Research Project Part 2
This project is closely aligned with the Course Outcomes and Finance Program Objectives.
Completion of this project can be used as part of a portfolio to show potential employers
the student is skilled at performing company valuations and financial statement analysis
and can be included on the student’s resume.
Bond and Stock Performance Analysis
OBJECTIVE
In this part of the project you are to assume to have been hired to join a team serving as an
internal financial analyst to THE COMPANY. Your client plans to invest in bonds and (or)
stocks issued by THE COMPANY (NOC). In part 6 of the
assignment you are asked to provide some recommendations to THE COMPANY’S
management.
THE COMPANY for part 2 of the project can be the company that you were using for the
Research Project Part 1 or ANOTHER COMPANY determined by your professor. THE
COMPANY for this part of the project must have bonds listed on the website http://finra-
markets.morningstar.com/BondCenter/Default.jsp. To find the information on bonds, click on
Search in the middle of the screen (under Market Center Bond Guide), under Quick Search type
the Issuer Name and the Symbol, and click SHOW RESULTS.
Alternatively, you can request approval of another publicly traded company. This request must
be submitted before the end of the first week of the course. The request must include
identification of the company by ticker symbol and name
a reasonable and appropriate explanation of why you want to examine the alternative
company
the source of the analyst’s report that will be used in the analysis (which must be
submitted to me)
acknowledgement by you that all the specific elements of the assignment (see below) will
be prepared by you and included in the final research project report
SUGGESTED WEBSITES
www.morningstar.com – To find the information for your company you need to type the stock
symbol in the Quotes window to get into the company’s page.
– To find the information on
bonds, click on Search in the middle of the screen (under Market Center Bond Guide), under
Quick Search type the Issuer Name and the Symbol, and click SHOW RESULTS.
. To find the information on bonds, scroll down the
page, type the name of the company in the window under Bond Finder, and click SEARCH.
www.marketwatch.com -To find the information for your company you need to type the stock
symbol in the Search window to get into the company’s page.
www.money.cnn.com -To find the information for your company you need to type the stock
symbol in the Search window to get into the company’s page.
www.finance.yahoo.com – To find the information for your company you need to type the stock
symbol in the Search window to get into the company’s page.
www.nyse.com – Click on Data, then click on Stocks (under Quotes), and type the name of the
company or the stock symbol in the window “Keyword or symbol” to get into the company’s
page.
www.nasdaq.com – To find the information for your company you need to type the stock symbol
in the Search window to get into the company’s page.
Company’s websites
YOUR SPECIFIC ASSIGNMENT
Using the information from the websites the student will develop evaluation of bond and stock
performance for THE COMPANY (SELECTED BY INSTRUCTOR). (The evaluation portion
will total 85% of the assignment grade)
-1—Introduction (3% of the project grade)- The paper should begin with a short introduction
that explains the purpose of the paper, and provides an overview of the contents that follow (one
short paragraph).
-2- The financial leverage ratios (15% of the project grade)
a) Find the financial leverage ratios for THE COMPANY assigned for you of the project for
the last 3-5 years in the Internet. Present these ratios as the table(s) in your project.
You can find these ratios in the Internet or calculate them. If you use published ratios you
must indicate that and cite their source.
Debt-to-assets ratio (Debt ratio)
1. What were the last prices of the bonds (listed in the Last Sale column)? Assume that par
value of the bond is $1,000. How much the investor will pay for the bond if he/she
purchased the bond at the Price listed in the Last Sale column. Show your work in your
project.
2. Assume that par value of the bond is $1,000. Calculate the annual coupon interest
payments. Show your work in your project.
3. Assume that par value of the bond is $1,000. Calculate the current yield of the bonds.
Show your work in your project.
4. How much is the YTM listed in quotations of the bonds (in the Last Sale column – Yield)
(no calculations are required for this question?
5. Write a 1-2 page of the analysis of the bonds. In your analysis you should answer the
following questions. Please explain your answer to each question.
a) If you are going to buy a bond issued by THE COMPANY, which bond would
you choose? Why?
b) Are these bonds callable? If the bonds that you chose are callable (non-callable),
will it change your decision to buy them?
c) If you are an investor who is looking for a bond to invest in, are you going to buy
a bond that you chose? Take a look at the balance sheet and income statement of
the company. What data or ratios support your decision to buy this bond or not?
You may want to incorporate the results of the Research Project Part 1, as well as
the results of the financial leverage ratios to answer this question. You should
develop a specific recommendation, with supporting rationale for the
investor to explain your answer.
-4- Collect and evaluate the data about stock performance of the assigned company for the
last one year. (Totally 30% of the project grade).
1) Find the market ratios for the company for the last 1-3 years and its major competitor for the
last year in the Internet. (15% of the project grade)
Price/Earnings ratio
Market/Book ratio (also called (Price/Book ratio)
Earnings per share
Dividends per share
Other market ratios on your choice
These ratios are available on www.morningstar.com > Company’s page – under
Valuation, Financials, and under Dividends
You can find these ratios in the Internet or calculate them. If you use published ratios you
must indicate that and cite their source.
a. Present the market ratios as the table(s) in your project.
b. Write about 1 page of analysis of the market ratio results that you found. Compare the
market ratio results against the industry or main competitor. In your report please answer
the question: Are the common stockholders receiving an adequate return on their
investment?
c. Compare the P/E ratio of your company with the industry average or 5-year average. Is
the stock overvalued, undervalued, or properly valued? Why?
d. In accordance with your findings, is it reasonable to buy the stock? Please explain your
answers.
-2) Analysis of the historical stock prices trend for the last year. (15% of the project grade)
a. Collect and evaluate the data about stock prices of the assigned company for the last one
year for the company and its major competitor.
b. Create the chart(s) using the stock price chart tools on the websites or Excel. Present the
chart(s) in your project.
c. Write about 0.5 page of analysis the historic stock prices trend for the last year.
In accordance with your findings, is it reasonable to buy the stock? Why? Please explain
your answer.
-5- Develop a specific recommendation, with supporting rationale for the COMPANY’S
management – Think about the financial strategy of the company, how to best balance THE
COMPANY’S financial leverage to optimize shareholder wealth going forward taking into
consideration the company’s current market position, credit rating, dividend policy, etc.
I hope I can get this same writer to complete the rough draft and final powerpoint as soon as the teacher posts her instructions. This part was great! Thank you so much.
James Raphael
This is exactly what I needed and the confidence that I am heading in the right direction to finish the assignment. Thank you so much.
Idalia Michael
