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 % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2011 | 107 | 110 | 136 | 82 | 15 | — |
| FY2012 | 74 | 77 | 100 | 50 | 7 | 41 |
| FY2013 | 90 | 93 | 109 | 73 | 16 | 28 |
| FY2014 | 83 | 58 | 103 | 38 | 4 | 20 |
| FY2015 | 119 | 94 | 155 | 58 | 29 | 6 |
| FY2016 | 85 | 78 | 127 | 36 | 22 | 15 |
| FY2025 | 107 | 91 | 91 | 107 | 62 | — |
| FY2026 | 107 | 89 | 106 | 90 | 66 | 30 |
Plain-English explanations of each figure in the table above, and what a beginner typically looks at. These are educational descriptions only, not advice.