FIN 534 – Assignments and Rubrics ©2012 Strayer University. All Rights Reserved. This document contains Strayer University Confidential and Proprietary information and may not be copied, further distributed, or otherwise disclosed in whole or in part, without the expressed written permission of Strayer University. FIN 534 Faculty Version 1122 (1138 11-18-2011) Page 18 of 22 Writing Assignment: Financial Analysis Due Week 10 and worth 190 points In this assignment, assume you are a savvy financial analyst researching companies in which to invest. Select a U.S. publically-traded company you think might be a good investment and perform a financial analysis. Your analysis should include the following:  Company Overview. Conduct research and describe the company, its operations, locations, markets, and lines of business. Collect financial statements for the past three (3) years, fiscal or calendar (please insert these in the appendix). These financial statements must include at least the income statement and the balance sheet.  Evaluate the company’s vulnerability to current financial threats such as a recession, higher interest rates, and global competition.  Financial Performance. Based on the financial trends of the company, predict how these trends will impact financial performance in future periods. Explain your rationale for this prediction.  Stock Price Analysis. Given the performance of the stock in the periods presented on the company’s financial statements, discuss how the stock is likely to perform in the future, what type of investor would be drawn to this stock, and make a recommendation to management to improve stock performance. Submit your analysis in the form of a 6-8 page paper in which you: 1. Provide a detailed overview of a U.S. publicly traded company. This should be one to two (1-2) pages. 2. Evaluate the company’s vulnerability to current financial threats such as a recession, higher interest rates, and global competition. 3. Based on the financial trends of the company, predict how these trends will impact financial performance in future periods. Explain your rationale for this prediction. 4. Cite at least five (5) quality references. 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 student’s name, the professor’s 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.  Estimate the risk and return on financial investments.  Apply financial management options to corporate finance.  Use technology and information resources to research issues in financial management.  Write clearly and concisely about financial management using proper writing mechanics Grading for this assignment will be based on answer quality, logic/organization of the paper, and language and writing skills, using the following rubric.