Topic: Financial Research Report
Due Week 9 and worth 300 points
Imagine that you are a financial manager researching investments for your client that align with its investment goals. Use the Internet or the Strayer Library to research any U.S. publicly traded company that you may consider as an investment opportunity for your client. (Note: Please ensure that you are able to find enough information about this company in order to complete this assignment. You will create an appendix, in which you will insert related information.)
The assignment covers the following topics:
Rationale for choosing the company for which to invest
Ratio analysis
Stock price analysis
Recommendations
Refer to the following resources to assist with completing your assignment:
Stock Selection
Forbes Six Rules to Follow When Picking Stocks
CNN Money Stocks: Investing in stocks
The Motley Fool 13 Steps to Investing Foolishly
Seeking Alpha The Graham And Dodd Method For Valuing Stocks
Investopedia Guide to Stock-Picking Strategies
Seeking Alpha Get Your Smart Beta Here! Dividend Growth Stocks As Strategic Beta Investments
Market and Company Information
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Market Structure
Yahoo! Finance
Mergent Online (Note: This resource is also available through the Strayer Learning Resource Center.)
Seeking Alpha (Note: Also available through the Android or iTunes App store.)
Morningstar (Note: You can create a no-cost Basic Access account.)
Research Hub, located in the left menu of your course in Blackboard.
Write an eight to twelve (8-12) page paper in which you:
1.Provide a rationale for the U.S. publicly traded company that you selected, indicating the significant factors driving your decision as a financial manager.
2.Determine the profile of the investor for which this company may be a fit, relative to that potential investors investment strategy. Provide support for your rationale.
3.Select any five (5) financial ratios that you have learned about in the text. Analyze the past three (3) years of the companys financial data, which you may obtain from the companys financial statements. Determine the companys financial health. (Note: Suggested ratios include, but are not limited to, current ratio, quick ratio, earnings per share, and price earnings ratio.)
4.Based on your financial review, determine the risk level of the company from your investors point of view. Indicate key strategies that you may use in order to minimize these perceived risks.
5.Provide your recommendations of this stock as an investment opportunity. Support your rationale with resources, such as peer-reviewed articles or material from the Strayer Library.
6.Use at least five (5) quality academic resources in this assignment. Note: Wikipedia and other Websites do not qualify as academic resources.
Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements:
Be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides; citations and references must follow APA or school-specific format. Check with your professor for any additional instructions.
Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the students name, the professors name, the course title, and the date. The cover page and the reference page are not included in the required assignment page length.
The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are:
Critique financial management strategies that support business operations in various market environments.
Analyze financial statements for key ratios, cash flow positions, and taxation effects.
Review fixed income strategies using time value of money concept, bond valuation methods, and interest rate calculations.
Estimate the risk and return on financial investments.
Apply financial management options to corporate finance.
Determine the cost of capital and how to maximize returns.
Formulate cash flow analysis for capital projects including project risks and returns.
Evaluate how corporate valuation and forecasting affect financial management.
Analyze how capital structure decision-making practices impact financial management.
Use technology and information resources to research issues in financial management.
Write clearly and concisely about financial management using proper writing mechanics.