Select a public corporation you are familiar with or which interests you. Using the Internet, your school library, and other sources, develop a short (1 to 2 pages) profile of the corporation. Include in your profile the following information:
1. Name of the corporation.
2. State of incorporation.
3. Nature of its operations.
4. Total assets for the most recent balance sheet.
5. Total revenues for the most recent income statement.
6. Net income for the most recent income statement.
7. Classes of stock outstanding.
8. Market price of the stock outstanding.
9. High and low price of the stock for the past year.
10. Dividends paid for each share of stock during the past year.
In groups of three or four, discuss each corporate profile. Select one of the corporations, assuming that your group has $100,000 to invest in its stock. Summarize why your group selected the corporation it did and how financial accounting information may have affected your decision. Keep track of the performance of your corporation’s stock for the remainder of the term.
Note: Most major corporations maintain “home pages” on the Internet. This home page provides a variety of information on the corporation and often includes the corporation’s financial statements. In addition, the New York Stock Exchange Web site (www.nyse.com) includes links to the home pages of many listed companies.
Financial statements can also be accessed using EDGAR, the electronic archives of financial statements filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
SEC documents can also be retrieved using the EdgarScan™ service at www.sec.gov/edgar/searchedgar/webusers.htm. To obtain annual report information, key in a company name in the appropriate space. Edgar will list the reports available to you for the company you’ve selected. Select the most recent annual report filing, identified as a 10-K or 10-K405.