ACC 345 Business Valuation Milestone 1 (1) (2)

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Milestone 1: Amazon Danielle Olejack Southern New Hampshire University ACC 345: Financial Statement Analysis/Business Valuation Rose Creps January 9, 2024
Milestone One: Introduction ............................................................................................................ 3 Links ............................................................................................................................................. 3 History and Overview .................................................................................................................. 3 Summary ...................................................................................................................................... 5 Milestone One References ........................................................................................................... 5 Milestone Two: Financial Analysis ................................................................................................. 5 Balance Sheet Analysis ................................................................................................................ 5 Income Statement and Cash Flow Analysis ................................................................................. 6 Normalization Adjustments Analysis .......................................................................................... 7 Summary ...................................................................................................................................... 8 Milestone Two References ........................................................................................................... 8 Milestone Three: Economic Outlook ............................................................................................... 8 Microeconomic Industry Analysis ............................................................................................... 8 General Macroeconomic Analysis ............................................................................................. 10 Summary .................................................................................................................................... 11 Milestone Three References ....................................................................................................... 11 Project ............................................................................................................................................ 11 Assumptions and Rationale ........................................................................................................ 11 Analysis ...................................................................................................................................... 12 Project References ...................................................................................................................... 12 Valuation Team Report .............................................................................................................. 12
Milestone One: Introduction Links 1. Provide the most recent SEC Form 10-K Filing link for the company. Inline XBRL Viewer (sec.gov) 2. Provide the most recent SEC Proxy Filing link for the company. Inline XBRL Viewer (sec.gov) History and Overview 1. Provide a brief company history overview based on external research of the company. Consider the following questions to guide your response: A. How long has the company been in business? B. Who was the original founder of the company? C. What significant changes to company leadership have occurred? D. How has the company changed since its beginning? Consider expansion of locations or products/services, etc. Amazon was founded July 5 th , 1994, by Jeff Bezos in Bellevue, Washington. Amazon’s headquarters are in Seattle, Washington, and Arlington, Virginia (Our Facilities, 2024). Amazon was originally named “Cadabra” for the first few months until the founder changed the name to Amazon due to “Cadabra” name sounding like the word “cadaver” (MJE, 2023). Amazon originally was an online bookseller to all 50 states and 45 countries. In May 1997, Amazon issued its IPO at $18 per share (Quintana, 2022). In 1998 Amazon expanded beyond selling just books and included music and DVD/video sales, and it took until 2001 to start making a profit, with 2003 being Amazon’s first profitable year. Amazon introduced “Amazon Prime” in 2005, which was an unlimited two-day delivery subscription which cost $79 per year. In 2007, Amazon introduced the Kindle E-Reader which became very successful in the e-book publishing market, as well as Amazon Fresh and Amazon Music (Malik, 2022). In 2009, Amazon acquired Zappos, the shoes and clothing retailer (Quintana, 2022). In 2011, Prime Video was launched which led to the growth of its subscription services in the 2010s (MJE, 2023). In 2014, Amazon acquired Twitch, a video-game-streaming website, and launched the first smart speaker, Echo, which was connected to the well-known artificial-intelligence-powered assistant Alexa (Waller, 2021). In 2015, Amazon opened its first physical store, and in 2017 Amazon acquired Whole Foods. In 2018, Amazon Go was opened to the public and the second headquarters in Virgina was announced (Quintana, 2022). In 2019, Amazon launched Amazon Care which is a telehealth program that provides in-person and virtual care for Amazon employees and their families (Malik, 2022). In 2021, Amazon then acquired MGM, Library (Quintana, 2022). Jeff Bezos was the owner of Amazon until 1997 when they IPOed, meaning they went through the process of initial public offering, which means since 1997 Amazon has been publicly owned by its shareholders (Malik, 2022). Jeff Bezos was the CEO of Amazon until 2021 when he stepped down from being CEO and is now the executive chairman (Waller, 2021). Andrew Jassy is now the CEO, with Brian Olsavsky being the CFO/Director of finance (Business Summary, 2024).
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2. Identify all of the company’s major locations for their facilities and/or other properties. Amazon’s headquarters are in Seattle, Washington, and Arlington, Virgina. Amazon also has 18 tech hubs throughout North America and hundreds of fulfillment centers around the world (Our Facilities, 2024). Amazon also has physical Amazon Fresh stores located in California, Illinois, New York, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Virgina, as well as physical Amazon Go stores in Seattle, WA, Chicago, IL, and San Francisco, CA (Physical Stores, 2024). The chart added is straight from Amazon’s Form 10-K Filing for 2022, it shows the details on square footage for the different properties Amazon owns or leases. 3. Identify all of the customers recognized by the company. Find this information in the annual Form 10-K filing, in Part 1, Item 1: Business. Amazon’s Form 10-K Filing does not provide many specifics as far as their customers and consumers. The 10-K filing speaks on how Amazon serves their consumers through online and physical stores, and they focus on selection, price, and convenience (Amazon.com Inc Form 10-K Filing, 2023). Amazon uses websites, mobile apps, Alexa, devices streaming, and physically visiting their stores to access everything Amazon has to offer. Amazon uses their electronic devices to produce and develop media content (Amazon.com Inc Form 10-K Filing, 2023). Amazon customers are offered low prices, free and fast delivery, and timely customer service in addition to subscription services that offer more benefits to Amazon customers. Orders are filled through the North
American and International fulfillment centers that are co-sourced and outsourced in certain countries, as well as digital delivery (Amazon.com Inc Form 10-K Filing, 2023). Doing online research allowed me to hone in on more specifics of Amazon’s customers and demographics. The average age of the Amazon user is 37 years old split equally between males and females, with 53% of Amazon users being between the ages of 19 and 44 years old, and 81% of adults between the ages of 18 and 34 are Prime members (Radic, 2023). The average Amazon buyer has a household income of $84,449 and 67% of Amazon prime members are parents or guardians (Radic, 2023). More than 60% of Amazons website traffic comes from the United States, with Germany, the UK, and Japan not far behind (Amazon Target Market, 2022). Amazon has very loyal customers, 37% of non-Prime members purchase multiples times a year, while 48% of Prime members order at least once a week, and 74% of Prime members order every few weeks (Amazon Target Market, 2022). Amazon’s convenience feature and free shipping is the reason that Prime members claim they use Amazon so often (Amazon Target Market, 2022). 4. List all of the names of the executive management team of the company. Find this information in the annual Form 10-K filing, in Part 3, Item 10: Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance or in the Annual Proxy filing, under “Executive Officers,” or “Officers Compensation.” You may copy and paste a chart into this section from the annual Form 10-K filing. Be sure to add your own explanation of the information in the chart along with an attribution and a citation in the References section at the bottom of this template. Using Amazon’s Form 10k filing, you will read in their Part III, Item 10, that they divert you to Part I, Item 1, to find the executive management team for the company (Amazon.com Inc Form 10-K Filing, 2023). Jeff Bezos is the founder of Amazon and started as Chair of the Board in 1994, when Amazon was founded, and served as Chief Executive Officer, CEO, from May 1996 until July 2021, as well as President from 1994 until June1999, and again from October 2000 to July 2021 (Amazon.com Inc Form 10-K Filing, 2023). After stepping down from CEO and President in 2021, Andrew Jassy took over both positions for Bezos. Jassy has also been CEO of Amazon Web Services from April 2016 until July 2021, and Senior Vice President of Amazon Web Services from April 2006 to April 2016 (Amazon.com Inc Form 10-K Filing, 2023). Douglas Herrington has been the CEO of Worldwide Amazon Stores since July 2022. Herrington
was also Senior Vice President of North America Consumer and Consumables from January 2015 to July 2022 and May 2014 to December 2014, respectively (Amazon.com Inc Form 10-K Filing, 2023). Brian Olsavsky has had many financial leadership roles across Amazon that have global responsibility since 2002. He has been Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer since June 2015, and held the position of Vice President, Global Consumer Business from December 2011 to June 2015 (Amazon.com Inc Form 10-K Filing, 2023). Shelley Reynolds has held the position of Vice President, Worldwide Controller and Principal Accounting Officer since April 2007. Adam Selipsky has held the position of CEO Amazon Web Services since Jule 2021, and has previously held the positions of Senior Vice President, Amazon Web services, President and CEO of Tableau Software, and Vice President, Marketing, Sales, and Support of Amazon Web Services, from May 2021 to July 2021, September 2016 to May 2021, and May 2005 to September 2016, respectively (Amazon.com Inc Form 10-K Filing, 2023). Lastly, we have David Zapolsky who has served as Senior Vice President, General Counsel, and Secretary since May 2014. He was also Vice President, General Counsel, and Secretary from September 2012 to May 2014, as well as Vice President and Associate General Counsel for Litigation and Regulatory matter from April 2002 until September 2012 (Amazon.com Inc Form 10-K Filing, 2023). 5. Identify all of the competition recognized by the company. Find this information in the annual Form 10-K filing, in Part 1, Item 1: Business. Amazon has many competitors seeing as it is part of the worldwide marketplace involving a large variety of product types, service offerings, and delivery channels (Amazon.com Inc Form 10-K Filing, 2023). Many industry sectors around the world are Amazon’s competitors. The current and potential competitors include physical, e- commerce, businesses, publishers, vendors, distributors, manufacturers, and producers of the products they offer and sell (Amazon.com Inc Form 10-K Filing, 2023). Other competitors include publishers, producers, and distributors of interactive media and distribution channels (Amazon.com Inc Form 10-K Filing, 2023). Other big competitors for Amazon include web search engines, social networks, and other online and app-based means for online shopping. Fulfillment companies that service themselves or other third parties, whether online or offline, companies that sell or design electronics, and companies that sell groceries online or in a physical store are also competitors since they give consumers another outlet to purchase these goods rather than using Amazon (Amazon.com Inc Form 10-K Filing, 2023). Principle competitive factors for Amazon include selection, price, convenience, and reliable fulfillment (Amazon.com Inc Form 10- K Filing, 2023). Competitors may get better supplies, better marketing, and more loyal customers which may make it harder for Amazon to succeed further with certain products. The last big competitors for Amazon are the new companies entering into the market who may grab the attention of previous Amazon customers (Amazon.com Inc Form 10-K Filing, 2023).
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6. Identify all of the major shareholders of the company. Find this information in the Annual Proxy filing, under “Beneficial Ownership.” As of February 2023, Amazon had 10,253,774,270 shares of common stock outstanding. Jeff Bezos is the main shareholder of Amazon with 1,258,288,970 shares and 12.3% of shares. The Vanguard Group Inc has 6.9% of shares which is 712,070,069 shares. BlackRock Inc has 5.8% of shares which is 596,106,284 shares. All the directors and executive officers as a group of 16 people together have 12.3% of shares, which amounts to 1,261,719,808 shares. The following list of names also have shares, but they equal to less than 1%: Andrew Jassy, Keith Alexander, Edith Cooper, Jamie Gorelick, Daniel Huttenlocher, Judith McGrath, Indra Nooyi, Jonathan Rubinstein, Patricia Stonesifer, Wendell Weeks, Brian Olsavsky, Douglas Herrington, Adam Selipsky, and David Zapolsky. 7. Describe business risks recognized by the company. Find this information in the annual Form 10-K filing, in Part 1, Item 1A: Risk Factors. Item 1A in the annual Form 10-K will be lengthy. Do your best to summarize the risks the company has identified. As a company Amazon has many uncertainties that make investment in securities risky, including business, operational, legal, and regulatory risks (Amazon.com Inc Form 10-K Filing, 2023). Amazon faces many business risks as a company. Competition creates a risk due to the vast number of competitors in the market worldwide. Some potential competitors have longer history, more customers, and greater brand recognition which creates a risk for Amazon (Amazon.com Inc Form 10-K Filing, 2023). Expanding new products or services creates a risk since Amazon has limited or no experience in the new market which means customers may not take to the new product, especially if it is harder for Amazon to explain the benefits of the new product or service. International operations pose many risks due to local economic or political conditions, government regulations, restrictions on certain sales, licensing that may be necessary, U.S. laws and policies that affect trade or foreign investment, and geopolitical events, like war and terrorism (Amazon.com Inc Form 10-K Filing, 2023). International operations are significant to the revenues and profits therefore these risks could potentially stall a lot of profit for Amazon. Demand for products is also considered a risk since it can fluctuate for a variety of reasons. Amazon needs to pay attention to make sure they are not overstocking items which can lead to markdowns and write-offs, as well as making sure the website system can handle a large amount of customers at one time to avoid a website crash, especially during the holiday season which brings in a large amount of profit and revenue (Amazon.com Inc Form 10-K Filing, 2023). Fraudulent or unlawful activities of sellers is a risk since there are policies in place to prevent these activities but if these policies fail it
can harm the reputation and Amazon could face civil or criminal liability for unlawful activities by the sellers (Amazon.com Inc Form 10-K Filing, 2023). Intellectual property rights are at risk because Amazon needs to protect their own while avoiding being accused of infringing on these rights of the third-party sellers. Operational risks include placing strain on management, financial and other resources due to the complexity of the current scale, and failure to manage this growth could lead to reputation, growth, and revenue damage (Amazon.com Inc Form 10-K Filing, 2023). Forecasting growth rates and operating results are also a risk because no one can be perfect when forecasting growth, and spending cannot always be adjusted quick enough to avoid damage. Data loss or security breaches pose risks for Amazon due to the large amount of personal data they collect from customers, even though there are systems in place to avoid these losses and breaches there is not a 100% guarantee that they will work 100% of the time (Amazon.com Inc Form 10-K Filing, 2023). Failure to retain or hire highly skilled professionals could negatively impact Amazon because the company relies on qualified personnel to keep the stores, websites, etc. up and running with minimal problems as well as keep all financials in order (Amazon.com Inc Form 10-K Filing, 2023). Inventory poses a risk to Amazon due to possible overstocking or understocking which could affect the demand of products if they are constantly out of stock, or if they have too much stock and need to sell as a cheaper price to get rid of the inventory (Amazon.com Inc Form 10- K Filing, 2023). Payment related risks are big for Amazon since they allow customers to use a variety of payment methods which incur fees which over time can raise operating costs and lower profitability (Amazon.com Inc Form 10-K Filing, 2023). Legal and regulatory risks include regulations that are constantly changing, and any unfavorable changes could harm Amazon as a business. Any claims, litigation, or government investigations against Amazon could pose legal costs, disruption of operations, and negative publicity (Amazon.com Inc Form 10-K Filing, 2023). Product liability claims are filed when people or property are harmed by products Amazon sells or manufactures which could affect Amazon due to the insurance coverage not adequately covering whatever the issue is which incurs costs for Amazon (Amazon.com Inc Form 10-K Filing, 2023). 8. Explain how the company is committed to Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) efforts and sustainability. Find this information in the annual Form 10-K filing, in Part 1, Item 1: Business or in Part 2, Item 7: Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations. If your company does not provide this information in its SEC filings, you will need to do external research to determine your company’s commitment to ESG efforts and sustainability. Be sure to add your own explanation of the information you researched. Include appropriate attributions in your explanation and a citation in the References section at the bottom of this template.
Amazon is continuously investing, inventing, and improving to make every interaction more sustainable since sustainability is very important to its customers (Hurst, 2023). The goal is to minimize Amazon’s impact on the planet and communities as much as possible. Amazon has a commitment to reach net-zero carbon by 2040, reduce the use of fossil fuels, deploy battery-electric generators, use solar powered cast trailers, and operate electric vehicles on set and for deliveries (Hurst, 2023). To reduce energy and workload carbon emissions Amazon offers advanced engineering and data centers. Amazon is powering their operations using new wind and solar farms, minimizing waste and excess packaging by using less plastic or delivering without any extra packaging, as well as offering customers more sustainable product choices (Hurst, 2023). Another way Amazon is committed to sustainability is by respecting human rights with responsible business conduct, which means Amazon treats its employees and the people connected to its value chain with fundamental respect and dignity. Amazon also has a goal to increase the number of women in executive positions by 35%, hire 100,000 military veterans and spouses, increase representation of Black and Latino executives and corporate employees by at least 30% as well (2022 Sustainability Report). Amazon also strives to use natural resources while investing in conservation and restoration initiatives, specifically by being water positive by 2030. This means that Amazon will return more water to communities and environment than it used in its direct operations. So far Amazon announced in 2022 that their efforts are focused on connecting new data centers to recycled waters, improving water efficiency, and developing replenishment projects to support the water positive goal (2022 Sustainability Report). Amazon also has a goal to reduce food waste by 50% across the U.S. and Europe by 2030, and to do that in 2022 the donated 82 million meals globally. Amazon wants to impact the community by delivering $2 billion to preserve and create more affordable homes in communities where there is a high concentration of employees (2022 Sustainability Report). 9. Describe the company’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) status. Consider the following questions to guide your response: A. Is the company currently LEED certified? B. If the company is not currently LEED certificated, is it working towards becoming LEED certified? Review the Form 10-K filing to see if your company is LEED certified or if it discusses its certifications. If your company does not provide this information in its SEC Filings, you will need to do external research to determine your company’s LEED status. Be sure to add your own explanation of the information you researched. Include appropriate attributions in your explanation and a citation in the References section at the bottom of this template. Currently only some of Amazon Inc is LEED certified. Six of the buildings on the Seattle Headquarters campus have been awarded with the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED Gold certification and 20 of the buildings were built using the LEED standards (Kailus,
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2021). The entire headquarters in Arlington Virgina is powered by 100% renewable energy and they are currently seeking the LEED Platinum certification (Lubach, 2023). Amazon has a warehouse in Texas which is LEED certified as well (Amazon-Hou5, 2021). Amazon is making efforts towards becoming LEED certified by including green roofs on buildings, they include dog parks and a meeting center which catches and filters rainwater which reduces the buildings heating and cooling loads (Kailus, 2021). Some of the new buildings in Seattle are heated using recycled energy from nearby data centers which is four times as efficient as traditional heating methods. Summary 1. Summarize your findings for the valuation team. Include the following details in your response: A. Explain what you learned as you researched the company. B. Identify the key points the valuation team needs to be aware of. I learned that Amazon was built from the ground up by Jeff Bezos who started the whole company in his garage in 1994, starting as an online bookseller only which has led to Bezos being on of the top 3 wealthiest people in the world with a net worth of $168.4 billion (Top 10 Richest People, 2023). Amazon has evolved as a company every year with numerous product and service additions which have led Amazon to being one of consumers favorite online delivery services. Amazon has made an impact on many aspects of consumers’ everyday lives with their products and services, for example the Kindle E-Reader, Alexa, and online grocery shopping with Amazon Fresh. Amazon also has incredible sustainability goals and is consistently putting the environment and people at the top of the list. Amazon is working towards making many more of its campuses and building LEED certified, and is always keeping an eye on competitors so they know where they need to make improvements to keep their customer loyalty high and reputation on par. 2. Create at least one effective visualization that supports key points. Include the following detail in your response: A. Appropriate labels for the visualization(s). Create an effective visualization(s) based on your research to support your summary report. Examples of ideas for your visualization(s) include creating a timeline of the company history, creating a map of the company’s locations, creating a chart of major shareholders showing ownership and broken down by percentages, etc. Amazon History Timeline
Milestone One References (n.d.) 2022 Amazon Sustainability Report Executive Summary. Building a Better Future Together 2022 Amazon Sustainability Report Executive Summary (aboutamazon.com) (2021). Amazon-Hou5. Amazon - HOU5 | U.S. Green Building Council (usgbc.org) (2023). Amazon.com Inc Form 10-K Filing. Inline XBRL Viewer (sec.gov) (2023). Amazon Target Market & Customer Segmentation: Who is Amazon’s Target Audience? 2022 Overview. Amazon Target Market & Audience Segmentation Insights | Start.io (2023). The Top 10 Richest People In The World (January 2024). The Top 10 Richest People In The World (January 2024) (forbes.com) (2024). Business Summary. Amazon.com, Inc. : Shareholders Board Members Managers and Company Profile | US0231351067 | MarketScreener (2024). Our Facilities. Amazon facilities and warehouses (aboutamazon.com) (2024). Physical Stores. Amazon Physical Stores | Find an Amazon store near you Hurst, K. (2023). 9 Takeaways from Amazon’s 2022 Sustainability Report. 9 takeaways from Amazon’s 2022 Sustainability Report (aboutamazon.com) July 2021 - Jeff Bezos stepped down as CEO and became Executive Chairman May 2021 - Amazon acquires MGM 2019 - Amazon Care was launched January 2018 - Amazon Go is open to the public June 2017 - Amazon acquired Whole Foods November 2015 - Amazon's first phyiscal store location opened November 2014 - First smart speaker, Echo and Alexa, were launched August 2014 - Amazon acquired Twitch February 2011 - Prime Video was introduced Juky 2009 - Amazon acquires Zappos August 2007 - Amazon Kindle E-Reader, Fresh, and Music was introduced February 2005 - Introduced Amazon Prime as a $79/year subscription 2003 - Amazon's first profitable year 1998 - Amazon expanded beyond books into music and DVDs/video sales May 1997 - Amazon issued its IPO July 5th, 1994 - Amazon is foudned by Jeff Bezos as an online bookseller
Kailus, K. (2021). Growing Green: How Amazon has Become Seattle’s Green Giant. Growing Green: How Amazon has Become Seattle’s Green Giant — Insights (alconlighting.com) Lubach, D. (2023). New Amazon Headquarters Catches Attention of LEED Officials. New Amazon Headquarters Catches Attention of LEED Officials - Facility Management Energy Efficiency Quick Read (facilitiesnet.com) Malik, E. (2022). Amazon History Timeline. Amazon history timeline (officetimeline.com) MJE. (2023). The History of Amazon and Its Rise to Success . Michigan Journal of Economics. https://sites.lsa.umich.edu/mje/2023/05/01/the-history-of-amazon-and-its-rise-to-success/ Radic, D. (2023). Amazon Customer Demographics: Prime Users, Target Market, and More in 2023. Amazon Customer Demographics 2023: Users, Target Market | SerpWatch Quintana, A. (2022). The History of Amazon, From Jeff Bezos’ Garage to Multi-Billion Dollar Company. Amazon's History Timeline —   From Jeff Bezos' Garage to Now (marketrealist.com) Waller, N. (2021). Jeff Bezos founded Amazon more than 26 years ago. here’s what he achieved. The Wall Street Journal. https://www.wsj.com/story/jeff-bezos-founded-amazon-more- than-26-years-ago-heres-what-he-achieved-4fba84d0 Milestone Two: Financial Analysis Balance Sheet Analysis 1. Explain the findings regarding the company’s asset accounts for the previous five years. Include the following details in your response: A. Describe in detail the material changes in the asset accounts, including changes in cash, AR, inventory, property, plant and equipment, and goodwill. B. Explain what these changes might be related to. Assets are anything that Amazon owns that has financial value and will provide future economic benefit, they can either be short-term or long-term assets (Ryzhkov, 2023). Amazon’s percentage of current assets, which are assets that can be converted into cash within one year or less, have decreased every year since 2018, while the non-current asset percentage, which are assets that have a useful life of more than a year and are harder to liquidate, has increased. This shows that over the past 5 years Amazon has less assets that can be converted into cash within a year and more long-term assets that may be harder to liquidate. Inventory percentages decreased from 2018 to 2020, with a small increase to 2021 and then another decrease to 2022. This shows that Amazon could have been holding onto inventory
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longer than it previously had been meaning they are not converting their inventory into cash as quickly as it was prior (Decreasing Inventory Turnover, 2021). We see the small increase from 2020 to 2021 which we can relate to the pandemic because Amazon became used much more often that their inventory was being converted to cash at a quicker rate (Rushe, 2021). The decrease starting in 2021 is most likely caused by inflation, where people may not be spending as much since there is less excess money for most people at this time therefore the inventory isn’t turning over as quickly. Cash percentages had a steady decrease from 2018 to 2021, with a slight increase to 2022. Although Amazon has seen a decrease, the percentage is still well above one percent which shows that Amazon still could pay off obligations through liquid assets (Kenton, 2021). These percentages show that even with the ability to cover short-term needs, Amazon does not have so much cash on hand that it could be used in other areas of the company (Craig, 2023). Accounts receivable have been steady with little fluctuation. The latest increase was from 2021 to 2022. For the past five years, Amazon has had 10.25% or less of current assets as receivables meaning that percentage of the total assets is owed by clients who have received goods or services but have not paid yet, and within a year those receivables will be converted to cash (Tamplin, 2023). Property, plant, and equipment or PP&E, decreased from 2018 to 2020, where it then changed trend and increased for 2021 and 2022. This is a good sign as it means Amazon is purchasing new equipment or expanding. One of the biggest contributors to this increase would be because Amazon doubled its real estate owned in 2021. Amazon bought 8.2 million square feet across North America which doubled its square footage owned to 16.7 million square feet (Farr, 2022). Amazon also had a large investment in Rivian Automotive Inc in 2022 which represents five billion in their investments as of December 2022 (Amazon 10-K Filing, 2023). Goodwill percentages for Amazon had a steady decreasing trend from 2018 to 2021, where it then slightly increased in 2022. In 2020 Amazon bought Zoox and then in 2022 Amazon acquired MGM which could explain why goodwill has increased (Reuters, 2021). Amazon had 366 new acquisitions in 2021 and then 4,997 new acquisitions in 2022 between North America, international, and Amazon Web Services (Amazon 10-K Filing, 2023). The new acquisitions support the increase in goodwill percentages seen on the balance sheet. 2. Explain the findings regarding the company’s liability accounts for the previous five years. Include the following details in your response: A. Describe in detail the material changes in both current and long-term liabilities. B. Explain what these changes might be related to. For 2022 we can see that Amazon has a negative working capital of $8,602, which means Amazon has more current liabilities than it has current assets. From 2018 to 2022 Amazon’s current liabilities and long-term liabilities have increased significantly. From 2021 to 2022 the amount of accrued expenses and other current liabilities increased by $10,791 million and long- term debt and lease obligations increased by $23,723 million which means Amazon is increasing the amount of money borrowed drastically (Amazon 10-K Filing, 2023..)Although these numbers are drastic it is not necessarily a bad thing due to Amazon expanding so much and increasing their property amounts (Amazon 10-K Filing, 2023).
3. Explain the findings regarding the company’s equity accounts for the previous five years. Include the following details in your response: A. Describe in detail the changes to equity accounts, including common stock, treasury stock, or additional paid in capital (i.e., whether the company raised funds or retired stock). B. Explain how the changes compare to the net income or other sections of the balance sheet. C. Identify whether the company is paying out dividends. D. Describe in detail how that the company’s dividend payouts have changed over the past five years. E. Describe in detail the changes in “total equity” (representing the current “book value” of the company). For the past five years Amazon has had no preferred stock issued or any preferred stock outstanding shares. For 2018 to 2020, common stock had a par value of $0.01, with 5 million outstanding shares, in 2021 there were 106 million outstanding shares, and in 2022 there were 108 million outstanding shares (Amazon 10k Filing, 2019, 2021, and 2023). Treasury stock, in millions, for the years 2018 to 2021 was a negative $1,837 each year, then for 2022 it was negative $7,837. The treasury stock is negative due to the shareholder’s equity being reduced; therefore, it shows as a negative, so it is subtracted from the total equity (Bongdap, 2022). Additional paid-in capital increased each year from 2018 to 2022. This means that each year investors have contributed above the stated par value of Amazon’s stock and was bought by investors directly from Amazon (Kenton, 2023). Additional paid-in capital is a good way for Amazon to generate cash without having to give any collateral in return (Kenton, 2023). Retained earnings have increased each year since 2018, with a significant increase from 2020 to 2021, in 2022 Amazon then saw a small decrease in its retained earnings. Retained earnings are the net earnings or profits of a company after accounting for dividend payments, which in this case all those earnings are retained because no dividends were paid out by Amazon in any of the past five years (Fernando, 2023). The retained earnings accounts have increased just as Amazon’s profit has increased for each year until 2022. In 2022, Amazon’s income statement shows a net income loss in 2022 which is also seen on the balance sheet were retained earnings also decreased in 2022. Retained earnings correspond with net income or loss, in this case Amazon lost money therefore retained earnings decreased, but retained earnings could also decrease if a company increases any dividends (MarketBeat Staff, 2018). Amazon’s net worth has increased every year which is seen by the increasing amount of total equity since 2018. This means that these amounts would have been or would be returned to shareholders if Amazon was to sell all its assets and pay all its debts (Srivastav, 2023). The positive amounts of equity each year show that Amazon has enough assets to cover its liabilities. 4. Explain what the company’s current and prior year liquidity and debt-to-equity ratios say about the company’s financial health. Consider the following questions to guide your response: A. What is an appropriate level of debt? B. How does this year’s performance compare to the previous year?
Amazon’s debt-to-equity ratios from 2018 to 2022 were 0.54, 0.38, 0.34, 0.35, and 0.46 respectively (Amazon Debt to Equity, 2023). These ratios are good because they show that Amazon is low risk for any loan default or bankruptcy, therefore Amazon should not have any trouble securing additional funding if needed (Boyle, 2023). Amazon has had very steady trends for its liquidity ratios. Both the current ratio and quick ratio show that Amazon can pay any short-term obligations, although both ratios could be a little higher to indicate better financial health of the company for potential investors and lenders (Why is Amazon Current Ratio low? n.d.). An appropriate level of debt is one that does not surpass the company’s income amount (Debt Management Tips, 2020). Investors look for companies to have debt ratios between 0.3 and 0.6, which Amazon falls in that range for the past five years, showing Amazon has good financial health and does not solely rely on debts (Ross, 2022). Currently Amazon is doing great even with the increased interest rates. By the fourth quarter in 2023 Amazon had tripled its profits and the growth was expected to continue for the rest of the 2023 year. Amazon’s shares have raised by 40% by October of 2023 and expect net sales to grow by 12% for the 2023 year (Jones, 2023). Income Statement and Cash Flow Analysis 1. Explain the profitability ratios that are included in the company’s financial statements. Include the following detail in your response: A. Explain any trends and relate any changes back to the balance sheet and income statement accounts used in the ratio calculation. Use appropriate profitability ratio(s) and a vertical analysis (using the common-size analysis in the Project Workbook Template). . When looking at Amazon’s profitability ratios were steady almost every year until 2022 when all three ratios, return on equity (ROE), return on total assets (ROTA), and net profit on revenues, all decreased significantly. The ROE ratio shows how efficiently Amazon generates profit, and a higher ROE lets investors know that the company does well at converting its equity into profits (Fernando, 2024). The ROTA ratio shows how well Amazon is using its assets to generate earnings, the ROTA percentages represent how much money is generate from each dollar invested into the company, therefore for 2018 Amazon was generating $.0692 for every one dollar invested into the company (Kenton, 2021). A ROTA ratio percentage of 5 or higher indicates the company does well at generating profit form assets, which Amazon had above 6% for every year except 2022. Net profits on revenue, or net profit margin, indicates the company’s overall profitability and financial health. The percentage shows how much per dollar of sales Amazon keeps (What Is Net Profit Ratio, 2021). Amazon is below the average of what most industries considered a good ratio, which is 10%. For 2018 -2021 Amazon was at 4.84%, 4.98%, 7.53%, and 9.07%. Again, in 2022 this ratio significantly decreased. In 2022, all of Amazon’s profitability ratios had a drastic decrease and all its percentages were negative. This is not necessarily as big of a concern as it would be if every year is negative. A negative ROE for Amazon correlates with the negative net income, or loss, in Amazon’s situation (Furhmann, 2021). The negative ROTA for Amazon shows that it may have a harder time utilizing its assets for generating adequate profits (Negative Return on Assets, 2022). A negative net profit on revenue shows that Amazon is not making enough money from products or services to cover the costs of making said products or services (Moore, 2017). It is said that the
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decline in Amazon’s profitability ratio corresponds directly with how quickly it expanded in 2022, which is said that Amazon expanded too quickly. Amazon doubled the amount of property owned in 2022 which was too aggressive for the economy at the time (Eswaran, 2023). Amazon also suffered a loss of value due to the stocks declining in 2022 and the fear of a regression entered the economy (Palmer, 2022). Therefore, even though Amazon had the most sales in 2022 in regard to the past five years, and both positive amounts in total assets and total equity, the net income was negative which will negatively affect all profitability ratios making them have a sharp decline in relation to the past five years. 2. Explain the profitability of the company for the prior and current years. Consider the following questions to guide your response: A. What does a vertical analysis of the company’s gross revenue show you? What is the percentage (%) of change year over year for these past five years? B. How are the company’s COGS and gross profit margin being managed? C. How are the company’s sales, general, and administrative expenses being managed as a percentage of sales? What does this tell you about the company’s current business cycle? Remember, it is normal for this percentage to rise when sales are dropping and fall when sales are rising. If this is not happening, what might be the reason? Use appropriate profitability ratio(s) and a vertical analysis (using the common-size analysis in the Project Workbook Template). Amazon has done well with increasing the amount of revenue each year from 2018 until 2022. From 2018 to 2022 the total revenue amount has more than doubled. In 2018 the total revenue amount, in millions, was $232,887 and by 2022 it increased to $513,983 (Amazon 10K Filing, 2019 and 2023). The vertical analysis of the company’s gross revenue shows the cost of sales as a percentage as it correlates to the overall revenue for Amazon. Amazon’s cost of sales percentage has fluctuated a little over the past 5 years. For 2018 to 2022, the cost of sales percentages was 59.75%, 59.01%, 60.43%, 57.97%, and 56.19% respectively. Every year Amazon has had an increase in revenue, so the variance in cost of sales percentages can be caused by a few things. The cost of sales percentage for Amazon increased from 2019 to 2020, and then proceeded to decrease the following two years. This could be caused by the cost of a product or service having decreased in relation to the sales revenue (Indeed, 2023). We can correlate this drop to the pandemic where Amazon sales increased when customers were confined inside and therefore increased the amount of online shopping, especially on Amazon (Weise, 2021). Overall, the cost of sales percentage trends shows that Amazon went from spending more on producing products in relation to how much revenue was being brought in, to bringing in an increase of revenue while decreasing the cost of sales percentage showing Amazon is now spending less to produce the product or service than what they are being sold at (Understanding COGS, 2024). Amazon’s gross profit margin has stayed relatively steady over the past five years with little fluctuation. Over the past five years Amazon has increased its gross profit margin percentage each year apart from 2019 to 2020. This decrease in 2020 is most likely due to global supply chain issues and staffing issues that came to life during the Covid-19 pandemic (Rushe, 2021). From 2020 on, the gross profit margin percentage has increased which shows that
Amazon has decreased its cost of sales percentage as well as increase sales prices to match inflation, which could both be reasons behind the gross profit margin percentage increase since 2020 (Gross Profit Margin, 2022). Amazon’s SG&A expense percentages increased from 2018 to 2019, then decreased from 2019 to 2020, and since have increased yearly. Amazon had increased revenue as well as SG&A percentages since the pandemic year, 2020, which could be a result from Amazon having to expand and grow quicker than anticipated with the increase of online shoppers who have since continued to shop online for the convenience (Rushe, 2021). 3. Describe what free cash flow is and how it is calculated. Free cash flow is the operating cash flow minus capital expenditures and dividends (Fridson and Alvarez, 2022). Marc Guberti describes free cash flow as an indication of how much cash a company can produce after taking cash outflows for operations and assets into consideration (Guberti, 2023). Free cash flow is calculated by subtracting capital expenditures by operating cash flow (Guberti, 2023). 4. Explain the free cash flow history for the company. Search the company’s most recent 10-K filing first for a discussion from management on their free cash flow. If there isn’t anything in the filing, do an internet search for the company’s free cash flow history. Amazon focuses on long-term, sustainable growth in free cash flows. Amazon states how free cash flows are primarily driven by increasing operating income and effectively managing other accounts, such as accounts receivable, inventory, accounts payable, and cash capital expenditures, including its decision to purchase or lease property and equipment (Amazon 10K Filing, 2023). To increase operating income Amazon typically increases sales and services as well as managing operating costs. Amazon focuses on improving all aspects of customer experience to increase said sales and services. Amazon provides multiple measures of free cash flows to provide additional perspective on the impact of acquiring property and equipment with cash or through leasing and financing obligations (Amazon 10K Filing, 2023). Amazon’s free cash flow history will increase each year until 2021 where it significantly decreased and then decreased again in 2022. From 2018 to 2022 the free cash flow amounts were, in millions, $19,400, $25,825, $31,020, $(9,069), and $(11,569), respectively (Amazon 10K Filings,2019, 2021, and 2023). This shows that up until 2021 Amazon had much more financial flexibility to make investments and sustain operations, whereas once 2021 and 2022 were records it then showed that Amazon was most likely relying on outside funding (Guberti, 2023). Amazon had a loss in net income in the beginning of 2021 which fed into higher costs and then the decline of free cash flows (Hake, 2022). 5. Explain the data reported in the cash flow statement for all five years reported. Include the following details in your response: A. Identify the amount of cash flow reported from operations. B. Identify the amount of cash flow reported from investments.
C. Identify the amount of cash flow reported from financing. D. Explain the correlation between each of these categories of cash flow for the past five years. The amount of cash flow reported from operations from the years 2018 to 2022 (in millions), in order starting with 2018 were $30,723, $38,514, $66,064, $46,327, and $46,752. The amount of cash flow reported from investments from the years 2018 to 2022 (in millions), in order starting with 2018 were $(12,369), $(24,281), $(59,611), $(58,154), and $(37,601). The amount of cash flow reported from financing from the years 2018 to 2022 (in millions), in order starting with 2018 were $(7,686), $(10,066), $(1,104), $6,291, and $9,718. These amounts were found using the Amazon 10-k Filings for the years 2021 and 2022. These categories relate since the cash flow from operating activities is cash that is earned or spent in the course of regular business activity, where cash flow from investing activities is cash earned or spent from investments Amazon makes, for example purchasing equipment or investing in other companies, as well as cash flow from financing activities which is cash earned or spent in the course of financing Amazon with loans, lines of credit or owner’s equity (Wanes, 2021). These amounts show how much Amazon actually received from the operating activities even though the company itself earned more revenue. The cash flow from investing activities was negative each year which is possibly due to a good potion of cash being invested into long-term health of the company, for example R&D (Kenton, 2022). There is a noticeable increase in cash flow from investing activities from 2021 to 2022, although still negative. This could be due to the marketable securities Amazon has in Rivian Automotive Inc., which has had net losses each year (Amazon 10K Filing, 2023). As far as the negative amounts for cash flow from financing activities we can see that 2018 to 2020 were much less than 2021 and 2022. This could be caused by paying down debts and paying dividends, where in 2021 and 2022 the increases could be caused by issuing equity, stock, or bonds (Murphy, 2022). Normalization Adjustments Analysis 1. Define the term normalization adjustment. According to Amiss, normalization adjustments are modifications to the financial statements to accurately reflect the benefit a future buyer or investor will receive (Amiss, 2023). Vipond suggest that normalization adjustments involve adjusting non-recurring expenses or revenues in financial statements or metrics so that they only reflect the usual transactions of the company, this eliminates any anomalies and provided accurate historical information that enables reliable comparisons and forecasting. The anomalies Vipond is referring to include expenses contained on financial statements that do not constitute a company’s normal business operations which may hurt the company’s earnings (Vipond, 2024). 2. Identify three examples of balance sheet normalization adjustments that might appear. Three examples of balance sheet normalization adjustments include rental expense, accelerated depreciation, and asset shortages. Rental expenses that are paid above or below the market rate would be adjusted to reflect the prevailing market value (Vipond, 2024). Using accelerated depreciation it distorts the true value of the asset, which shows it is worth less than it actually values on the balance sheet. Therefore, a normalization of that value would be made to represent its true value at the date of valuation (Why Normalization Matters, 2024). If there are
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non-operating or excess assets then the adjustment would be made on the balance sheet when they would be valued separately and then added into the primary operations (Normalization Adjustments, 2015). 3. Identify three examples of income statement normalization adjustments that might appear. Three examples of income statement normalization adjustments include owners’ compensation, accounting methods, and nonrecurring events. Owners’ compensation would need an adjustment due to business owners paying themselves a little more than what a third party would be paid for a similar position. Additional compensation would be added back to reflect cash flow a potential buyer would have available to them (Why Normalization Adjustments, 2024). Accounting methods would possibly need normalization adjustments in the event that LIFO was being used and the company showing less profit than if FIFO was used, therefore the accounting method would be adjusted to reflect better valuation (Why Normalization Matters, 2024). When an income or expense is considered to be a “one-time” or nonrecurring event, it must be adjusted and removed. An example would be if there is a form of settlement paid or received by the business, this would not be considered a normal business operation (Why Normalization Matters, 2024). Summary 1. Summarize your findings for the valuation team. Include the following details in your response: A. Explain what you learned as you researched the company. B. Identify the key points the valuation team needs to be aware of. Use the common-size analysis in the Project Workbook Template to inform your summary. Include key identifiers from your research in your summary. Amazon benefitted from the pandemic year as the pandemic helped Amazon gain more customers who elected to shop online when shopping in stores was not a viable option, but then took a hit when they expanded and had a decline in stocks in 2022. As of 2022, Amazon’s growth was not expected to stop or slow, and Amazon is not in any financial danger or expecting any hardships. Since the expansion issues Amazon has shifted its priorities and is now focusing on maximizing profits again. Analysts are expecting Amazon’s revenue to grow 11.8% in 2024 and for Amazon to see a more positive financial impact over the next few years (Duggan and Powell, 2023). In 2022, Amazon’s total revenues were, in millions, $513,983.00 with a net income loss of $5,936 million, therefore this expected growth for Amazon will be a success for the company as it had a net loss rather than a net income for 2022. 2. Create at least one effective visualization that supports key points. Include the following detail in your response: A. Appropriate labels for the visualization(s).
Examples of ideas for your visualization(s) include a line chart showing sales growth and gross profit margin and other expenses or a graph of the ratio analysis data. 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 $(100,000.00) $- $100,000.00 $200,000.00 $300,000.00 $400,000.00 $500,000.00 $600,000.00 $232,887.00 $280,522.00 $386,064.00 $469,822.00 $513,983.00 $93,731.00 $114,986.00 $152,757.00 $197,478.00 $225,152.00 $11,261.00 $13,976.00 $24,178.00 $38,151.00 $(5,936.00) Amazon's Income Statement Trends 2018-2022 Total Revenue (or Sales) Gross Profit Net Income (Loss), Before Tax Year Dollar Amount in Millions 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 -10.00% -5.00% 0.00% 5.00% 10.00% 15.00% 20.00% 25.00% 30.00% Amazon's Profitability Ratios 2018-2022 Return on Equity Return on Total Assets Net Profit on Revenues Year Ratio Percentage Milestone Two References (n.d.) Why is Amazon Current Ratio Low? Why is Amazon current ratio low? (themillionair.com) (2019). Amazon.com Inc Form 10-K Filing. 0001018724-19-000004 (d18rn0p25nwr6d.cloudfront.net) (2020). How Much Debt Should A Company Have? Debt Management Tips. How Much Debt Should A Company Have? Debt Management Tips - Funding Circle (2021). Amazon.com Inc Form 10-K Filing. amzn-20201231 (sec.gov)
(2021). What Does Inventory Turnover Mean? What Does Decreasing Inventory Turnover Mean? (chron.com) (2021). What Is a Net Profit Ratio and How To Calculate It? What Is a Net Profit Ratio and How To Calculate It? - Blog by Tickertape (2022). Gross Profit Margin. Gross Profit Margin - Formula, Example, and Interpretation (accountingverse.com) (2022). Negative Return on Assets: Causes and Meaning. Negative Return on Assets: Causes and Meaning - Cliffcore (2023). Amazon.com Inc Form 10-K Filing. Inline XBRL Viewer (sec.gov) (2023). Amazon Debt to Equity Ratios 2010-2023. Amazon Debt to Equity Ratio 2010-2023 | AMZN | MacroTrends (2024). Normalization Adjustments, One Step in the Valuation Process. NORMALIZATION ADJUSTMENTS, ONE STEP IN THE VALUATION PROCESS | BKC, CPAs, PC (bkc- cpa.com) (2024). Understanding the COGS Ratio: A Crucial Metric for Procurement Performance. Understanding the COGS Ratio: A Crucial Metric for Procurement Performance (oboloo.com) (2024). Why Normalization Adjustments Matter in Business Valuation. Normalization Adjustments | Income Statement Adjustments (windhambrannon.com) Amiss, D. (2023). Normalization Adjustment Overview. Normalization Adjustment Overview | Attorney at Law Magazine Bongdap, N.N. (2022). Negative Treasury Stock. Negative Treasury Stock - Financial Falconet Boyle, M. (2023). What Is a Good Debt-to-Equity Ratio and Why It Matters. What Is a Good Debt-to- Equity Ratio and Why It Matters (investopedia.com) Craig, C. (2023). Cash and Cash Equivalents. Cash and Cash Equivalents (CCE): Formula and Examples - Stock Analysis Duggan, W. and Powell, P. (2023). Amazon Stock Forecast and Price Prediction. Amazon (AMZN) stock forecast and price prediction (usatoday.com) Eswaran, S. (2023). Here’s Why Amazon.com (AMZN) Declined in 2022. Here’s Why Amazon.com (AMZN) Declined in 2022 (yahoo.com) Farr, I. (2022). Amazon Doubled Its Real Estate Holding in 2021. Amazon Doubled the Real Estate it Owns in 2021 (therealdeal.com) Fernando, J. (2023). Retained Earnings in Accounting and What They Can Tell You. Retained Earnings in Accounting and What They Can Tell You (investopedia.com) Fridson, M. and Alvarez, F. (2022). Financial Statement Analysis. Custom Title | Financial Statement Analysis, 5e with Financial Statement Analysis Workbook, 5e ePub for Southern New Hampshire University - Wiley Reader Furhmann, R. (2021). Understanding Negative Return on Equity (ROE): Is It Always Bad? Understanding Negative Return on Equity (ROE): Is It Always Bad? (investopedia.com) Guberti, M. (2023). What is Free Cash Flow? What Is Free Cash Flow? Formula and Statement Example | Investing | U.S. News (usnews.com) Hake, M. (2022). Amazon’s Free Cash Flows Takes a Hit, and AMZN Stock Suffers. AMZN Stock Could Keep Dropping Until Amazon Can Control Its FCF Burn | InvestorPlace
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Indeed. (2023). How to Calculate the Cost of Sales Ratio. How To Calculate the Cost of Sales Ratio (With Examples) | Indeed.com Jones, C. (2023). Amazon Profits Nearly Triple as Company Reports $143.1 bn in Revenue. Amazon profits nearly triple as company reports $143.1bn in revenue | Amazon | The Guardian Kenton, W. (2021). Cash Asset Ratio: What it is, How it’s Calculated. Cash Asset Ratio: What it is, How it's Calculated (investopedia.com) Kenton, W. (2021). Return on Total Assets (ROTA): Overview, Examples, Calculations. Return on Total Assets (ROTA): Overview, Examples, Calculations (investopedia.com) Kenton, W. (2022). Cash Flow From Investing Activities Explained: Types and Examples. Cash Flow From Investing Activities Explained: Types and Examples (investopedia.com) Kenton, W. (2023). Additional Paid-In Capital: What It Is, Formula, and Examples. Additional Paid-in Capital: What It Is, Formula, and Examples (investopedia.com) MarketBeat Staff. (2018). Why Investors Pay Attention to Retained Earnings. Why investors pay attention to retained earnings - MarketBeat Moore, N. (2017). What Happens When You Have a Negative Net Profit Margin? What Happens When You Have a Negative Net Profit Margin? | Bizfluent Murphy, C. (2022). Cash Flow From Financing Activities (CFF) Formula & Calculations. Cash Flow From Financing Activities (CFF) Formula & Calculations (investopedia.com) Reuters. (2021). Amazon’s Major Acquisitions Over the Years. Amazon's major acquisitions over the years | Reuters Ross, S. (2022). What Is a Good Debt Ratio (and What’s a Bad One)? What Is a Good Debt Ratio (and What's a Bad One)? (investopedia.com) Rushe, D. (2021). Amazon Profits Suffer Largest Percentage Drop in Four Years. Amazon profits suffer largest percentage drop in four years | Amazon | The Guardian Srivastav, A.K. (2024). Equity Formula. Equity Formula (Definition) | How to Calculate Total Equity? (wallstreetmojo.com) Tamplin, T. (2023). Is Accounts Receivable a Material Component of a Company’s Total Current Assets? Accounts Receivable | Component to the Total Current Assets (financestrategists.com) Vipond, T. (2024). What is Normalization? Normalization - Definition, Adjustments, Importance (corporatefinanceinstitute.com) Warnes, B. (2021). Cash Flow Statement: Explanation and Example. Cash Flow Statement: Explanation and Example (bench.co) Weise, K. (2021). Amazon’s profit soars 220 percent as pandemic drives shopping online. Amazon’s profit soars 220 percent as pandemic drives shopping online. - The New York Times (nytimes.com) Milestone Three: Economic Outlook Microeconomic Industry Analysis 1. Explain the industry outlook for the company. Include the following details in your response:
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A. Identify the primary industry the company operates in. B. Provide a general overview of the size of the industry both domestically and internationally. C. Explain current industry trends and emerging technologies that might impact the company's industry in the future. [Insert text.] 2. Explain how the supply and demand for the company’s industry may affect consumer behavior. Include the following details in your response: A. Explain major events have impacted supply and demand for the company’s industry. B. Identify if there have been any supply chain issues. If so, explain how these issues have affected overall supply and demand. [Insert text.] 3. Evaluate the competitive landscape for the company. Include the following details in your response: A. List the company’s current percentage of the market share in this industry. B. List the company’s top three competitors and what percentage of the market share each competitor holds. C. Explain how the percentage of market share changed over the last three years for the company and its competitors. D. Explain the new competitors entering this industry. [Insert text.] 4. Identify key data from the SWOT analysis for the company and its primary competitor. Include the following details to your response: A. Provide the citation for SWOT analysis from a reputable source for the company. B. Provide the citation for SWOT analysis from a reputable source for the company’s primary competitor. C. Identify the company’s major strengths and weaknesses compared to the company’s primary competitor. [Insert text.] 5. Evaluate the impact of new or recently changed regulations specific to the company’s industry. Include the following details in your response: A. Provide a citation to the specific new regulation. B. Explain the advantages and/or disadvantages of the new regulation(s) for the company’s industry. [Insert text.]
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6. Identify potential international issues with the company expanding into global markets. Consider the following questions to guide your response: A. What historical data may affect the company as it expands? B. What potential future issues may arise based on current economic conditions? Search the company’s most recent 10-K filing first for information on protentional international issues. Search in Part 2, Item 7: Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations. If there isn’t anything in the filing, do an internet search for news stories and/or issues regarding the company’s experience with expanding into global markets. [Insert text.] 7. Describe labor market trends in the company’s industry. [Insert text.] 8. Explain how labor market trends might impact the company’s operations. [Insert text.] General Macroeconomic Analysis 1. Explain macroeconomic trends that might impact the company and/or its industry now or in the future. Consider the following questions to guide your response: A. How could economic output and consumption trends impact the company and/or its industry? B. How have interest rate changes impacted the company? C. How might the current Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and its projected future movement impact the company’s future operations? [Insert text.] 2. Identify changes in monetary policy trends that impacted the domestic and/or global economy the company’s operates in. [Insert text.] 3. Explain how monetary policy changes have affected the company and/or its industry. [Insert text.] 4. Identify changes in trade policy trends that impacted the domestic and/or global economy the company operates in.
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[Insert text.] 5. Explain how trade policy changes have affected the company and/or its industry. [Insert text.] Summary 1. Summarize your findings for the valuation team. Include the following details in your response: A. Explain what you learned as you researched the external factors for the company. B. Identify the key points the valuation team needs to be aware of. [Insert text.] 2. Create at least one effective visualization that supports key points. Include the following detail in your response: A. Appropriate labels for the visualization(s). Create an effective visualization(s) based on your research to support your summary report. Examples of ideas for your visualization(s) include a graph showing any of the key economic indicators over the past five years, showing changes in market share of key competitors over the past 3-5 years, or showing the industry outlook projections. [Insert visualization(s).] Milestone Three References [Insert text.] Project Assumptions and Rationale Address rubric criteria 1-7 in this section. [Insert text.] Analysis Address rubric criteria 8-10 in this section. [Insert text.]
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Project References [Insert text.] Valuation Team Report This Valuation Team Report will be submitted separately. Refer to the Project Guidelines and Rubric for submission guidelines.
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