AVERAGE PAYMENT PERIOD Definition

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AVERAGE PAYMENT PERIOD (APP) is the number of days an entity takes to pay off credit purchases. As the average payment period increases, cash should increase as well, but working capital will remain the same. Formula: accounts payable / (total annual purchases / 360).

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INTEREST EARNINGS is amounts from interest on all interest-bearing deposits and accounts; accrued interest on investment securities sold; interest on funds held for construction; and interest related public debt for private purposes. Excludes interest on deposits and investments of employee retirement and other insurance trust funds; dividends from investments; accrued interest on bonds issued by the government; recorded profits on sale of investments; and accrued interest on the purchase of investments.

RETURN ON ASSETS (ROA) shows the after tax earnings of assets. Return on assets is an indicator of how profitable a company is. Use this ratio annually to compare a business performance to the industry norms: The higher the ratio the greater the return on assets. However this has to be balanced against such factors as risk, sustainability and reinvestment in the business through development costs. 

Higher ROA is better, but extremely high ROA may be an indicator of vulnerability as to any sustainable competitive advantage.

Formula: Earnings After Tax (EAITDA) / Total Assets

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