Casestudy North Hampton Inc.

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Case study Country Hill Snack Foods Co. This paper will analyze and discuss the case study of Hill Country Snack Foods Co. which is a company that manufactures, markets, and distribute a variety of snacks such as churros, tortilla chips, salsa, pretzels, popcorn, crackers, pita chips, and frozen treats. In the following sections, we will discuss the company background, its financial state, and capital structure of the company. We then discuss and analyze the issues and suggested alternatives and we will conclude with recommendations. Company information The company’s growth and success was driven by its efficient operations, quality products, and strong position in a region that was experiencing both population and economic growth. Hill Country was a well-managed company where all decisions were made according to one philosophy: will this action build shareholder value? The company CEO Howard Keener’s philosophy was that a manager’s job was to maximize shareholder value. This was personally beneficial to Keener and members of the management team since they held approximately one sixth of the 33.9 million shares of the common stock outstanding. Another important component of the company culture was a strong commitment to efficiency and controlling costs. The final component of Hill Country’s culture and managerial philosophy was caution and risk aversion. The company’s culture of risk avoidance also showed in its financing decisions. Debt was avoided, investments were funded internally, and the balance sheet was strong. The combination of good products, efficient and low-cost operations, and all-equity funding had produced consistently strong financial results. The company’s cash position and conservative capital structure, however, had a negative impact on its financial performance measures. Return on asset was reduced by large cash balances.
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