Examining Financial Statements

Students will select a Fortune 500 company to examine (http://fortune.com/fortune500/). Prepare a Word document using information from their Annual Report. (Use the most recent year available.)

The Word document must cover ALL of the following:

Overview

Describe the content and purpose of the three main financial statements.

Balance Sheet

What are the balances at year-end for assets, liabilities, and stockholders equity?
Prepare a common-size Balance Sheet. Be sure to label and form this financial statement properly.
Review the Notes to the financial statement:
What Inventory Method does the company use?
What other pertinent information does the company disclose about their inventory
What does the company disclose regarding fixed assets and depreciation?

Income Statement

What are revenue, gross profit, and net income for the year?
Prepare a common-size Income Statement. Be sure to label and form this financial statement properly.
Are there any special items on the Income Statement (e.g., Discontinued Operations, Extraordinary items)? If so, describe the event that caused the item and why this event is classified as a special item.
Review the Notes to the financial statement:
Describe the companys policy on revenue recognition.

Statement of Cash Flows

What are the cash flow totals for operating, investing, and financing activities?
What are some of the main investing and financing activities that occurred? If there are negative cash flow totals, describe whether this cash outflow has a positive or negative impact on the companys sustainability. Why?

Managements Discussion and Analysis (MD&A)

Highlight 3 interesting topics discussed in the MD&A section of the annual report.
How does the information presented impact the financial statements and relevant ratios?
Additional Instructions
Make sure to choose a Fortune 500 company that has inventory
Annual Reports (10-k) can be found:
Company website Usually at the bottom of the main page under a link titled Investor Relations, Corporate,  (or something similar).
SEC website (https://www.sec.gov/). Click Filings tab to search for the company (Make sure to use the 10-k report).
The document should include the same headings listed above (Overview, etc.).
The document should be APA formatted (including title page, APA formatted references, etc.)
You can complete the common-size financial statements in Excel then copy and paste them into your main Word document.
MUST: Include the direct link to the Annual Report