Basic Finance
The main purpose of studying finance is to gain an understanding of the financial performance of a company, corporation or industry. By looking at a company's financial performance, decisions can be made about many things by many different players. Corporations are rated by different agencies that examine financial records and potential for growth. Fitch ratings are a good example of this. My employer has an A++ Fitch rating. This high rating allows a non-profit company to borrow money at lower interest rates. In a publicly held company, which is one that has shareholders, the main concern is to keep the shareholders happy. Shareholders infuse corporations they believe in (usually based on financial performance) with capital. When a company is considered a poor financial risk, the public will not be in a hurry to buy its stock.
So who is affected by finance? Shareholders, as mentioned previously, are the focus in publicly traded companies. They are not the only people who think about financials, however. The CEO, CFO and any other "C" position have accountability to report to the board about the financial performance of the company. Management is responsible for creating and maintaining both capital and operational budgets. Employees are required to maintain certain standards of productivity. Customers are affected by finances as well. Consider gas prices, and how increased costs in production are passed on to the consumer.
When looking at a company's finances, there are essentially four items to consider: the income statement, the price earnings ratio, the balance sheet, and the statement of cash flows, (Block, 2005). The income statement is a tool used to measure profitability over a given period of time, i.e. quarterly, annual. The income statement evaluates the cost of producing goods or services and the money that was made as a result of selling those goods/services. Gross profit and net earnings are two key features to look at.
The price earnings ratio measures the relative valuation of earnings, (Block, 2005). This is a way of looking at how your company's stock earnings compare to other companies both within and outside your industry. This ratio is affected by many variables like marketability, sales growth, and the debt-equity structure of a company.
...are accountable to a board of directors and shareholders and publish annual reports that are public record so to make sure there financial standards are on the up and up.
The purpose of an income statement is to report the revenue generated and the expenses incurred by a corporation for the past year. (Melicher, 2014) The gross revenue is the first item on the financial statement followed by several expenses and then the net revenue. One of the expenses a corporation incurs is the cost of goods sold, which is the amount of money it costs a corporation to produce or manufacture the items sold to generate a profit. The second expense on a financial statement is the cost of record keeping, preparing financial statements, advertising, and salaries grouped under the heading “Selling, general, marketing expenses”. The other expenses on an income statement are depreciation, interest expense, and the unavoidable income tax. (Melicher, 2014) Once all of these expenses haven been deducted from the gross revenue a company has an accurate depiction of their net
This is market prospect ratio and it calculates the market value of the stock in relation to the earnings per share. It indicates that what the market is prepared to pay for stock looking into its current earnings.
The fourth ratio we will analyze is earnings per share. Earnings per share (EPS) are the number of dollars earned during the period on behalf of each outstanding share of common stock.
One of these ratios is the price earnings ratio (P/E). The Price-Earnings Ratio is an assessment ratio of a business' existing share fee likened to its earnings per share (EPS). It is computed as the market
The price earnings ratio shows what a company’s stock is worth on the market based off of current earnings. This is important in finances and the stock market because the pe ratio can help determine future earnings per share. Verizon has a pe ratio of 19.9. NTT has a ratio of 9.5. AT&T has a ratio of 31.4. From an investors perspective AT&T has the best indication of a better future performance. The higher the ratio the
Finance has to make sure that there is enough funds in the bank at all times. The Finance Department has to communicate with each department. Finance is the part of the company that can give production enough money to more capacity, tell Marketing a budget for the year and ensure that the Research and Development team has enough money to do quality research on the products. Even though all the departments have to work together in some capacity, it's the Finance Department that is the glue to the company. Their relationship to each department is crucial because if the Finance team cannot communicate well with a certain department then every department is impacted to some capacity.
What do you understand by the phrase “stakeholder analysis”? Attempt a stakeholder analysis of an organisation that you are closely associated with.
The Purpose of Financial Statements The financial statements of a business are used to provide information about the status of the business, set performance targets and impose restrictions on the managers of the firm as well as provide an easier method for financial planning. The financial statements consist of the Profit and Loss Account, Balance Sheet and the Cash Flow Statement. There are four areas of information, which we can collect from a company's financial statements. They are: Ÿ Profitability - This information comes from the Profit and Loss account. Were we can compare this year's profit with the previous years.
This paper will discuss the role of the financial manager and how that particular role, in the area of corporate expertise, differs from that of the shareholder and of the employee. The discussion the paper provides will help determine how the financial manager maximizes shareholder value in today's financial market. Lastly, the viewpoint of the financial manager will be compared to that of the shareholder and employee.
The management of cash is essential to the survival of any organization. Managing an organization’s financial operation requires knowledge of the economy and ways to maximize revenue. For any organization to operate on a daily basis adequate cash flow is required. Without cash management the organization will be unable to function because there is no cash readily available in case of inconsistencies in the market. Cash is also needed to keep the cycle of the company’s operations going.
The statement of profit or loss is also known as income statement and it’s equation is revenue minus expenses equals profit or loss. The statement of profit or loss summarize the revenues and expenses of a business and also shown the ability of a business to generated business. The total profit or loss that generated in an organization during an accounting period can be seen through the income statement. For example, if the expenses of the company are higher than revenues, the company will get a loss in the business. However, the company will generate a profit when the revenues are greater than the
Income statement-: Income statement is the financial statement that measures a company 's financial performance over a specific accounting period. Financial performance is assessed by giving a summary of how the business incurs its revenues and expenses through both operating and non-operating activities.
Corporate finance is different than accounting in that corporate finance relates to valuation and financing decisions. The purpose of accounting is to create statements that lay out the historical financial health of a company for management and investors. The purpose of corporate finance is to apply the results of these statements (along with intangibles such as the strength of the industry and the management team) to a valuation model in order to arrive at a value for the company.
Financial theories are the building blocks of today's corporate world. "The basic building blocks of finance theory lay the foundation for many modern tools used in areas such asset pricing and investment. Many of these theoretical concepts such as general equilibrium analysis, information economics and theory of contracts are firmly rooted in classical Microeconomics" (Oaktree, 2005)