Nucor is the largest steel producer in the United States. Please consider the excerpts from Nucors annual
Question:
Nucor is the largest steel producer in the United States. Please consider the excerpts from Nucor’s annual report for fiscal year 2014 presented in the next page and answer the following questions.
a. What inventory cost flow assumption(s) does Nucor use to determine the cost of inventories?
b. Suppose Nucor had used FIFO as a cost flow assumption for all its inventories. Assume a tax rate of 35%. Would net income for December 31st, 2014 be higher, lower or the same as currently reported? If you answer higher or lower, please indicate by how much.
c. Did Nucor save taxes cumulatively over the years since inception (up to December 31st, 2014) by using LIFO instead of FIFO as a cost flow assumption? If so, by how much? If not, why?
d. What is Nucor’s gross profit margin (=(sales-cost of sales)/sales) as reported? What would Nucor gross-profit margin be if the company had used FIFO as a cost flow assumption for all its inventories? Which of the two numbers you calculated is more informative?
e. Note 6 states that “Use of lower of cost or market reduced inventories by $2.7 million at December 31, 2014.” What does this mean? What are the financial statement implications of this event?
Excerpts from Nucor’s Financial Statement (Contd.)
Project Management A Systems Approach to Planning Scheduling and Controlling
ISBN: 978-0470278703
10th Edition
Authors: Harold Kerzner