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Assessment Guidance Template
Assessment Guidance Template
Do not repeat the questions in red font. They have been provided to help you
identify what is expected – the salient points.
Do not copy and paste other people’s work. Paraphrase and reference all
definitions, claims and information used.
No fake references – you lose marks for them.
Introduction
Steps
What is the name of the company?
What does the company sell?
What profit did it make in the last 2 years?
What is the purpose of the report?
The Boeing Company designs, manufactures and sells planes, satellites, rockets,
missiles (Weiss and Ami, 2019). The Boeing Company is one of the world’s largest
manufacturer of aerospace and defence equipment (Cameron, 2019). The Company
made over $101.billion in revenues in 2018 (Zazulia, 2019) and have been ranked
consistently among the top 100 companies in the Fortune Global 500 list (Fortune
500, 2019). In this report, the financial performance of Boeing is analysed.
Furthermore, developments affecting the financial performance of Boeing are
outlined, including how it manages the risks associated with its sources of finance
and dividend policy.
1 Section A:
Question: Critically discuss two recent developments in the international
environment appear to have impacted on your chosen company’s recent
performance and development. Analyse how these two developments are likely
to impact on the company in the near future. (10 marks)
Steps
What is the development? State it as development one, development two.
The development can be one that generated a positive or negative outcome
Describe the development briefly.
What is effect of the development on the financial performance of the
company? Discuss the financial impacts – positive and/or negative – It can be
increase or decrease of revenues, profit, share price, liabilities, assets etc.
These financial impacts have to be in the form of facts and figures supported
by credible sources. So, provide citation and reference for these.
Any strategy developed or implemented by the company to mitigate/exploit the
impacts of the development?
The cancellation of aircraft orders also caused Boeing to lose over $5.6Billion in
revenues (MacmIllain, 2019) as inventory piled up (Bogaisky, 2020). On March,
Boeing shares tanked and about $25billion was wiped off its market value(Layne,
2019b; Isidore, 2019). Investment banks such as Walton has cut Boeing target share
price $95 to $375, citing an increase in “likelihood of a pause on the 737 MAX
production system” due to a delay in the jet’s return (Johnson and Ajmera, 2019). At
one point, $4.3billion was wiped off the Boeing Company market value (Winck,
2020). The impact of these crashes led to the loss of $636M in 2019 (Boeing first
annual loss in 23years)
Any strategy developed or implemented by the company to mitigate the effect of the
development?
Boeing CEO has faced a lot of questions regarding the company’s strategy on
handling the crisis. First, Boeing identified the faults that caused the crashes by
working on the software and make updates(Chua, 2019). Boeing assured airline
operators that it would not sell further aircraft until they are certified airworthy by the
FAA (Gelles, 2019b). Boeing has fired its CEO and appointed a new one; suspended
its share buyback, increased its borrowing to cover the cost of compensation, repairs
and suspended further delivery of 737MAX
Any strategy developed or implemented by the company to mitigate the effect of the
development?
Boeing has declared it would reduce significantly the size of its workforce due to
falling demand and a large number of non-delivered aircrafts (p. 68). In addition, The
Boeing Company has taken a number of actions to enhance its liquidity – abandon
the share buy-back scheme for 2021 (p.68), reduce production rate of commercial
aircrafts (p.68), substitute share for cash as contribution to pension plan; and
accessing deferring tax payments.
Steps
Identify and discuss the dividend theory that applies to your company. The
theories are dividend relevance theory and dividend irrelevance theory.
Moving further there are some theories that come under the two mentioned
theories. Check week 4 slides.
Provide dividend history of the company for the last three years and briefly
discuss the dividend policy - This should include
o dividend paid per share. Interim dividend or final dividend or both? Any
special dividend?
o Frequency of the dividend payment? Quarterly, biannually?
o Is the dividend policy - Constant? Consistent? Irregular? Regular?
Progressive etc. Again check week 4 slides.
Note: If you company does not pay dividends, then discuss reason why is this
company policy. Make sure to use irrelevance dividend theory in this
discussion.
Discuss any influences on decision and capacity to pay dividend due to some
development or events
Identify and discuss the dividend theory that applies to your company. In your
discussion you also need to specify the dividend policy of the company.
The dividend relevance theory applies here. The relevance theory of dividend
states that investors prefer dividends to capital gain as a result of the uncertainty of
capital gains. By implication, shareholders of Boeing have a high appetite for
dividends. To this end, the Bird in Hand theory of dividend (Gordon 1963) applies
here. Furthermore, the Boeing company pays dividend to signal to the market about
its bright future despite existing challenges; this is reflected in the share price jump
that accomplices the announcement of dividend. Therefore, Dividend Signalling
theory also applies. The Dividend Signalling theory states that firms increase the
value of their dividend payment as a signal to the market about its future prospects.
However, with the significant fall in demand and the resulting negative operating
cashflow, Boeing has come under pressure in terms of its capacity to pay dividend.
Boeing stopped its share buybacks in March 2019 as Max 737 Max was grounded
and decided to suspend its dividend payment (Bogaisky, 2020, The Boeing
Company Annual Report, 2020. p. 47)
Provide dividend history of the company for the last three years and briefly discuss it
Boeing has paid dividend consistently in the last three years. Record from (Nasdaq,
2019) shows that Boeing pays dividends quarterly, that is 4 times a year. In 2019,
Boeing paid $8.22 as dividend for a share ($2.055 x 4 quarters), in 2017 Boeing paid
$6.84 ($1.71 x 4 quarters) and in 2016, Boeing paid $5.68 ($1.42 x 4quarters) - see
table 1 below. Boeing did not pay dividend in 2020 as the Board suspended the
declaration and payment of dividends till further notice (p.47)
Fig 1: Boeing dividend paid between 2017-2019 (Nasdaq, 2019)
Annual dividend per share –(2016-2020) (The Boeing Annual Report, 2020 p. 23)
From the above stated dividend values, it shows Boeing operates a dividend growth
policy as the dividend paid has increased over the 3 years considered (2020
excluded). Boeing has a rich dividend history as its fundamentals are strong
(Downey, 2019):
.
Any influences on decision and capacity to pay dividend
Prior to the air crashes with its associated impacts and the pandemic, the Boeing
company has consistently paid dividends to her shareholders. Dividend payment to
shareholders has consistently and gradually increased to the delight of Boeing
shareholders with high appetite for dividends. As profitability and cashflow increased,
Boeing has continued to pay dividend.
This was consistent with the pattern of decision and policy associated with past
CEOs at Boeing who promoted shareholders’ interest via funding share back and
steady dividend increases using operating cashflow (Bogaisky, 2020).
As The Boeing Company dividend grew, the share price has grown over the years
Zach Equity Research, 2021). This reflects the confidence of investors (Bailey,
2019). Even with the challenges associated with the 737Max aircraft at the end of
2019, there was optimism among the board and management at Boeing that the
setback would and should not hamper its ability to continue to pay dividend as its
annual report for 2019 has shown (Ben, 2019).
The Boeing Company utilizes equity financing and debt financing as its sources of
finance Boeing has a total shareholders’ equity of ($8,300m) and ($18,075m) for
2019 and 2020 respectively. In terms of debt, Boeing has both short term liabilities
and long-term liabilities. The total current liabilities were$121,642m in 2020 and
$102,229m in 2019 while the long-term liabilities were $87,931m and $44,613 in
2020 respectively (The Boeing Company Annual Report, 2020).
But comparing the two recent years, Boeing equity is significantly reduced due to
decline in the retained earnings and increase in accumulated other comprehensive
losses.
Debt
A breakdown of the long-term debt/borrowing (found in the Notes to the Account) is
shown below. It consist of Unsecured debt securities, non-recourse debt and notes,
capital lease obligations, commercial paper, and other notes. See the table below
(The Boeing Company Annual Report, 2020)
Fig 4. A breakdown of debt for Boeing 2020 and 2019 The Boeing Company Annual
Report, 2020. p. 105)
Calculate gearing ratio for last three years. Two years in case if the third-year
data is not available in the annual report provided.
o Examine the mix of equity and debt
Calculating the gearing ratio for Boeing for 2018, 2019, 2020 shows a very high
level of debts in Boeing. This poses a financial risk for Boeing.
2020 2019 2018
Non-current liabilities x 100 82,931 x 100 44613 x 100 35359 x 100
Non-current liabilities + total equity 82,931+(18,075) 44613 + (8300) (410 + 35,359)
127.86% 122.85% 98.85%
The gearing ratio shows 127.86% of debt in 2020, 122.85% in 2019 and 98.85% in
2018. It can be seen that Boeing is heavily leveraged as its liabilities constitute over
90% of its capital structure. The debt level has increased gradually over the past
three years.
Discuss the capital structure of the company in light of the calculated gearing
ratio.
There are two types of capital structure theories, identify and discuss with
valid comments which one applies to your chosen company. Justify why the
company has chosen to use that capital structure theory.
Traditional view (net income approach/ relevancy theory) – Normally
when the gearing ratio is low
M & M view (net operating income/ irrelevancy theory) – Normally when
gearing ratio is high.
Discuss
o Cash management and financial risks concerned with the capital
structure such as high gearing can make capital structure more risk in
some situations.
o Any other influences on the capital structure of the company
Very high levels of debt in Boeing’s Balance sheet shows the irrelevance theory
(MM view) i.e. net operating income theory of Capital Structure. The higher
borrowing is due to debt acquired due to covid impacts.
However, with the threat of financial risk increasing for Boeing as a result of heavy
debt to equity ratio, it shows that Boeing capital structure is not optimal
(FitchRatings, 2020).
The Boeing company anticipates its negative operating cash flow would continue into
2023. However, its has put in place some mechanism and plans to mitigate the
effects of negative liquidity: by reducing the production of new aircraft, making share
contributions to the pension plan, reduction in size of workforce to save cash.
With reference to your chosen Multinational Enterprise (and using the most recent
annual report published),analyse the financial performance (in terms of profitability,
liquidity, efficiency and investment) of the company in the two most recent
consecutive financial periods ( e.g. 2019/2020 or 2021/2020, ) using 8 different
accounting ratios (prior year comparative figures will be available in the annual report
Steps
Select the 8 ratios
Define the 8 ratios
Calculate the 8 ratios (don’t copy and paste ratios ) either in the
appendix or on the body of your report. Show your calculations.
Interpret the ratios
i. What do the ratio values reveal? – i.e. the significance of the
ratios
ii. Any reason for the movement in the ratios across the two years?
PROFITABILITY RATIOS
ROCE –
This measures (get the definition in a textbook and put a textbook reference after the
definition)
2020 2019
Return on Operating Profit (PBIT) x 100 Operating -12,767 -1,975
Capital Capital employed profit
Employed (Earnings
Capital employed = Total non- from
current liabilities + Total equity Operations)
or Total Assets 152,136 133,625
Capital employed = Total assets – Current 87,280 97,312
Current liabilities liabilities
-19.69% -5.44%
PBIT – Profit before interest and tax – This is the profit before interest and tax are
deducted.
Explanation
1. What is the significance of the ratio you have calculated? – LOOK AT THE
DEFINITION
ROCE measures the return relative to capital employed. The ROCE fell from
--5.44% in 2019 to -19.69% in 2020. Since, ROCE measures returns relative
to capital, that means for every £100 of capital invested, Boeing lost £5.44 in
2019 and £19.69 in 2020.
2. Identify reasons for the movement in the ratio across the two years
Explanation
1. What is the significance of the ratio you have calculated?
Operating margin fell from -2.6% to -22.0% from 2019 to 2020. Boeing made
operating loss in both years. Since Operating margin measures the operating profit
relative to the revenue, that means for every £100 of sales, Boeing lost £2.6 in 2019
and £22 in 2020. The performance was poorer in 2020.
2. Identify reasons for the movement in the ratio across the two years
First discuss the relationship between the numerator and denominator
A number of reasons account for the decline in the operating margin.
Operating loss of $1,975m was made in 2019. This went further south in
2020 to a loss of $12,767m. The main cause of the operating loss in 2020
was the fall in sales. Major contributor to the loss were sales which fell
from $76b in 2020 to $58b in 2019. Another was increase in General and
administrative expense which were $3909m in 2019 and $4817m in 2020.
Second present contextual reasons for the movement
Covid19 and the fall in the demand for commercial aircrafts and deliveries
accounts for the dismal performance in both years (The Boeing Annual
Report, 2020, p. 27, 35)
Gross profit margin
This measures …..(put a textbook reference after the definition)
Formula
Gross profit x 100
Revenue
2020
(5685) x 100 = profit margin
58158
= -9.77%
2019
4466 x 100 = profit margin
76559
Explanation
What is the significance of the ratio you have calculated?
Gross profit margin fell from 5.83% to -9.77% from 2019 to 2020. That means Boeing
made less profit for every dollar of sales after paying direct cost (production related).
Identify reasons for the movement of the ratios between two years.
1. First discuss the relationship between the numerator and denominator
The ratio has decreased due to decrease in sales revenue from $76559m in
2019 to $58158m in 2020. This decline is more severe in sale of product
component of sales which decreased from $66094m to $47142m. On the
other hand cost of services have also increased from $9154m to $9232m over
the last two years.
The above is closing inventory which can be found under Assets in the statement of
financial position.
Average inventory can also be used instead of it. But for average inventory you must have
opening inventory, which is the closing inventory for the year before.
Identify reasons for the movement of the ratios between two years.
Boeing admits that there were a large number of undelivered plans in
inventory as at December 2020, which accounted for the large value on
inventory in 2020.
Covid19 and the fall in the demand for commercial aircrafts and deliveries
caused inventory to accumulate (The Boeing Annual Report, 2020, p. 28)
Receivable Turnover Days – define it and reference it
2020 2019
The above is receivables which can be found under Assets in the statement of financial
position.
Average receivables can also be used instead of it. But for average receivables you must
have opening receivables, which is the receivable amount for the year before.
3. Identify reasons for the movement in the ratio across the two years
LIQUIDITY RATIOS
Current Ratio- define and attach a reference
2020 2019
Current Current Asset Current Asset 121,642 102,229
Ratio Current Liabilities
Current 87,280 97,312
Liabilities
1.39:1 1.05:1
Explanation
1. What is the significance of the ratio you have calculated?
The current ratio for Boeing is above 1, for year 2020 and 2019, which means
Boeing can meet its short term obligation as they fall due.
2. Identify reasons for the movement of the ratios between two years.
Discuss the relationship between the numerator and denominator
In 2020, current ratio was 1.39. However, there was increase from 1.05 to
1.39 between 2019 and 2020. This was due to increase in current assets such
as customer financing and short term investment. Also current liabilities are
also decreasing which is also a contributing factor.
GEARING RATIOS
Interest Coverage Ratio – define and attach a reference
2020 2019
Interest Operating Profit (PBIT) Operatin -12,767 -1,975
Coverag Interest on Loan (Finance costs) g profit
e
Interest 2,156 722
on loan
-5.92 -2.74
Explanation
1. What is the significance of the ratio you have calculated?
Boeing had an interest coverage ratio of -2.74 in 2019 and -5.92. The
negative values show that Boeing might struggle to pay its interests in loan
since it made a loss in 2019 and 12020
The fall in operating profit is largely due to the fall in sales with a lower
percentage fall in operating profit
2. Identify reasons for the movement of the ratio across the two years.
The negative cash position of Boeing means it would delay the payment of its
interest on loan as it is uncertain with respect to when commercial flights
would return to pre-pandemic levels
Conclusion
Here you can write short summary of the report
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Appendix
2020 2019
Profitability
-12,767 -1,975
Operating Profit (PBIT) x 100 Operating profit (Earnings from Operations)
Return on Capital Total Asset - current liabilities Total Assets 152,136 133,625
Employed Current liabilities 87,280 97,312
-19.69% -5.44%
-12,767 -1,975
Operating profit
Operating Profit (PBIT) x 100 Operating profit (Earnings from Operations)
margin
Total Revenue Total Revenue 58,158 76,559
-22.0% -2.6%
Liquidity Ratio
Current Asset 121,642 102,229
Efficiency Ratios
79, 69,594
Average Inventory x 365 days Average inventory 168.50 .50
Inventory Turnover
Cost of sales
Days Cost of sales 63,843 72,093
453 352
Gearing Ratios