

The three steps every investor should look at:

• What is the current net operating ratio?
• What is the long term trend?
• How does it compare to the industry?

How to calculate operating ratio

• Operating ratio = Operating expenses plus COGS \ Net sales

Real life example

A real life example of Tesla. You need the following data to determine operating ratio:

• Income statement

COGS is not specified on the income statement so we use the following calculation:

• (cost of revenue plus total operating expenses) / total revenue
• ($12,700,000 plus $1,628,000) / $16,934,000 = 0.84

Tesla's operating costs are $0,84 for each $1 in net sales.

The operating ratio measures the efficiency of a company at keeping low costs while generating profits from sales. It compares the total operating expenses to the net amount of sales. The total operating expenses exists of:

• COGS (materials, labour, rent of facility, repairs) 
• Operating expenses (legal fees, marketing, wages, rent, maintenance/repairs)

Operating expenses are all the costs the company makes that are not directly tied to the production of the service or product.  Where COGS are costs that are directly tied to the production of a product or service.

Do note that COGS is not always available in the income statement. Some companies include COGS in the operating expenses while others list COGS separately. To make it even more confusing, COGS is also known as “costs of sales” and costs of sales is the same as costs of revenue.

The operating ratio tells you how efficient the company is creating its products or services while keeping prices low. In this case, a lower ratio is better. Higher or rising operating ratios might tell you that costs are rising while sales are not improving or staying the same.

Measures if the company is able to pay off short-term debts (debts due within 1 year).

How to use current ratio

A current ratio of 1.5 means the company has $1.5 in assets for each $1 in short term liabilities (debts).

• Higher is better
• Above 1 is considered healthy (always use industry average)
• Can be very different between industries
• Can be used to compare companies

Why do investors use current ratio in their analysis

Shows if the company can pay of short term debts if needed. A company that can't pay off it's short term debts might get in trouble if they have to pay off their short term debts for whatever reason.

Things to be aware of

• Only compare with other companies in the same industry
• Might be deluded
• Not all assets can always be quickly sold
• Can be manipulated by increasing or decreasing the assets and/or liabilities

The three steps every investor should look at:

• What is the current current ratio?
• What is the long term trend?
• How does it compare to the industry?

How to calculate current ratio

• Current ratio = current assets / current liabilities

Real life example

A real life example of Tesla. You need the following data to determine operating ratio:

• Balance sheet

• Current ratio = current assets / current liabilities
• $31,222,000 / $21,821,000 = 1.43

Tesla has $1.43 for each $1 in liabilities

The current ratio measures if the company is able to pay short-term debts (obligations). Short term in this context means all debt obligations that are about to expire within one year. The current ratio incorporates current liabilities and current assets. Current assets are all the assets a company has that are expected to be consumed or sold within standard business operations. You can find the current assets in the balance sheet. They consist of:

• Inventory
• Accounts receivable
• Marketable securities
• Prepaid expenses
• Cash
• Cash equivalents
• Ther liquid assets

The current liabilities are short term obligations that are due within one year. These consist of:

• Short term debts (loans)
• Dividends
• Income taxes
• Accounts payable (customers that owe the company money)
• Interest payments (outstanding bonds or other loans)

The current liabilities are also found in the balance sheet. To calculate the current ratio:

• Current ratio = current assets / current liabilities

The result shows an investor if the company is able to pay all its short-term (<1 year) debts if they were due all at once.  When the result of the above formula is below 1, then the company does not have enough capital after selling all its assets to pay all short-term debts. If the ratio drops far below 1 that might indicate the company is or will be in financial trouble anytime soon. 

A current ratio of 1.5 indicates that the company has $1.5 in current assets to cover each $1 of liabilities. If this drops to $0.5 then the company can’t pay the debts if needed.

Although this gives an investor some clues, the current ratio may also be deluded. Because owning assets does not mean the company can easily sell them. Also, account receivables (customers that owe the company money) may be quite old which deludes the current ratio. As with all ratios, you should only compare them between the same industries and companies.

Measures if the company is able to pay short-term debts (debts due within 1 year). But only uses the most liquid assets (cash, marketable securities and accounts retrievable).]

How to use quick ratio

[keypoint text=A quick ratio of 0,8 means the company can pay off $0,8 for each $1 in debt (using most liquid assets)]

• Higher is better
• Above 1 is considered healthy (always use industry average)
• Can be very different between industries
• Can be used to compare companies

Why do investors use quick ratio in their analysis

Shows how fast the company can pay off its short term debts.

Things to be aware of

• Only compare with other companies in the same industry
• Incorporates only most liquid assets

How to calculate quick ratio

• Quick ratio = cash and equivalents plus marketable securities plus accounts receivable / current liabilities]

Real life example

A real life example of Tesla. You need the following data to determine operating ratio:

• Balance sheet

• Quick ratio = cash and equivalents plus marketable securities plus accounts receivable / current liabilities
• ($18,324,000 plus $519,000 plus $2,081,000) / $21,821,000 = 0.95

Tesla can pay off $0,95 for each $1 dollar in debt in the short term (using only fast liquid assets).

The quick ratio measures the same thing as the current ratio, only it uses the most liquid assets a company has. Meaning, the assets that can be sold for cash the easiest and fastest.

As the quick ratio only incorporates the most liquid assets, you should also check the current ratio which also includes less liquid assets. But they may be harder to sell. 

Shows if the company is owned by creditors or shareholders.

When there is more debt than assets, that means the company is owned by creditors and not by it's owners.

How to use debt to asset ratio

A debt to asset ratio of 0.45 (45%) means that the company is financed with 45% credit and 55% is financed by it's owners (shareholders)

• Lower is better
• below 1 (100%) is considered healthy (always use industry average)
• Can be very different between industries
• Can be used to compare companies

Why do investors use the debt to asset ratio in their analysis

 It shows how much debt the company used to finance its assets. 

Things to be aware of

• Only compare with other companies in the same industry
• Some companies can have higher debt to assets ratio's (for example, banks).

How to calculate debt to asset ratio

• Debt to asset ratio = total debt / total assets

Real life example

A real life example of Tesla. You need the following data to determine debt to asset ratio:

• Balance sheet

• Debt to asset ratio = total debt / total assets
• $30,855,000 / $68,513,000 = 0.45

45% of Tesla is financed  with credit and 55% is financed by its owners (shareholders).

The debt to total assets ratio shows if the company is owned by creditors or shareholders. Or in other words, the total debt in relation to the total amount of assets. It shows how much debt the company used to finance its assets. 

If the ratio is 0,6, that means that 60% is financed by creditors and 40% is financed by its owners (shareholders). In this case, a higher ratio means more risk because most of the company is financed by creditors. A ratio above 1 means the company is funded by credit and took on many loans.

[keypoint text= Measures the total debt versus the total shareholders equity.]

Shareholders equity = total assets - total liabilities. What's leftover after all liabilities (debt) are paid off is called shareholders equity.

How to use debt to equity ratio

[keypoint text= A debt to equity ratio of 0.84 means that company has $0,84 debt for each $1 in equity]

• Lower is better
• Below 2 is considered healthy (always use industry average)
• Can be very different between industries
• Can be used to compare companies

Why do investors use the debt to equity ratio in their analysis

It shows how much debt the company used to finance their operations. 

Things to be aware of

• Only compare with other companies in the same industry.
• Not all debt is equally risky (for example, short term risk is less risky).

How to calculate debt to equity ratio

Debt to equity ratio = total debt / shareholders equity

Real life example

[keypoint text=

A real life example of Tesla. You need the following data to determine equity ratio:

• Balance sheet

• Debt to equity ratio = total debt / shareholders equity
• $30,855,000 / $36,376,000 = 0.84

Tesla has $0.84 debt for each $1 in equity.]

Debt to equity measures the total debt versus the total shareholders equity. While the total debts to total assets ratio uses total assets, the debt to equity ratio looks at the total equity of shareholders. Where equity of shareholders are:

• Common shares
• Preferred shares
• Retained earnings (net profits after dividend payments)

You can find the shareholders' equity in the balance sheet. A ratio between 0,5 and 1,5 is preferred. If the ratio is above 1.5,  that would indicate creditors have significantly more stake (debt) in the company than the shareholders. In other words, the company is using a lot of debt to finance their operations.

Not all debt is equally risky. Meaning you can adjust the ratio by including or excluding certain amounts of debt. Short term debts are less risky because they have to be paid back within one year anyway. It’s much easier to plan one year ahead versus five or ten years.

Compares the company's stock price to its earnings.

Indicates if the company’s shares are under or overvalued. A very high PE ratio means that the price of the stock is much higher than the reported earnings. 

How to use PE ratio

A PE ratio of 15 means the investor is paying $15 for every $1 in earnings

• Above 15 is considered overpriced but is hard to determine (always use industry average)
• Can be very different between industries
• Can be used to compare companies

Why do investors use PE ratio in their analysis

The PE ratio tells investors the current sentiment in the market for that company. As with every stock, the stock price never shows the real valuation of a company but rather how the market thinks how much the stock is worth. 

In other words, the current stock price also incorporates any future earnings or business opportunities in the future. The best example is the stock market crash in 2000. The PE ratio for any internet based company was going through the roof. Only based on the general assumption the internet and all associated businesses would thrive in the future. But this was based on nothing. A business still needs a good product or service to be able to survive. Instead, every investor bought any stock which did something related to the internet.

Many investors were willing to pay premium prices and that was causing the PE ratio to rise. A high PE ratio is a warning sign that investors might be overvaluing a stock based on future earnings.

Things to be aware of

• Only compare with other companies in the same industry
• Some industries might have very high or very low PE ratios in general
• PE ratios can be high for several years, it does not mean a sudden collapse is imminent.
• Earnings growth is not included in the PE ratio

How to calculate PE ratio

• PE ratio = market value per share / earnings per share (The market value per share is simply the current stock price. )

The PE ratio is a very commonly used ratio to determine the value of a company by comparing the current stock price relative to its earnings per share (EPS). Before we can calculate the PE ratio we need to know the EPS. EPS is calculated as follows:

• EPS = (net profit - preferred dividends) / end of period outstanding shares
• Net profit = revenue - expenses
• Outstanding shares can be found in the balance sheet

The PE value helps investors to determine if the current stock price is under or overvalued. It also projects future growth.

In general, a higher PE ratio means that investors predict higher future growth. If the PE ratio is too high, then investors expect way too much future growth the company can never fulfil. This is most likely to happen in faster moving companies like tech companies or automobile companies like Tesla. These are hot and booming markets where investors expect much future growth driven by new technology (electric cars). When looking at the current MRQ (most recent quarter) PE ratio of Tesla ( jan. 2021) it's about 247 while the average in the industry is only 6. That might be a clue that Tesla is trading for way too high prices compared to their current assets and is more based on future growth.

Shows if the stock is under or overvalued compared to it's book value.

The book value of a company is what remains when you subtract total liabilities from total assets. This can also become negative which means the company has more debts than assets.

The price to book ratio shows the investor if the stock is under or overvalued. A high price to book ratio means that the investor is paying more for a share than the company has in total assets. 

How to use PB ratio

A PB ratio of 3 means the investor is paying $3 for each $1 in book value.

• Lower is better
• At or below 1 is considered healthy
• Can be very different between industries
• Can be used to compare companies

Why do investors use PB ratio in their analysis

Helps investors to determine if the current stock price is under or overvalued. A low PB ratio means the company’s stock is trading for less than the leftover of total assets - total liabilities. PB ratios can also turn negative which means the company might be in serious financial trouble. In other words, the company has more liabilities than assets. 

Things to be aware of

• Only compare with other companies in the same industry
• Negative PB ratio means that the company might be in serious financial trouble
• A higher PB ratio than 1 also means that you are last in line (shareholders get paid last when a company defaults) when the company goes bankrupt for whatever reason.

How to calculate price to book ratio

1. Calculate the book value: total assets - total liabilities
2. Calculate book value per share: book value / total outstanding shares
3. Price to book ratio = share price / book value per share

Real life example

A real life example of Tesla. You need the following data to determine Price to book ratio:

• Balance sheet  
• Current stock price
• Key performance indicators

1. Calculate the book value: total assets - total liabilities:

• Book value = $68,513,000 - $30,855,000 = $37,658,000

2. Calculate book value per share:

• Book value per share = $37,658,000 / total outstanding shares (can be found in the latest balance sheet):

• Book value per share = $37,658,000 / 3,465,000 = $10.868

3. Price to book ratio = share price / $10.868:

• MRQ (most recent quarter) PB ratio = $673.420 / $10.868 = $61,96

Investors are paying $61,96 for each $1 in book value. This is considered very overvalued.

The price to book ratio is another way to determine if a stock is under or overvalued. The PB ratio is used to compare the current stock price to its book value. In other words, the PB ratio is used to compare all the assets minus liabilities in relation to the stock price.

If the PB ratio is greater than 1 that means the stock is trading for a higher price than the intrinsic value of the company. Meaning, you pay more than what the company is worth. Although future growth is hard to measure. A higher PB ratio than 1 also means that you are last in line (shareholders get paid last when a company defaults) when the company goes bankrupt for whatever reason. 

Book value is limited for companies that offer services because there are not many tangible assets on the balance sheet compared to large manufacturing companies. It also does not take brand names, patents and other things in consideration.