Researching Industry Financial Statistics Presentation

Purpose of Assignment

The purpose of this assignment is to allow the students an opportunity to complete their financial evaluation of a company using the financial research database Plunkett Research Online. Plunkett Research Online provides in-depth analysis of a company's financials, comparisons to industry averages, a list of top executives, how the company compares to other competitors in terms of revenue, number of employees, market capitalization and other key financial metrics. 

Assignment Steps 

Resources: Plunket Research Online located in the Week 3 Electronic Reserve Readings;  PowerPoint, Microsoft® Excel®

Review the Company Profile and answer the following questions in a PowerPoint Presentation: 

• What was the Gross Margin in 2014      and 2015?
• What was the Earnings per Share in      2014 and 2015? 

Compare the 2015 Company Financials to the Industry Averages and export the results into a Microsoft® Excel® document. 

Add a new column in your Microsoft® Excel® document titled "Change" and calculate the difference between the company's 2015 financial results and the industry averages. 

Explain in a 3 slide PowerPoint Presentation how the company you selected compares to the industry averages in terms of financial profitability, liquidity and solvency, and why the difference is important. Also review the financial statements over the last three years and discuss any positive and negative trends would you report to the company's management. Be sure to include speaker notes with references.