Verified Document

Financial Ratio Report Term Paper

Financial Analysis Understanding how a company operates within any industry is dependent upon comprehension of many financial properties. Assessing the financial stability of a company is essential in determining the company's strengths and weaknesses as well as ultimately assessing its profitability. Financial ratios should be considered a useful tool when examining the profitability and efficiency of any company. Some companies are certainly more successful and profitable than others, and pharmaceutical companies in particular seem to have a distinct advantage when measuring financial ratios.

When assessing any organization, for terms of this paper are as follows: Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer and Merck it is important to consider the profitability and efficiency of the company. This is among the first information investors will explore before "investing" in a company. Ratio analysis is a critical analysis of the financial structure of an organization. There are four categories of ratios that need to be examined: leverage, liquidity, efficiency and profitability. These ratios are also referred to as "DuPont" ratios (MBA, 681). There are many other ratios that may be considered when evaluating a company, but for financial purposes, and for evaluating the above mentioned pharmaceutical companies the four listed ratios are most important in comparing the companies success in the market compared to other companies in the industry.

Liquidity ratios indicate how well an organization is able to basically "pay its bills" without undue hardship. A high liquidity can be a good sign, but too high of a ratio may signify that the firm is actually not efficiently operating. This will be discussed further as the pharmaceutical companies measured above are analyzed.

Leverage ratios measure the ability of an organization over...

When considering leverage ratio's it is important to note that a successful company typically has an average ratio, not too high or too low. Too high of a ratio could indicate financial distress, similar to the imbalance created by too high of a liquidity ratio.
Efficiency and profitability are extremely important ratios to consider. Efficiency ratios measure the companies ability to generate sales and invest in assets "efficiently," assessing in essence whether a firm is maximizing utilization of assets. Profitability ratios are most often utilized when comparing companies in the same industry. A profitability ratio assesses whether a company is capable of generating revenue. Control of expenses, proper use of assets and the ability to manage A/P are all reflected in the profitability ratio.

In examining pharmaceutical companies such as Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer and Merck, this paper will analyze the following:

What are the historical costs and market values of each pharmaceutical company?

What are some examples of benchmark analysis of similar companies?

How do each of these companies compare in terms of financial ratios among each other as well as among other companies in the industry?

What are the financial long-term prospects of each of these companies based on evaluation of the four financial ratios?

How profitable are each of the companies, based on their ability to control expenses?

Of course also to be considered are how well assets are utilized and expenses accounted for each of the companies.

When considering other industries and other related organizations as compared to the pharmaceutical companies mentioned in this paper, the following…

Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Financial Ratio Analysis Liquidity Apple
Words: 1702 Length: 4 Document Type: Research Paper

This means that Apple is generating more cash internally than Google. Further, given the increase in cash flows from operations in the case of Apple means that the company could have an enhanced value of net income in future. When it comes to cash flows from investing activities, there is an increase in the same in the case of Apple in the current financial year in comparison to the

Financial Research Report on Wyeth
Words: 1451 Length: 5 Document Type: Thesis

The projected growth rates are of 7% for 2009, 7% for 2010, 8% for 2011 and 9% for 2012 (Hoovers). Wyeth is expected to increase at higher rates due to its being taken over by Pfizer. 3. Stock Price Analysis The Wyeth stock is being currently (September 16th, 2009) traded at $47.70, revealing a 0.23 (0.48%) decrease relative to the previous trading session, which closed at $47.93. The day's high value

Financial Research Report This Is a Review
Words: 1620 Length: 6 Document Type: Essay

Financial Research Report This is a review of Caterpillar, Inc.. The report is broken down into three sections -- company overview, ratio analysis (which includes a trend analysis), stock price analysis -- that are designed to give a thorough overview of the complete company. Company Overview Caterpillar is one of the best known name brands, around the world for its manufacture of heavy machinery made, primarily, for the construction industry. The company began

Financial Ratios Calculation & Interpretation
Words: 899 Length: 2 Document Type: Application Essay

This ratio eliminates the stock figure from that of current assets and like the current ratio; it is used to measure the liquidity of a firm. The quick ratio may in some instances be preferred over the current ratio as it is inherently difficult to turn some assets into cash. In regard to the two companies, the quick ratio brings out Plume Inc. As being more risky as it

Financial Ratio Analysis
Words: 2111 Length: 8 Document Type: Term Paper

Financial Ratio Analysis for Xerox Xerox Corporation is company in the field of technology and services, which is currently developing, manufacturing, marketing, and financing a whole range of document equipment, software, integrated solutions and services. They have a global network, with branches in more than 130 countries all over the world. In America, its products are distributed through divisions, subsidiaries and third-party distributors. In the rest of the world (Europe, Africa,

Financial Research Report Company Overview
Words: 1603 Length: 5 Document Type: Research Paper

The price is at its level of five years ago, when the external environment was much more favorable for Starbucks. The price of arabica has increased significantly and while Starbucks is a major buyer, it is not the largest buyer and does not have significant pricing power. The competitive pressure that has been applied by McDonald's, Dunkin Donuts and a host of imitators has not eased. Given this, margins

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now