Question

Seven years ago, after 15 years in public accounting, Stanley Booker, CPA, resigned his position as manager of cost systems for Davis, Cohen, and O’Brien Public Accountants and started Track Software, Inc. In the 2 years preceding his departure from Davis, Cohen, and O’Brien, Stanley had spent nights and weekends developing a sophisticated cost-accounting software program that became Track’s initial product offering. As the firm grew, Stanley planned to develop and expand the software product offerings, all of which would be related to streamlining the accounting processes of medium- to large-sized manufacturers. Although Track experienced losses during its first 2 years of operation—2009and 2010—its profit has increased steadily from 2011 to the present (2015). The firm’s profit history, including dividend payments and contributions to retained earnings, is summarized in Table 1. Stanley started the firm with a $100,000 investment: his savings of $50,000 as equity and a $50,000 long-term loan from the bank. He had hoped to maintain his initial 100 percent ownership in the corporation, but after experiencing a $50,000 loss during the first year of operation (2009), he sold 60 percent of the stock to a group of investors to obtain needed funds. Since then, no other stock transactionshave taken place. Although he owns only 40 percent of the firm, Stanley activelymanages all aspects of its activities; the other stockholders are not active in managementof the firm. The firm’s stock was valued at $4.50 per share in 2014 and at $5.28 per share in 2015.

Stanley has just prepared the firm’s 2015 income statement, balance sheet, and statement of retained earnings, shown in Tables 2, 3, and 4, along with the 2014 balance sheet. In addition, he has compiled the 2014 ratio values and industry average ratio values for 2015, which is applicable to both 2014 and 2015 and
are summarized in Table 5. He is quite pleased to have achieved record earnings of $48,000 in 2015, but he is concerned about the firm’s cash flows. Specifically, he is finding it more and more difficult to pay the firm’s bills in a timely manner and generate cash flows to investors, both creditors and owners. To gain insight into these cash flow problems, Stanley is planning to determine the firm’s 2015 operating cash flow (OCF) and free cash flow (FCF). Stanley is further frustrated by the firm’s inability to afford to hire a software developer to complete development of a cost estimation package that is believed to have “blockbuster” sales potential. Stanley began development of this package 2 years ago, but the firm’s growing complexity has forced him to devote more of his time to administrative duties, thereby halting the development of this product. Stanley’s reluctance to fill this position stems from his concern that the added $80,000 per year in salary and benefits for the position would certainly lower the
firm’s earnings per share (EPS) over the next couple of years. Although the project’s success is in no way guaranteed, Stanley believes that if the money were spent to hire the software developer, the firm’s sales and earnings would significantly rise once the 2- to 3-year development, production, and marketing process was completed. With all these concerns in mind, Stanley set out to review the various data to develop strategies that would help ensure a bright future for Track Software. Stanley
believed that as part of this process, a thorough ratio analysis of the firm’s 2015 results would provide important additional insights.​

a. (1) On what financial goal does Stanley seem to be focusing? Is it the correct

goal? Why or why not?

(2) Could a potential agency problem exist in this firm? Explain.

b. Calculate the firm’s earnings per share (EPS) for each year, recognizing that the

number of shares of common stock outstanding has remained unchanged since

the firm’s inception. Comment on the EPS performance in view of your response

in part a.