Choose two publicly traded companies that are roughly in the same industry/line of business. Collect historical financial statement information for each for a period of 5 years that will allow you to conduct a DuPont analysis of the two firms' Returns on Equity (ROE).

The data you will need for this analysis will be:

Sales (year)

Net Income (year)

Total Assets (End of year)

Total Equity (End of year)

You will need the above data for 5 years.

After tabulating and analysis this information, you will need to write a brief comparison of the financial performance of the two companies. Your thoughts about the reasons for any observed differences will be very important to state.

The overall length of the report (with tables and references) should not exceed 6 pages (double-spaced); typically, the length is 4-6 pages (not including title page). Font used is 12-point, with 1 inch margins on the page.