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 | 54 | 292 | 85 | 261 | 214 | — |
| FY2007 | 69 | 437 | 128 | 379 | 257 | 8 |
| FY2008 | 55 | 325 | 120 | 260 | 212 | 6 |
| FY2009 | 42 | 406 | 103 | 345 | 191 | 10 |
| FY2010 | 60 | 246 | 95 | 211 | 194 | -5 |
| FY2011 | 60 | 150 | 63 | 146 | 163 | -35 |
Plain-English explanations of each figure in the table above, and what a beginner typically looks at. These are educational descriptions only, not advice.