Janet, Brian, Natalie, and Daniel have sold their shares of Koebel's Family Bakery Ltd. to Biscuits Ltd.,

Question:

Janet, Brian, Natalie, and Daniel have sold their shares of Koebel's Family Bakery Ltd. to Biscuits Ltd., a public company. One of the terms of the sale agreement was that Natalie and Daniel had to become and remain employees of Biscuits for the next two years and continue to operate the bakery. Natalie and Daniel are now operating Koebel's Family Bakery as a wholly owned subsidiary of Biscuits.
Daniel and Natalie have received a sizable amount of cash from the sale of their shares of Koebel's Family Bakery. As a result, they are considering where next to make an investment. They recognize how profitable Koebel's continues to be as a subsidiary of Biscuits and are considering investing some of their excess cash in Biscuits. They have accumulated a number of ratios for Biscuits, Cookies Are for Us (a publicly traded competitor of Biscuits), and the overall industry to enable them to make a decision on whether or not they should invest in Biscuits.

Instructions
(a) Which company is more liquid? Explain.
(b) Which company is more solvent? Explain.
(c) Which company is more profitable? Explain.
(d) Which company do investors favour? Explain.
(e) Natalie and Daniel are familiar with ASPE from their previous experience with Koebel's as a private company. Biscuits and Cookies Are for Us use IFRS. Are there any particular differences Natalie and Daniel should be aware of that might affect their analysis of these two companies?
(f) What other factors must Natalie and Daniel consider before making an investment in any public company?