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Microlesson · 5-min read

Overall Return Ratios (Owner's Perspective)

# Overall Return Ratios — Owner's Viewpoint

These ratios assess the overall return earned by various capital contributors and by the market.

## 1. Return on Investment (ROI) / Return on Capital Employed (ROCE)

$$\text{Pre-tax ROCE} = \frac{\text{EBIT}}{\text{Capital Employed}}$$

$$\text{Post-tax ROCE} = \frac{\text{EBIT}(1 - t)}{\text{Capital Employed}} = \frac{\text{EAT} + \text{Interest}}{\text{Capital Employed}}$$

Capital Employed = Equity + Long-term Debt = Total Assets − Current Liabilities.

## 2. Return on Net Worth (RONW)

$$\text{Pre-tax RONW} = \frac{\text{PBT}}{\text{Net Worth}}; \quad \text{Post-tax RONW} = \frac{\text{PAT}}{\text{Net Worth}}$$

Net Worth = Shareholders' Funds = Equity Capital + Reserves − Misc. Exp. − Accumulated Losses.

## 3. Return on Assets (ROA)

$$\text{Pre-tax ROA} = \frac{\text{EBIT}}{\text{Average Total Assets}}$$

$$\text{Post-tax ROA} = \frac{\text{EAT} + \text{Interest}}{\text{Average Total Assets}}$$

## 4. Earnings Per Share (EPS)

$$\text{EPS} = \frac{\text{Residual Earnings (EAT − Pref. Dividend)}}{\text{Number of Equity Shares}}$$

Number of Equity Shares = Equity Capital / Face Value per Share.

## 5. Dividend Per Share (DPS)

$$\text{DPS} = \frac{\text{Total Equity Dividend}}{\text{Number of Equity Shares}}$$

## 6. Price-Earnings (P/E) Ratio

$$\text{P/E} = \frac{\text{Market Price per Share}}{\text{EPS}}$$

Indicates how many years of current earnings investors are paying for one share. A higher P/E typically signals expected growth.

## 7. Dividend Yield

$$\text{Dividend Yield} = \frac{\text{DPS}}{\text{Market Price per Share}} \times 100$$

## 8. Book Value Per Share

$$\text{Book Value per Share} = \frac{\text{Equity Shareholders' Funds}}{\text{Number of Equity Shares}}$$

## 9. Market Value to Book Value

$$\frac{\text{Market Price per Share}}{\text{Book Value per Share}}$$

Measures market premium over accounting net worth.

## 10. Tobin's Q Ratio

$$Q = \frac{\text{Market Value of Equity + Liabilities}}{\text{Estimated Replacement Cost of Assets}} = \frac{\text{Market Value of Company}}{\text{Asset Replacement Cost}}$$

  • Q > 1 → market values the firm above the replacement cost of its assets (good intangible value).
  • Q < 1 → undervalued or asset-heavy with poor profitability.

Worked example

### Example 1

Example (EPS & P/E): EAT ₹15,00,000; Preference Dividend ₹30,000; 75,000 equity shares of ₹10 each; Market Price ₹20.

  • Residual Earnings = 15,00,000 − 30,000 = ₹14,70,000
  • EPS = 14,70,000 / 75,000 = ₹19.60
  • P/E = 20 / 19.60 = ≈ 1.02 times.

### Example 2

Example (ROCE): EBIT = ₹3,00,000; Tax 30%; Capital Employed = ₹15,00,000.

  • Pre-tax ROCE = 3,00,000 / 15,00,000 = 20%
  • Post-tax ROCE = 3,00,000 × (1 − 0.30) / 15,00,000 = 2,10,000 / 15,00,000 = 14%.

### Example 3

Example (Return on Total Assets, Sept 2025-style): EBIT = ₹20,20,000; Tax 33%; Total Assets ₹50,00,000.

  • PAT = (EBIT − Interest) × (1 − t). If Interest = 35% × 50,00,000 × 10.5% = ₹1,83,750; PBT = 20,20,000 − 1,83,750 = 18,36,250. PAT = 18,36,250 × 67% = ₹12,30,288
  • Net Profit Margin = 12,30,288 / 55,00,000 = 22.37%
  • ROA = 12,30,288 / 50,00,000 = 24.61%
  • Asset Turnover = 55,00,000 / 50,00,000 = 1.1 times
  • ROE = PAT / Equity = 12,30,288 / 32,50,000 = 37.86%.

⚠️ Common exam mistakes

  • Using PAT instead of EBIT for ROCE — ROCE is the return to all suppliers of capital, so interest must NOT be deducted.
  • Forgetting to subtract Preference Dividend when computing EPS.
  • Confusing Book Value per Share with Face Value per Share — they are different.
  • In a tax-adjusted ROCE formula, applying tax to interest (which is already an allowable deduction) — use EBIT(1−t) or EAT + Interest, not EBIT × (1−t) − Interest.
  • Treating Q-Ratio's numerator as only market cap — it must include the market value of all claims (equity + liabilities).
Reference:
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