Comparative Analysis and Ratio Analysis of Financial Statements

Abstract : Analysis of financial statement of a company is an important because it is useful to obtain Information

The following report is a brief comparative analysis of two of Australia’s largest deposit-taking financial institutions (FI), Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Ltd. (ANZ) and Westpac Banking Corporation (Westpac). This report seeks to identify which of the FIs has a greater aggregate return per dollar of equity and thus establish the highest performer, or most profitable, of the two. The Return on Equity Model (ROE) (Koch & MacDonald,

Ratio analysis is a very useful tool when it comes to understanding the performance of the company. It highlights the strengths and the weaknesses of the company and pinpoints to the mangers and their subordinates as to which area of the company requires their attention be it prompt or gradual. The return on shareholder’s fund gives an estimate of the amount of profit available to be shared amongst the ordinary shareholders; where as the return on capital employed measures an organization 's profitability and the productivity with which its capital is utilized. Return on total assets is a profitability ratio that measures the net income created by total assets amid a period.

In order to understand and conduct a complete financial analysis of either organization, or any company for that matter, that desires to increase aspects of business, an analysis becomes fundamental when defining the company’s current standings in the market. This can also be a great way in order to discover new ways for expansion of productivity and development within the organization. Throughout the execution of a financial analysis of any business, it is imperative to understand the background of the company and the products they produce and sell. By understanding these

This paper examines financial ratio analysis by defining, the three groups of stakeholders that use financial ratios, the five different kinds of ratios used and their applications, the analytical tools used in analysis, and finally financial ratio analysis limitations and benefits.

These statements can also be used to make a company look stronger, than they appear. Therefore, it is important for investors to do extra research on companies. As an investor, the information will be used to decide the true financial position of a company. If one is, a government official this information can be used to find out if a company is out of compliance. This is an important

This report provides a financial quarterly trend analysis for Costco Wholesale Corporation, Inc. founded in 1983. Costco Wholesale Corporation is the seventh largest retailer company in the world. As of July 2012, it was the fifth largest retailer, and the largest membership warehouse club chain in the United States ("Wikipedia, the free," 2011). Costco Wholesale Corporation’s stock is publicly traded on the National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotation (NASDAQ) under the symbol “COST”, which I will use as reference throughout this report.

1.Suggest the financial ratio that most financial analysts would use to evaluate the financial condition of the company. Provide support for your rationale.

Financial statements of the company are significant for the investors who would like to venture into the business operation. It gives them the insight whether the business is making profits or it is doomed to fail;

Stakeholders include but are not limited to employees, investors, and lenders. Therefore, to have a well-informed and well-rounded opinion, it helps to have accurate and up to date financial statements and ratio distribution of the company’s revenue. With the statements, it not only shows the current position of the company but gives insight to determine the best decisions in the running of the company. In regards to lenders, financial statements are the antithesis of the lending criteria used to calculate any monies the company may or may not receive. This calculation is important in estimating the average amount of money that they can lend the organization, and the amount can be paid after a certain period taking into account the rate of interests (Cummings & Worley, 2009).

It is important for healthcare organizations to understand their present performance and weak areas in order to generate more effective operational strategies. Financial ratio analysis is an effective tool to determine hospital’s performance on several indicators such as ability to pay debt, capability to generate revenue, and sales performance etc. The objective of this paper is to describe role of different financial ratios in understanding organizational performance and in developing new strategy. The paper also presents comparative ratio analysis of local healthcare organization and industry

Financial ratios are "just a convenient way to summarize large quantities of financial data and to compare firms' performance" (Brealey & Myer & Marcus, 2003, p. 450). Financial ratios are very useful tools in order to determine the health of a company, help managers to make decision, and help to compare companies that belong to the same industry in order to know about their performance.

Financial results and conditions vary among companies for a number of reasons. One reason for the variation can be traced to the characteristics of the industries in which companies operate. For example, some industries require large investments in property, plant, and equipment (PP&E), while others require very little. In some industries, the competitive productpricing structure permits companies to earn significant profits per sales dollar, while in other industries the product-pricing structure imposes a much lower profit margin. In most low-margin industries, however, companies often experience a relatively high rate of product throughput. A second reason for some of the

One of the most important profitability metrics is return on equity. Return on equity reveals how much profit a company earned in comparison to the total amount of shareholder equity. It’s what the shareholders “own”. A business that has a high return on equity is more likely to be one that is capable of generating cash internally. For the most part, the higher a company’s return on equity compared to its industry, the better.

A company prepares financial statement to provide information about its financial position and performance. This information is in turn used by a wide range of stakeholders (such as investors, banks, customers, suppliers etc) in making economic decisions with respect to respective economic interest in the company. Typically, in terms of ownership by investment in shares of the company, shareholders though own the company but do not manage it. Therefore, the shareholder and other such stakeholders to get comfort in taking sound decision need independent assurance from the auditors that the financial statements reflect true and fair view of the company affairs in all material respects. Hence, in order to enhance the level of