If a company has high operating leverage, what would be the likely effect on its risk and return?a.Lower risk and higher returnb.Higher risk and lower returnc.Higher risk and higher returnd.Lower risk and lower return
Question
If a company has high operating leverage, what would be the likely effect on its risk and return?a.Lower risk and higher returnb.Higher risk and lower returnc.Higher risk and higher returnd.Lower risk and lower return
Solution
The answer is c. Higher risk and higher return.
Operating leverage is a measure of how sensitive a company's operating income is to its variable costs. A company with high operating leverage has a larger proportion of fixed costs and is therefore more sensitive to changes in sales volume.
If sales increase, a company with high operating leverage will see a larger percentage increase in operating income because fixed costs are spread over a larger number of units. This can lead to higher returns.
However, if sales decrease, the company's operating income may decrease at a faster rate because the fixed costs must be spread over fewer units. This can lead to higher risk.
So, a company with high operating leverage can potentially have higher returns, but it also has higher risk.
Similar Questions
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