Complete in a Word document – REPORT ONLY  Include a cover sheet with the course name, and number, the Assignment title, & value, the instructor’s name, the semester, the student’s names and student numbers, and the due date.  Cross reference your commentary to the financial analysis  Complete your financial analysis in ‘Excel’ – ANALYSIS ONLY  Include copies of the financial statements utilized, as appendices. 

Steps – Part I 

1. Choose two publicly traded companies. Ensure that they are: 

a. In the same industry 

b. Similar size 

c. Similar market 

2. Get copies of the most recent annual reports, or financial statements. Ensure that you have the income statements and balance sheets for three years. These can be found online from TSX www.tsx.com website, the New York Stock Exchange www.nyse.com or the company’s websites. GO TO ANY SITE OF THE COMPANY AND COLLECT 2 COMPANIES DATA FOR 3 YEARS 

3. Perform a Horizontal Analysis/Vertical Analysis/Ratio analysis on two companies. 

4. Complete a year over year analysis of the companies and assess which year was strong for each company. 

5. Comment on at least three points, interpreting the data into management information. 

6. Find any policies or practices information on each of the two companies that might explain one of the trends or variances. This information can be found in financial news, company press releases, or the MD&A (management discussion and analysis), in the annual reports.