Analyst Report – Write up Outline

Appearance – 15 points – Remember cover page, table of contents, proper citations, page numbers

Executive Summary – written last – only one page ( 10 points)

Should the reader invest in the company’s stock?  Short term or long term?

What is the company mission?  

How has this company’s financial performance been over the year outlined in the annual report?  

Has the company shown improvement in any areas over that year?  

Have there been any new products/services over that year?  

How is the company preparing for the future?   

Company Profile – Bullet pointing (Yahoo Finance, Annual Report for Company, or library resources) (10 points)

*Ticker symbol

*Mission Statement as it is printed in the Annual Report

*Corporate headquarters location

*Date of incorporation

*Public Auditor (Who is this? What is their function?)

*Name of CEO

*Name of CFO 

*Stock classifications (common, preferred, both?)

*Exchange  (eg:  NYSE, Nasdaq) – Refer to page 523-524 in text book.

* Dividends (have they been issued and for how much?)

Industry Profile (30 points)

• Identify the market sector to which your company belongs.  Describe what a market sector is and list three industry leaders and three industry laggards in the sector (Hoovers – competitive landscape)

• Identify and define the industry to which your company belongs.  Research and describe what specific characteristics must a company have to be in that industry

• Attach your company’s stock performance in comparison to your company’s two largest competitors stock performance over the past two years.  

• Note on the graph three events. These can be company, industry or market specific events. In detail, describe the events and their effect on your company’s stock performance.

• Graph, using a pie chart, your company versus other companies (at least 3) in the industry with market capitalization data.  Make observations and describe your observations.

Current Events – Choose 2 from the last 12 months (Google Finance)  One domestic (U.S.) and one global

Provide a link to the article or print the article off for inclusion (30 points)

Outline for Article Review / Paraphrase – do 2 – Remember to submit one article review for your BUSN 481 assignment by Sunday at midnight

Article #1 – 

2 to 4 sentences explaining the article –  It is ok to cite direct quotes for the article.

1 sentence as to why you selected this article and how you see that it impacted stock prices if any

1 sentence predicting whether you see this event as having long or short term impact on the company’s performance and stock prices.

Article #2 – 

2 to 4 sentences explaining the article –  It is ok to cite direct quotes for the article.

1 sentence as to why you selected this article and how you see that it impacted stock prices if any

1 sentence predicting whether you see this event as having long or short term impact on the company’s performance and stock prices.

Outlook for the industry in the next 1-3 years? (Hoovers)

What changes or trends will or may affect it? Cite specific examples

Recommendation 

You will have to determine either “buy” or “don’t buy” and back up your suggestion with strong financial reasoning.

Connect your decision to information from article reviews and graphed analysis.

Use three ratios to help you make your decisions. Explain what ratios you used and specify what information your choices provided.  – show data in chart format.