Perform trend analysis for the most recent 4 years (the financial statements needed for this assignment may be available at https://finance.yahoo.com/). 

Analyze the trends for 3 line items you believe are most important in evaluating a company for the balance sheet and for the income statement (3 each). 

In your initial post, answer the following questions: 

What do you observe in the linear trends (i.e., are values increasing or decreasing)? 

What are the trends on a common-size basis? 

What would be your next steps in completing a thorough analysis of the trends? 

In your response to your peers, provide any additional insights you may have based on their analyses.

Answer rating: 100% (QA)

Key Data of last 4 Year Audited Apple Inc 2018 Mio 2017 Mio 2016 Mio 2015 Mio Net Sales 265595 229234 215639 233715 Net Sales Growth 16 6 8 28 Cost of Sales 163756 141048 131376 140089 Gross Margin 10... View the full answer