Nasty Numbers: 7 red flags to watch out for in your financial statements

Financial statements show not only where a construction company stands financially, but also where it may be headed. Contractors who work with their financial advisors to analyze their statements can often catch problems early on — before they turn into bigger issues. Here are eight red flags to look out for when reading your next statement:

1. An accumulation of cash (or lack thereof)

A strong cash flow is one of the hallmarks of a successful business. But the key word here is flow. A growing but static reserve of cash can be a sign that your backlog is dwindling and you’re running out of work, leading to a stockpile in the cash column.

On the other hand, if you find yourself drawing on a line of credit when payments for a given project are slow in coming, you could also be headed for trouble. A construction company should always be in an overbilling position on a job. If underbilling is occurring, ask your financial advisor to perform an over/under billings analysis to get a handle on this dilemma. Remember, net income does not equal cash flow.

2. Significant liability changes

Substantially changing liabilities warrant a close look. If your profits are dwindling, for example, certain liabilities may shrink as well, such as payments to profit-sharing plans or deferred tax liabilities.

On the other hand, liabilities can balloon if you take out a loan to keep your construction business afloat. Having a large amount of unsecured debt is a particularly bad sign for any company. Your line of credit should be used to fund working capital, not operating losses.

3. More current liabilities than current assets

Because many contractors have seasonal swings in their businesses, you may have more bills to pay than cash on hand at one time of the year or another. This is something worth tracking and planning around. Also, consistently having more current liabilities than current assets is typically a sign that you’re overleveraged. Using weekly cash flow projections will help manage the situation.

4. Shrinking gross profit margin

Your gross profit margin is equal to your building costs for a particular period — not including overhead, payroll, taxes and interest payments — divided by your sales revenue for the same period.

If this ratio is dwindling, it means your production costs are rising more quickly than your prices, or you’re charging less for your construction services (perhaps in an attempt to gain market share). Both trends can sink your business quickly, so track your profit margin closely.

5. Increasing ratio of general and administrative expenses to profits

General and administrative expenses, such as rent and utilities, are less “elastic” than project expenses, such as labor and materials. Thus, the ratio of these expenses to profits will skyrocket if your workload sags.

Also keep an eye on indirect costs, such as insurance, that you allocate to each of your contracts. If the amount of these rises significantly, it’s often because you have fewer contracts to allocate these expenses to, which could spell financial trouble.

6. Receivables growing faster than sales

If your receivables start to dwarf your actual sales, beware. It may be a sign that customers are taking longer to pay their bills — or not paying at all — and that it may be time to revamp your collection procedures.

7. Far-off or unprofitable future projects

Although you may take comfort in the sight of a lengthy project backlog on your financial statements, remember that not all projects are created equal.

If you have jobs scheduled in the distant future, but nothing for the next few weeks (or months), start strategizing how to pay your bills immediately. Quality also trumps quantity: A smaller number of profitable jobs may prove more beneficial than a large number of jobs with slim profit margins — or even potential losses.