Interpreting Financial Statements: Cash Flow Effects

StorageTek’s consolidated statement of cash flows contained the following information, as abbreviated (dollars in thousands):

Year Ended

December

December

31, 1993

25, 1992

Operating Activities

Cash received from customers

$1,532,183

$1,572,892

Cash paid to suppliers and employees

(1,446,321)

(1,456,835)

Interest received

54,251

67,136

Interest paid

(40,519)

(47,751)

Income taxes paid

(12,048)

(28,327)

Net cash from operating activities

87,546

107,115

Investing Activities

Short term investments, net

(15,377)

40,227

Purchase of property, plant, and equipment

(67,720)

(106,119)

Business acquisitions, net of cash

(51,761)

Other assets, net

(6,945)

(4,136)

Net cash used in investing activities

(90,042)

(121,789)

Financing Activities

Proceeds from preferred stock offering

166,479

Proceeds from nonrecourse borrowings

87,508

114,935

Repayments of nonrecourse borrowings

(147,647)

(169,005)

Proceeds from other debt

79,740

21,320

Repayments of other debt

(44,144)

(27,538)

Other financing activities

2,009

61,050

Net cash from financing activities

143,945

762

Effect of exchange rate changes

(4,341)

(4,884)

Increase (decrease) in cash

$ 137,108

$ (18,796)

Required

a. Identify and discuss any unfamiliar terms or unusual treatments in StorageTek’s cash flow statement.

b. Discuss the differences between net cash provided by operating activities and cash received from customers.

c. From the data above, evaluate StorageTek’s overall cash flows or cash balances at the end of each year.

d. What part of the balance sheet or cash flow statement would help you better evaluate StorageTek’s overall cash flows or cash balances at the end of either year? Why?

e. Given the following additional balance sheet and income statement data (dollars in thousands):

1993

1992

Net sales

$ 902,482

$1,079,130

Net income (loss)

(77,796)

9,334

Interest expense

43,670

48,706

Income taxes

5,000

17,700

Total assets

1,793,009

1,739,043

Long term debt

361,718

369,988

Stockholders’ equity

1,017,303

927,913

Calculate the following ratios for each year:

1. Cash return on assets (1993 only)

2. Quality of sales

3. Quality of income

4. Cash interest coverage

f. Based on these ratios, evaluate StorageTek’s performance. In what areas do the cash flow ratios indicate positive or negative performances?

g. What additional information would be useful in evaluating StorageTek’s performance?

h. StorageTek’s 1991 fiscal year ended on December 27.Would the difference in the number of days or number of weeks in each fiscal year affects any of the above analyses? Why?