Assume you have just earned your master's degree in finance and are now employed by the Cosmo K Manufacturing Group. Your employment is contingent on your successful completion of several tasks over the next four weeks and the successful completion of a comprehensive exam to obtain company certification in finance. Each week, you will be assigned projects of interest to the company that will test your competence in finance.

Gerry has decided that you need some experience in evaluating other firms in the marketplace. Accordingly, he has asked you to select any company listed on the NYSE or the NASDAQ. For your selected company, identify and download the most recent financial statements for the last three to five years, to include the following:

• Balance sheet
• Income statement
• Per share data

Tasks:

Gerry would like you to complete the following tasks and submit your report by the end of the week:

• Identify the predominant industry in which your company operates. Find the industry averages for that industry for the following ratios:
  • Current ratio
  • Debt ratio
  • Quick ratio
  • Debt-equity ratio
  • Total asset turnover
  • Profit margin
  • Inventory turnover
  • Return on assets
  • Receivables turnover
  • Return on equity
• Calculate as many of the listed ratios for your selected company as possible using the financial statements you acquired.
• Conduct a trend analysis for the last three to five years. What trends can you identify? What do they indicate?
• Compare the ratios for the last common year to the industry averages. What conclusions can you draw regarding your company's performance? What are your company's strengths and weaknesses?
• Identify the changes that need to be made by the company to improve its performance, as compared to the industry, on the basis of the ratios.
• Conduct a DuPont analysis for your selected company. What conclusions can you draw for improving your company's performance on the basis of this analysis?