REFCO : revenue, balance sheet and financial ratios

In 2016, REFCO achieves revenue of 57 k€. Revenue is declining over the period 2013-2016 (CAGR: -15.5%). Vs 2015, growth of +29% (45 k€ -> 57 k€). After deducting consumption (0 €), gross margin stands at 57 k€, i.e. a rate of 100%. This ratio measures the ability to generate value from commercial activity. EBITDA (= Gross margin - Personnel expenses - Taxes) reaches 3 k€, representing 4.5% of revenue. Warning negative scissor effect: despite revenue change (+29%), EBITDA varies by -41%, reducing margin by 5.3 pts. This reflects costs rising faster than revenue. The operating margin remains fragile, requiring cost vigilance. Ultimately, net income (= EBIT +/- financial result +/- exceptional - corporate tax) amounts to 9 k€, i.e. 15.2% of revenue. This profit can be retained or distributed to shareholders.

The debt ratio (= Financial debt / Equity x 100) stands at 27%. This very low level reflects a solid financial structure, offering significant room for future investments or acquisitions. Financial autonomy (= Equity / Total assets x 100) reaches 41%. This high autonomy means the company finances most of its assets through equity, a sign of strength. Debt repayment capacity (= Financial debt / Cash flow) indicates it would take 13.1 years of cash flow to repay all financial debt. Beyond 7 years, banks generally consider credit risk as high. Cash flow represents 3.3% of revenue. Cash flow measures resources generated by operations, available for investment and debt repayment.

The liquidity ratio (= Current assets / Current liabilities) stands at 215.35. Concretely, the company has €2 of liquid assets for every €1 of short-term debt: no cash risk within 12 months. The interest coverage ratio (= EBIT / Interest expenses) is 19.2x. Operating income very largely covers interest expenses: high safety margin.

Working capital requirement (WCR) measures the cash timing gap between customer collections and supplier/inventory payments. Average customer payment term: 249 days (formula: Customer receivables / Revenue incl. VAT x 360). Supplier term: 579 days. Excellent situation: suppliers finance 330 days of the operating cycle (retail model). Inventory turnover is 164 days (= Average inventory / Cost of goods x 360). This high level ties up cash and potentially creates obsolescence risk. Overall, WCR represents 1383 days of revenue, i.e. 221 k€ to permanently finance.

Indicative estimate only : the number of comparable transactions in this sector is limited (38 transactions). This range of 14 880€ to 28 977€ is provided for information purposes only and requires in-depth analysis to be confirmed.