Final answer:
To find out how long it takes for a company with an inventory turnover ratio of 5 to sell its inventory, you divide 360 days by 5, resulting in an average inventory period of 72 days.
Step-by-step explanation:
The inventory turnover ratio is an important metric in business, indicating how many times a company sells and replaces its inventory within a certain period. If a company has an inventory turnover ratio of 5, this means it sells all its inventory 5 times over the course of a year. Assuming the year has 360 days, we calculate the average inventory period by dividing the number of days in the year by the inventory turnover ratio.
The formula to calculate the average time to sell inventory is:
Average Inventory Period = 360 days / Inventory Turnover Ratio
Therefore:
Average Inventory Period = 360 days / 5
Average Inventory Period = 72 days
This means, on average, it takes the company 72 days to sell its inventory.