Total asset turnover measures the efficiency of a company’s use of all of its assets. There is no exact ratio or range to determine whether or not a company is efficient at generating revenue on such assets. This can only be discovered if a comparison is made between a company’s most recent ratio and previous periods or ratios of other similar businesses or industry standards.
Fixed vs. Total Assets
Companies with a higher FAT ratio are often more efficient than companies with a low FAT ratio. Companies with a higher FAT ratio are generally considered to be more efficient than companies with low FAT ratio. All of these are depreciated from the initial asset value periodically until they reach the end of their usefulness or are retired.
Continue reading to learn how it works, including the formula to calculate it. The asset turnover ratio measures the value of a company’s sales or revenues relative to the value of its assets. The asset turnover ratio indicates the efficiency with which a company is using its assets to generate revenue.
Over time, positive increases in the fixed asset turnover ratio can serve as an indication that a company is gradually expanding into its capacity as it matures (and the reverse for decreases across time). One common variation—termed the “fixed asset turnover ratio”—includes only long-term fixed assets (PP&E) in the calculation, as opposed to all assets. Its true value emerges when compared over time within the same company or against competitors in the same industry. However, differences in the age and quality of fixed assets can make cross-company comparisons challenging. Older, fully depreciated assets may result in a higher ratio, potentially giving a misleading impression of efficiency.
Other sectors like real estate often take long periods of time to convert inventory into revenue. Though real estate transactions may result in high profit margins, the industry-wide asset turnover ratio is low. The asset turnover ratio can also be analyzed by tracking the ratio for a single company over time. As the company grows, the asset turnover ratio measures how efficiently the company is expanding over time; especially compared to the rest of the market. Although a company’s total revenue may be increasing, the asset turnover ratio can identify whether that company is becoming more or less efficient at using its assets effectively to generate profits.
- It compares the dollar amount of sales to its total assets as an annualized percentage.
- This is the total amount of revenue generated by a company from its business activities before expenses need to be deducted.
- Though real estate transactions may result in high profit margins, the industry-wide asset turnover ratio is low.
Remember, you shouldn’t use the FAT ratio on its own but rather as one part of a larger analysis. Upgrading to a paid membership gives you access to our extensive collection of plug-and-play Templates designed to power your performance—as well as CFI’s full course catalog and accredited Certification Programs. Boost your confidence and master accounting skills effortlessly with CFI’s expert-led courses! Choose CFI for unparalleled industry expertise and hands-on learning that prepares you for real-world success.
When the business is underperforming in sales and has a relatively high amount of investment in fixed assets, the FAT ratio may be low. Moreover, the company has three types of current assets—cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable, and inventory—with the following carrying values recorded on the balance sheet. The asset turnover ratio is most helpful when compared to that of industry peers and tracking how the ratio has trended over time. The asset turnover ratio is a key component the long arm of community property laws of DuPont analysis, a system that the DuPont Corporation began in the 1920s to evaluate performance across corporate divisions.
How Can a Company Improve Its Asset Turnover Ratio?
To calculate the ratio, divide net sales or revenues by average total assets. The asset turnover ratio measures the efficiency of a company’s assets in generating revenue or sales. It compares the dollar amount of sales to its total assets as an annualized percentage. Thus, to calculate the asset turnover ratio, divide net sales or revenue by the average total assets. One variation on this metric considers only a company’s fixed assets (the FAT ratio) instead of total assets. A common variation of the asset turnover ratio is the fixed asset turnover ratio.
Generally, a higher fixed asset ratio implies more effective utilization of investments in fixed assets to generate revenue. The fixed asset turnover ratio formula divides a company’s net sales by the value of its average fixed assets. Asset turnover ratios vary across different industry sectors, so only the ratios of companies that are in the same sector should be compared. For example, retail or service sector companies have relatively small asset bases combined with high sales volume. Meanwhile, firms in sectors like utilities or manufacturing tend to have large asset bases, which translates to lower asset turnover.
Otherwise, operating inefficiencies can be created that have significant implications (i.e. long-lasting consequences) and have the potential to erode a company’s profit margins. Keep in mind that a high or low ratio doesn’t always have a direct correlation with performance. There are a few outside factors that can also contribute to this measurement.
Fixed Asset Turnover Ratio Analysis
The fixed asset turnover ratio also doesn’t consider cashflow, so companies with good fixed asset turnover ratios may also be illiquid. Companies with strong asset turnover ratios can still lose money because the amount of sales generated by fixed assets speak nothing of the company’s ability to generate solid profits or healthy cash flow. The fixed asset ratio only looks at net sales and fixed assets; company-wide expenses are not factored into the equation. In addition, there are differences in the cashflow between when net sales are collected and when fixed assets are invested in. A higher fixed asset turnover ratio indicates that a company has effectively used investments in fixed assets to generate sales. The formula to calculate the fixed asset turnover ratio compares a company’s net revenue to the average balance of fixed assets.
Typically, a higher fixed asset turnover ratio indicates that a company has more effectively utilized its investment in fixed assets to generate revenue. The fixed asset turnover ratio formula is calculated by dividing net sales by the total property, plant, and equipment net of accumulated depreciation. Fixed Asset Turnover (FAT) is a special revenue funds used for budgeting but not financial reporting financial ratio that measures a company’s ability to generate net sales from its investment in fixed assets. This ratio provides insight into how efficiently a company is utilizing its fixed assets to produce revenue. The fixed asset turnover ratio is an effective way to check how efficient your assets are.
The higher the asset turnover ratio, the better the company is performing, since higher ratios imply that the company is generating more revenue per dollar of assets. An asset turnover ratio equal to one means the net sales of a company for a specific period are equal to the average assets for that period. The company generates $1 of sales for every dollar the firm carries in assets. FAT ratio is important because it measures the efficiency of a company’s use of fixed assets. But suppose the industry average ratio is 2 and a company has a ratio of 1. This would be bad because it means the company doesn’t use fixed asset balance as efficiently as its competitors.
Fixed Asset Turnover Ratio Analysis & Interpretation
Hence, we use the average total assets across the measured net sales period in order to align the timing between both metrics. Companies can improve this ratio by increasing sales without a proportionate increase in fixed assets or by efficiently managing and utilizing their existing assets. The asset turnover ratio can vary widely from one industry to the next, so comparing the ratios of different sectors like a retail company with a telecommunications company would not be productive. Comparisons are only meaningful when they are made for different companies within the same sector. The Fixed Asset Turnover Ratio measures the efficiency at which a company can use its long-term fixed assets (PP&E) to generate revenue.