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What are Profitability Ratios?

Profitability Ratios are used to determine how profitable is a given company as compared to a different company. 

The most common ratios used for this comparison include: 

Gross Margin Ratio

Gross margin ratio = Gross margin / Net sales

Indicates the gross margin generated for each dollar in net sales. 

Profit Margin Ratio

Profit margin ratio = Net income / Net sales

Indicates the profit generated for each dollar in net sales. 

Return on Assets

Return on assets = Net income / Average total assets

Indicates how much net income was generated from each dollar in average assets invested.

Return on Shareholder’s Equity

Return on common shareholders’ equity = (Net income − Preferred dividends) /Average common shareholders’ equity. 

Indicates how much net income was generated from each dollar of common shareholders’ equity.

Earnings Per Share

Earnings per share = Net income − Preferred dividends / Weighted average common shares outstanding. 

Indicates how much net income was earned for each share of common stock outstanding.

Related Topics

  • Trend Analysis of Financial Statements
  • Common-Size Analysis (Vertical Analysis) of Financial Statements
  • Common-Size Financial Statement
  • Net Dollar Retention
  • Horizontal Analysis
  • Per Share Basis
  • Profitability Ratios
  • Gross Margin Ratio
  • Profit Margin
  • After Tax Profit Margin
  • Return on Assets
  • Total Shareholder Return
  • Cash on Cash Return
  • Earnings Per Share
  • Diluted Earnings Per Share
  • Asset Turnover Ratio
  • Berry Ratio
  • Break-Even Analysis
  • Liquidity Ratio
  • Current ratio  (Working Capital Ratio)
  • Working Ratio
  • Quick Ratio
  • Quick Assets
  • Days Sales Outstanding
  • Cash Ratio (Operating Cash Flow Ratio)
  • Receivables turnover ratio (often converted to average collection period)
  • Accounts Payable Turnover Ratio
  • Inventory turnover ratio (often converted to average sale period)
  • Solvency (Coverage Ratios)
  • Leverage Ratio (Debt Ratio)
  • Asset Coverage Ratio
  • Debt to Equity
  • Debt to Income Ratio
  • Debt Coverage Ratio
  • Times Interest Earned
  • Market Capitalization
  • Price to Equity Ratio
  • Book-To-Market Ratio
  • Price to Earnings Ratio
  • Price to Earnings Growth (PEG) Ratio
  • Price to Earnings Growth Payback Ratio
  • CAPE Ratio
  • Price to Cash Flow Ratio
  • Capital Maintenance
  • Book to Bill Ratio
  • Asset Turnover Ratio
  • Plowback Ratio 
  • Days Inventory Outstanding
  • Days Payable Outstanding
  • Days Sales Outstanding
  • Non-financial Performance Measures: The Balance Scorecard