What is Return on Sales (ROS)? Know Here!

4 mins read
by Angel One

What is Return on Sales?

The return on sales (ROS) ratio is a benchmark for examining a company’s operational strength. This metric reveals how much profit is generated per dollar of sales. A rising ROS suggests that a corporation is becoming more efficient, but a falling ROS could indicate oncoming financial difficulties. The operating profit margin of a company is closely tied to ROS.

– Return on sales (ROS) is a metric that measures how well a company converts sales into profits.

– The return on investment (ROI) is computed by dividing operating profit by net sales.

– When comparing companies in the same industry and of roughly the same size, ROS is only useful.

Return on Sales Formula and Calculation

Find net sales and operating profit on a company’s income statement and use the formula below to calculate them:

ROS=   Net Sales / Operating Profit

where ROS stands for “return on sales” and EBIT stands for “profits before interest.”

What Can You Learn From Return on Sales?

Investors may observe that certain companies report net sales while others report revenue when calculating return on sales. Total income minus credits or reimbursements given to customers for goods returns equals net sales. Companies in the retail industry will most likely report net sales, while others will report revenue.

The steps of calculating return on sales are as follows:

-Net sales can be found on the income statement, although it is also known as revenue.

-On the income statement, look for operating profit. Make sure you leave out non-operating activities and expenses like taxes and interest.

-Net sales are divided by operating profit.

Further Key Takeaways

  • The return on sales (ROS) is a financial ratio that determines how well a company generates profits from its top-line revenue. It analyses the percentage of total revenue that is translated into operating profits to determine a company’s performance.
  • The calculation demonstrates how well a firm produces its main products and services, as well as how well its management manages the company. As a result, ROS is used to measure both efficiency and profitability. This efficiency ratio is trusted by investors, creditors, and other debt holders because it properly represents the proportion of operational cash a firm earns on its revenue and provides insight into possible dividends, reinvestment opportunities, and the company’s ability to repay debt.
  • ROS is used to compare current period computations to past period calculations. This enables a business to run trend studies and compare internal efficiency performance over time. It’s also a good idea to compare a company’s ROS % to that of a competitor, regardless of size.
  • The comparison makes evaluating the success of a small business easier than a Fortune 500 corporation. However, because ROS varies considerably between industries, it should only be used to compare organisations within the same industry. When compared to a technological company, a food store has smaller margins and thus a lower ROS.
  • Return on sales and operating profit margin are two financial ratios that are commonly used interchangeably. The way their different formulas are derived is the key distinction between each usage. Operating income divided by net sales is the basic formula for calculating operating margin. The numerator of a return on sales calculation is normally profits before interest and taxes (EBIT), while the denominator is still net sales.

Return on Sales Has Its Limitations

  • Return on sales should only be used to compare companies in the same industry, ideally with similar business structures and annual sales data. Companies in diverse industries with vastly different business structures have vastly varying operating margins, making comparisons with EBIT in the numerator misleading.
  • Many analysts utilise a profitability measure that excludes the effects of financing, accounting, and tax policies to make it easier to evaluate sales efficiency between different companies and industries: profits before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortisation (EBITDA). The operating margins of large manufacturing firms and heavy industrial firms, for example, are more comparable when depreciation is factored in.
  • Because it removes non-cash items like depreciation, EBITDA is sometimes used as a proxy for operating cash flow. However, EBITDA is not the same as cash flow. This is because, unlike operating cash flow, it does not account for any rise in working capital.

What’s the Difference Between Return on Sales and Operating Margin?

Return on sales and operating profit margin are two financial ratios that are commonly used interchangeably. The way their different formulas are derived is the key distinction between each usage. Operating income divided by net sales is the basic formula for calculating operating margin. The numerator of a return on sales calculation is normally profits before interest and taxes (EBIT), while the denominator is still net sales.