How to read this: these lines track how the company manages day-to-day cash. Debtor days is how long customers take to pay; inventory days is how long stock sits before selling; days payable is how long the company takes to pay its own suppliers. Fewer debtor and inventory days generally means cash comes in faster; more days payable means the company holds its cash longer. The right level varies a lot by industry, so the trend over time matters more than any single number.
How to read this: return on capital employed (ROCE) shows how much operating profit the company earns from every unit of capital it uses, as a percentage. A higher, steady line over the years suggests the business uses its capital efficiently. As with most ratios, the multi-year trend tells you more than any single year.
| Period | Debtor Days | Inventory Days | Days Payable | Cash Conversion Cycle | Working Capital Days | ROCE % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2006 | 272 | — | — | 272 | 625 | — |
| FY2007 | 361 | 2,025 | 209 | 2,178 | 698 | 4.45 |
| FY2008 | 1,035 | — | — | 1,035 | 1,264 | 12.86 |
| FY2009 | 1,406 | — | — | 1,406 | 1,884 | 15.84 |
| FY2010 | 160 | — | — | 160 | 102 | 8.48 |
| FY2011 | 144 | — | — | 144 | -25.46 | -10.17 |
| FY2012 | 196 | — | — | 196 | -33.03 | -3.27 |
| FY2013 | 268 | — | — | 268 | 195 | 2.51 |
| FY2014 | 249 | — | — | 249 | -395 | -5.27 |
| FY2015 | 152 | — | — | 152 | -399 | -158.89 |
| FY2016 | 203 | — | — | 203 | -943 | — |
Plain-English explanations of each figure in the table above, and what a beginner typically looks at. These are educational descriptions only, not advice.