What is commonly used to compare a company's current performance with industry peers?

The industry average ratios serve as critical benchmarks to evaluate a company's performance relative to its peers within the same sector. These ratios typically include metrics like return on equity, profit margins, and debt-to-equity ratios. By comparing a company's financial performance to the industry averages, analysts can identify strengths and weaknesses, assess operational efficiency, and make more informed investment decisions.

This comparative analysis is vital for stakeholders, as it provides context regarding how well a company is doing against others in the same market. For instance, if a company's profit margin significantly underperforms the industry average, it may indicate issues with cost management or pricing strategy that need to be addressed. Thus, using industry average ratios is a common and effective way to gauge a company's current performance in relation to its competitors.