Suppose all firms follow similar financing policies,face similar risks,have equal access to capital,and operate in competitive product and capital markets.However,firms face different operating conditions because,for example,the grocery store industry is different from the airline industry.Under these conditions,firms with high profit margins will tend to have high asset turnover ratios,and firms with low profit margins will tend to have low turnover ratios.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Think about the DuPont equation: ROE = PM × TATO × Equity multiplier.Similar financing policies will lead to similar Equity multipliers.Moreover,competition in the capital markets will cause ROEs to be similar,because otherwise capital would flow to industries with high ROEs and drive returns down toward the average,given similar risks.To have similar ROEs,firms with relatively high PMs must have relatively low TATOs,and vice versa.Therefore,the statement is false.

Suppose All Firms Follow Similar Financing Policies,face Similar Risks,have Equal