Airline companies help facilitate busin൲ess, tr🐎avel, and the rapid transportation of goods and people to locations worldwide.
Airline companies are one part of the broader aviation industry. As many travelers may know through𝓰 experience, they can offer regional, national, and international passenger flights. Cargo airlines transport goods in the U.S. and internationally.
As investments, airline companies may have a place in individual investors' portfolios. Key financial ratios that can help investors size up the financial health of airline companies are the quick ratio, return on assets (ROA), and the debt-to-capitalization ratio.
For 2023, scheduled service passenger airlines posted an operating profit of $13.2 billion, an increase of 67% over 2022's operating profit of $7.9 billion. Net income after taxes for 2023 was $7.8 billion compared to 2022's $1.6 billion.
Key Takeaways
- The airline industry is competitive and highly seasonal.
- Profits can also be affected by energy prices and economic downturns, which are unpredictable.
- Investors use certain financial indicators to analyze airline companies, such as short-term liquidity, profitability, and long-term solvency.
- Key financial metrics analyzed by investors are the quick ratio, ROA, and the debt-to-capitalization ratio.
- For 2023, scheduled passenger service airlines posted a net income after taxes of $7.8 billion.
Analyzing Airline Companies
Competition is fierce among airline companies. The airline industry is highly seasonal, and profit can be affected by fluct𝓡uations in energy prices, economic downওturns, and more.
Investors can't necessarily predict environmental or market factors when assessing the future health of an airline company. However, they do use certain financial indicators to analyze the stability of airline companies.
These include short-term liquidity, profitability, and long-term solvency. Key financial metrics that can provide market analysts and investors with insight into these indicators are the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:quick ratio, 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:return on assets (ROA), and the debt-to-capitalization ratio.
Quick Ratio
Analysts use the quick ratio to measure an airline’s short-term liquidity and cash flow. The qui🍸ck ratio reveals whether a company can c﷽over all of its short-term debt obligations with its liquid assets, which are defined as cash or near-cash assets.
The higher the quick ratio, the better. Any value below one is considered disadvaꩲntageous because it indicates that the airline may have difficulty paying its debts.
This metric🌄 is an indicator of the overall financial strength or weakness of a company. If a company cannot meet its short-term debt obligations with readily available liquid assets, bankruptcy might become an issue.
The quick ratio is particularly useful for analyzing airline companies because they are capital-intensive and have signi🐼ficant amounts of debt.
Quick Ratio Formula
The formula for the quick ratio is:
Liquid assets ÷ Current liabilities
Other useful liquidity ratios for investors include the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:current ratio and the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:working capital ratio.
Fast Fact
Quick assets can be converted to cash quickly in an amount comparable to their present 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:book value. They inc🐎lude cash, cash equivalents, marketable securities, and n🌟et accounts receivable.
Return on Assets
ROA measures profitability. It indicates the per dollar profits that a company earns on its assets. A higher ROA means that an airline is using its assets effectively and efficiently to generate profits. That translates to earning more with smaller inve𒊎stments.
Because an airline company’s primary assets, its planes, generate the bulk of its revenues, this metric is a particularly appropria💎te profitability measure.
ROA Formula
澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询: The formula for ROA is:
澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询: Net income ÷ Total assets
The 🥀res🥂ulting value is expressed as a percentage.
Alternative profitability ratios investors may consider are the operating profit margin and the ear𝓰nings before interest, taxes, deprecᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚiation, and amortization (EBITDA) margin.
Debt-to-Capitalization Ratio
The 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:total debt-to-capitalization ratio is a vital metric for analyzing airline ꦉcompanies because it adequately evaluates the debt position and overall financial soundness of companies with significant ca🌞pital expenditures.
This ratio is useful for evaluating companies in an industry that may have to withstand extended economic or market downturns and resulting periods of revenue losses or dimไinis෴hed profit margins.
Analysts and investors typically prefer to see a debt-to-capitalization ratio that is lower than o🍬ne as that indicates an overall lower level of fi🌊nancial risk.
Debt-to-Capitalization Ratio Formula
The formula ♑for the deb൩t-to-capitalization ratio is:
Total debt ÷ Total available capital
A𝓡lternative ratios for evaluating long-term financial solvency include the total-debt-to-total-equity ratio and the total-debt-to-total-assets ratio.
What Else Can Investors Consider To Evaluate Airline Companies?
They can consider airline♋-specific performance metrics such as available seat miles, cost per available seat mile, break-even load factor, and revenue per available seat mile.
Is the Quick Ratio the Same as the Current Ratio?
They both can help investors by providing a look at the state of an airline company's short-term liquidity. However, while the quick ratio compares liquid assets to current liabilities, the current ratio compares current assets to current liabilities. These current assets are cash, inventory, and receivables.
Is On-Time Performance a Useful Metric for Evaluating Airline Companies?
It can be, when it's part of an overall solid reputation that an airline has in the eyes of passengers. Research shows that maintaining high standards, such as reliable on-time performance and fewer cancellations, can lead to financial returns that outpace other airlines without such a reputation.
The Bottom Line
The quick ratio, return on assets, and the debt-to-capitalization ratio are three🌸 key financial ratios that many investors and analy𝔍sts use to measure the financial well-being and stability of airline companies.
They can provide insight into these companies' short-term liquidity, profitability, and long-term solvency. Furthermore, they can be useful when compared to other relevant metrics, such as the working capital ratio, operating profit margin, and the total-debt-to-total-equity ratio.