Choose a publicly traded $($on NYSE or NASDAQ for at least $5$ years$)$ industrial US firm $($Do not attempt financial companies, holding companies or foreign firms since their financial statements may look very different from the standards we discuss in class.$)$ and identify a close competitor $($You can use the industry analyses provided by Yahoo! Finance, CapitalIQ, S&P Indices or other similar sources to identify competitors if one does not come to your mind immediately$).$ Obtain last $2$ years$$ annual reports$/$financial statements for both the company of your choice and its competitor. $($Two years of financial statements will provide you with at least three years of balance sheet and income statement information.$)$

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Using Excel, calculate the financial performance measures$$ listed in your book for your company and its competitor for the last $3$ years. $($You should have a total of $66$ ratios per company $22$ per year.$)$ Identify any trends in the performance measures, try to pinpoint any strengths or weaknesses for your company. Compare and contrast your company$$s financial performance to that of its competitor. Identify the strengths and weaknesses in your company using the competitor as a benchmark.