Assignment 3: calculating financial ratios

Vital to any ratio analysis are the steps of gathering financial data and selecting and calculating relevant ratios. This assignment provides you with an opportunity to do just that.

Task:

• Download a company’s balance sheet and income statement from one of the many sites where financials are available, such as Zacks Investment Researchor MarketWatch.
• Choose five financial ratios, one from each of the five categories described in Chapter 3 of Brigham and Ehrhardt (i.e., liquidity, asset management, financial leverage, profitability, and market value) and look at them over a three-year period. Put your findings in a table with the years across the top (horizontal axis) and the ratios along the side (vertical axis). What do the findings tell you about the financial health of the company? How does your selected company compare to the industry?
• Calculate each ratio using the information from the balance sheet and income statement.

Write a 2–3-page paper that reports your findings. Apply APA standards to citation of sources.

Submission Details:

• By the due date assigned, save your report as M1_A3_lastname_firstinitial.doc and upload to the Submissions Area.

Assignment 3 Grading Criteria Maximum PointsCorrectly calculated each of the selected five financial ratios over a 3-year period in tabular format.8Provided an overview of the industry and an in-depth analysis of what the ratios told them about the financial health of the company in relation to competitors.8Discussed major trends in the industry and provided recommendations as to how their selected company could improve their competitive positioning and improve their financial position.8Demonstrated an understanding of trend analysis, industry analysis, and benchmarking, and provided at least 3 academic references. Concisely analyzed findings in an organized, cogent, and clear manner.8Wrote in a clear, concise, and organized manner; demonstrated ethical scholarship in accurate representation and attribution of sources; displayed accurate spelling, grammar, and punctuation.8Total:40Due DateJan 6, 2018 10:59 PM