Assignment

Financial Statement Analysis

Prepare an eight- to ten-page fundamental financial analysis (excluding appendices, title page, abstract, and references page) that will cover each of the following broad areas based on the financial statements of your chosen company:

a. Provide a background of the firm, industry, economy, and outlook for the future.
b. Analyze the short term liquidity of the firm.
c. Analyze the operating efficiency of the firm.
d. Analyze the capital structure of the firm.
e. Analyze the profitability of the firm.
f. Conclude with recommendations for the future analysis of the company (trend analysis).

Writing the Final Paper

The paper

• Must be eight to ten double-spaced pages in length (not including title and references pages) and formatted according to APA style.
• Must include a separate title page with the following:

o Title of paper
o Student's name
o Course name and number
o Instructor's name
o Date submitted

• Must begin with an introductory paragraph that has a succinct thesis statement.
• Must address the topic of the paper with critical thought.
• Must end with a conclusion that reaffirms your thesis.
• Must use at least three scholarly sources from the Ashford University Library, in addition to the text.
• Must document all sources in APA style.
• Must include a separate references page that is formatted according to APA style.

A. Include a Title/Heading in each of your paragraph discussions, such as the following:

1. Background of the firm, industry, economy, and outlook for the future.
2. Analysis of the short term liquidity of the firm
3. Analysis of the operating efficiency of the firm
4. Analysis of the capital structure of the firm
5. Analysis of the profitability of the firm
6. Conclusion with recommendations for the future analysis of the company (trend analysis)

B. The fundamental financial analysis based on your chosen company's financial statements should be in quantifiable and measurable terms (in absolute dollar values) for the following items: short-term liquidity, operating efficiency, capital structure and profitability. Refrain from qualitative and theoretical financial analysis from textbook and other sources that will not directly and substantially address the fundamental analysis of the financial statements of a publicly held firm.