Question

Assume that sales will grow at 5.00%. The following accounts (cash, accounts receivable, inventory, net fixed assets, accounts payable and accruals, as well as operating costs) are assumed to change with sales and will maintain their current percentage of sales rates into 2016. The dividend payout ratio will remain the same. Long-term debt and notes payable will remain constant into 2016 as will interest expense, as a result. The firm also does not plan to issue any additional common stock or conduct any share repurchases. The firm’s tax rate is 40%. Any additional funds needed will be sourced through a line-of-credit (LOC) and surpluses will be paid out through a special dividend.

	2015
Sales	$1,425.00
Operating Costs:	$1,275.00
EBIT	$150.00
Interest	$35.00
Earnings Before Taxes	$115.00
Taxes (40%)	$46.00
Net Income	$69.00
Dividends	$34.50
Addition to Retained Earnings	$34.50

BALANCE SHEET AS OF 12/31/2015:

ASSETS	2015
Cash	$71.25
Accounts Receivable	$142.50
Inventory	$285.00
Current Assets	$498.75
Net Fixed Assets (Net PPE)	$356.25
Total Assets (TA)	$855.00

LIABILITIES & SHAREHOLDER EQUITY	2015
Accounts Payable and Accruals	$35.63
Notes Payable	$40.00
Current Liabilities	$75.63
Long Term Debt	$310.00
Total Liabilities	$385.63
Common Stock	$300.00
Retained Earnings	$169.38
Owners' Equity	$469.38
Total Liabilities and Shareholder Equity	$855.00

In the following questions, determine the percentage-of-sale forecast factors:

Accounts Payable & Accruals:
Operating Costs:
Cash:
Accounts Receivable:
Inventory:
Net Fixed Assets (NFA):
Dividend Payout Ratio (as percentage of Net Income):

Fill in your answer for the red blank( WHICH IS FIND OPERATING COSTS) PLEASE help

Answer 1

Operating cost

2015operating cost (1+%increase in sales) 1275 (1+.05) 1275*1.05 1338.75

**Since operating cost rise in direct proportion to sales ,so % increase in operating cost will equal % increase in sales .

Other method :

	2015	2016
sales	1425	1425(1+.05)= 1496.25
operating cost	1275	1496.25*89.47368%= 1338.75
ratio of operating cost to sales	1275/1425 = 89.47368%