Financial Analysis Report

Financial analysis Print Email

What is a Financial Analysis Report?

Comprehensive financial analysis reports accentuate the strengths and weaknesses of a company. Communicating the company’s strengths and weaknesses in an accurate and honest manner is helpful in convincing the investors to invest in your business. A financial analysis report is, basically, a document that attracts high interest of investors as it contains a detailed appraisal of a company’s financial health.

How to write a Financial Analysis Report

1. Begin the report with an "executive summary" of key findings from the financial analysis. In addition to identifying the company requesting the report, include the time period covered by the study.

2. Write an introduction that highlights the objectives of the report. Also define the financial terms necessary to understand these objectives.

3. Move on to a section with “Resources” title. Give a general description of the analyzed data and where has it been sourced from. Some examples of resource include balance sheets, income statements, operating costs, inventory ratios, and warehouse statistics.

4. Further describe the resources under the heading “Method of Collecting Data”. Mention whether the data was received from different sources, like government agencies or departments within the firm. Also explain each source’s method for reporting data. Explain about the method of accounting analysis for these distinct reporting methods.

5. Title the next section "Significant Financial Events" and list the events that occurred during the period under review that changed the results.

6. Proceed with a section titled “Detailed Results” which includes a comprehensive analysis about the investment returns, balance sheets, income statement, and productivity ratios. Also comment on each of these factors in addition to providing support for your statements with graphs and tables.

7. Evaluate results from various quarters in a section titled “Analysis of Variance”.

8. Prepare an appendix for “Financial Revenues” defining how that term was used for preparing the report. Tabulate the revenues over the analysis’ time period.

9. End the report with an appendix for “Observations” discussing any problems faced while performing analysis and thereafter explaining about how research method handled problems. Conclude the report with a statement projecting future performance on the basis of past years’ performance. 

Financial Analysis Report Example

Here is the report generated by special ReadyRatios software - https://www.readyratios.com/features/usgaap_report.html The presented report shows a horizontal and vertical analysis of financial statements, calculation of key liquidity ratios, solvency, withdrawals and conclusions based on the results of the analysis. This report is indistinguishable from that made by a person, although it is received by the user of the program in one click.

Importance of Financial Analysis for Investors

Financial analysis is an essential tool for investors and other users of financial information. The analysis provides a comprehensive view of a company's financial performance and helps investors make informed decisions about investing in a company's stocks or bonds. Here are some of the key benefits of financial analysis for investors and other users:

  1. Identifying trends and patterns: Financial analysis helps investors identify trends and patterns in a company's financial performance. It provides a historical perspective of a company's financial performance, which can be used to identify any potential issues or opportunities.

  2. Evaluating financial health: Financial analysis provides an evaluation of a company's financial health. It helps investors determine a company's ability to generate profits, pay off debt, and meet its financial obligations.

  3. Comparing performance: Financial analysis enables investors to compare a company's performance to its peers in the same industry. It provides insight into how well a company is doing compared to others in the same industry, and can be used to identify any competitive advantages or disadvantages.

  4. Forecasting future performance: Financial analysis helps investors forecast a company's future financial performance. It provides insight into a company's potential to grow and generate profits, which can be used to make informed investment decisions.

  5. Understanding risks and opportunities: Financial analysis helps investors understand the risks and opportunities associated with investing in a particular company. It provides insight into a company's financial strengths and weaknesses, which can be used to identify any potential risks or opportunities associated with investing in the company.

In summary, financial analysis is a critical tool for investors and other users of financial information. It provides insight into a company's financial performance, financial health, and potential for future growth, and can be used to make informed investment decisions.

Who is responsible for the financial report?

The responsibility for preparing financial reports generally lies with the finance or accounting department of an organization. The staff involved in preparing financial reports may include:

  • Chief Financial Officer (CFO): The CFO is responsible for managing the financial operations of the company, including the preparation of financial reports.
  • Financial Accountants: Financial accountants are responsible for recording financial transactions and maintaining financial records.
  • Management Accountants: Management accountants are responsible for preparing financial reports and analysis for internal management use.
  • Financial Analysts: Financial analysts are responsible for analyzing financial data and preparing financial reports that provide insight into the financial performance of the organization.
  • Audit staff: The audit staff is responsible for ensuring the accuracy and completeness of financial reports through the conduct of internal and external audits.
  • Data analysts: Data analysts are responsible for analyzing and interpreting financial data to identify trends, patterns and make recommendations to management for future business decisions.
  • IT staff: The IT staff is responsible for maintaining the financial systems, tools and software used for collecting, storing and analyzing financial data.

Overall, the finance or accounting department is responsible for the preparation of financial reports, with various staff members responsible for different aspects of the process.

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