6/27/2013For this week’s Discussion you will review the annual reports of the Coca-Cola Company and Wal-Mart, two of the largest publicly traded firms in America.
Coca-Cola and Wal-Mart Receivable Comparison
Compute and compare the accounts receivable turnover ratios for Coca-Cola and Wal-Mart. Indicate all numbers you used to calculate the ratio. What constitutes a “reasonable” accounts receivable turnover ratio? What characteristic(s) of these companies would indicate that these ratios are reasonable? (Support your answers with facts and cite website and text references used.)
An article recently appeared in the Wall Street Journal indicating that companies are selling their receivables at a record rate. Why might Coca-Cola and Wal-Mart sell their receivables?
Coca-Cola
Click http://us.coca-cola.com/ to go to the website. Find the financial information and then annual reports. At the site, rest your mouse over Coke in the USA, on the drop-down menu, click on About The Coca-Cola Company | “Investors” and Reports & Financial Information. Choose the most current Annual Report. Note in the Discussion Board which year’s information you used. You will need to scroll through the annual report to find the information that you need to answer the questions. Remember what you learned in Accounting I about financial statements to help you find what you need.
Accounts receivable turnover equals net sales divided by average accounts receivable. You will need to find net sales for both Coca-Cola and Walmart when you view the profit and loss statements for the companies. You will need to find accounts receivable for the most current year and the year prior for both companies when you view the balance sheets. Remember the denominator of the equation is average accounts receivable. Once you compute the average, simply divide net sales by the average accounts receivable for the accounts receivable turnover.
Wal-Mart
Click http://www.walmart.com/ to go to the website. Remember what you have learned in Accounting I about financial statements to help you find what you need.
• Follow the link above to Wal-Mart’s website.
• Scroll to the bottom of the page.
• Under the “Stores & Corporate heading,”
• Click on the link “Investor Relations.”
• On the left-hand page under “Financial Information,” click on “Annual Reports.”
• Click on the PDF in the image.
Respond using the information from the website visits. Take the time to review the responses of your classmates and provide your feedback.
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