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 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| FY2007 | — | — | — | — | — | 22 |
| FY2008 | 47 | — | — | 47 | -953 | -8 |
| FY2009 | 28 | — | — | 28 | -214 | 7 |
| FY2010 | 28 | — | — | 28 | -127 | 14 |
| FY2011 | 26 | 38 | 127 | -63 | -89 | 20 |
| FY2012 | 37 | 33 | 101 | -32 | -111 | 19 |
| FY2013 | 33 | 26 | 148 | -88 | -112 | 17 |
| FY2014 | 35 | 26 | 259 | -198 | -92 | 19 |
| FY2015 | 35 | 27 | 210 | -148 | -79 | 23 |
| FY2016 | 44 | 21 | 218 | -152 | -41 | 14 |
Plain-English explanations of each figure in the table above, and what a beginner typically looks at. These are educational descriptions only, not advice.