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ACTG 11/3000: Financial Accounting

This guide is intended to assist students with their financial analysis projects.

Introduction

The Articles & News tab will guide you to thousands of business journals, including FREE online access to the Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and The Economist.

The Industry Research tab will point you to resources for situating your firm in its respective industry, mapping Porter's Five Forces, and more.

The Company Research tab will point you to resources meant to provide a solid understanding of your firm, including their financial statements, analyst reports, and key executives.

Analyst Reports

Investment/brokerage/securities houses, asset management companies and other investment managers may issue analyst reports on individual companies or industries. Analyst reports are generally written to offer guidance to investors as to whether to invest in specific companies or industry sectors. Valuable insights are provided when analysts write about the current and future outlook for the state of the industry, based not only on financials, but on interviews with top management, a review of peer performance and macro/micro economic indicators, and other inputs.

Financial Statements

Individually, the balance sheet, income statement, statement of cash flows, and statement of retained earnings, provide insight into the firm’s operations, profitability, and overall financial condition. Financial statements at any given time can provide a snapshot of a company’s overall health. FASB identifies ten elements of financial statements: assets, liabilities, equity, investments by owners, distributions to owners, comprehensive income, revenues, expenses, gains, and losses.

 

 

For help analyzing financial statements, consult your instructor and the following resources: