Financial Analysis of ASX Listed Company

This assessment addresses the following subject learning outcomes:

1. Apply the key theories and principles of financial management within varying contexts.
2. Critically evaluate the role and content of each of the four main financial statements as sources of quantitative data, and their impact on business decision making.
3. Investigate and evaluate the range of issues involved in the different types of funding.
4. Understand and evaluate budgets and their impact on long and short-term business decisions.
5. Critically analyse financial statements using effective strategies and apply accountancy information for informed managerial decision-making.

The purpose of the assignment is to provide you with the opportunity to apply the knowledge and skills acquired in FINA600 Financial Management, to a practical task, involving the use of ‘real?world’ accounting information. This is intended to consolidate your accounting knowledge and skills.

The basic requirement is to undertake a general financial analysis, comparing financial position and performance over the two most recent financial years, of an ASX listed company.

The annual report for the chosen company should be available on the company website. 

Note: You are to use the ‘consolidated’ data in conducting your analysis.

The analysis should consider each of the following financial ratios:

• profitability and market performance
• efficiency,
• liquidity,
• capital structure

Note: You are only required to look at the most recent financial report. For those ratios which involve averages, you will calculate an average for the most recent year only, the prior year ratio calculation will NOT consider average calculations.

This assignment will contain two elements:

1. Schedule(s) of relevant ratios and other useful calculations 

• The detailed calculation of relevant ratios and other useful calculations should be included, as one appendix, prepared using Excel. An example template is provided under the assessment 2 information, FINA6017 appendix layout - Blank.xls.

• You will be advised by your facilitator as to which ratios to calculate.

• You are advised to show the formulae used in determining particular ratios and other figures.

2. A written report 

The written report is the main element of this assessment. A sample template is provided under the assessment 2 information, FINA6017 Assignment Suggested Layout - Blank.doc. 

The written report should: 

• Explain what is revealed by the ratios and other calculations, in the context of the company’s profitability, asset efficiency, liquidity, capital structure, and market performance.

• In particular, any important changes over the two financial years should be identified, discussed and, where possible, explained.

• Provide an overall assessment of whether the company, over the recent financial year, has been better than the previous financial year, in the perspective of existing equity investors (shareholders).

In preparing this report, you should:

• analyse the financial statements of the business;

• identify key ratios and apply ratio analysis;

• argue the case of why the organisation may or may not succeed in the future and what the business should be doing to help it succeed;

• consider the impact of the political and competitive environment on the business;

• discuss relevant ethical considerations when an organisation becomes insolvent;

• include external factors that need to be taken into consideration and the likelihood of a merger or acquisition;

• provide a recommendation, that is, would you invest in this company after your own analysis or under what circumstances would you buy/save the business?