Which metric indicates how efficiently a company uses its assets to generate revenue?

The correct metric that indicates how efficiently a company uses its assets to generate revenue is asset turnover. This ratio measures the relationship between a company's sales revenue and its total assets. Essentially, it tells us how many dollars of sales are generated for every dollar of assets the company possesses. A higher asset turnover ratio implies that the company is using its assets more efficiently to generate revenue.

In contrast, the other metrics focus on different aspects of a company's financial performance. Net profit margin assesses how much profit a company makes for every dollar of sales, but it does not directly measure asset efficiency. Return on assets considers how effectively a company generates profit from its assets, which is closely related but focuses on profit rather than revenue generation. The debt to equity ratio evaluates the relative proportions of a company's debt and equity, which speaks to financial structure and leverage rather than asset efficiency. Thus, asset turnover is the key metric for evaluating how well a company can utilize its assets to drive sales.