Table

of Contents
Chapter 1 Financial Statements 5

Chapter 2 Balance Sheet 9

Chapter 3 Income Statement 25

Chapter 4 Cash Flow Statement 41

Chapter 5 Conclusion 61

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 Financial
Statements

Chapter 1
 Balance Sheet

T he balance sheet is a financial statement that shows what a company owns, how much it owes, and
The Basics of Understanding Financial Sta te m e n t s

what is left for the shareholders in the form of equity. The same principle applies for homeowners
who own an asset called a home. In this case, they might owe 90 percent of the value to the bank, while
the remaining 10 percent represents equity. The balance sheet shows the company’s financial position on a
particular day, such as March 31 for the end of first quarter or December 31 for the end of the year. The balance
sheet can be thought of as a photograph of the company’s financial situation at a particular point of time. Its
preparation is based on the most important accounting equation:

Assets = Liabilities + Equity

The reason why this financial statement is called a balance sheet is because the accounting equation has to
balance all the time. It means that assets must always be equal to liabilities plus equity. This makes sense even
at the individual’s level as everthing owned (assets) is either owned free and clear (equity, such as equity in a
house) or is purchased by getting into debt (liabilities, or a mortgage in the case of a house).

10

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 Inventory
Balance Sheet
31-Dec-09
(In Thousands)
Assets
Current Assets
Cash and cash equivalents $ 5,371
Accounts receivable 14,553
Inventories 23,856
Prepaid expenses 489
Total current assets 44,269
The Basics of Understanding Financial Sta te m e n t s

Property, plant and equipment, net 10,203

Other assets 40,837
Total assets $ 95,309
 
Figure 5

Inventory is what the company produces or buys to sell to its

customers. While cash is the same for all businesses operating
with the same currency, inventory composition is different
depending on the type of business. For example, Arctic Cat, a
manufacturer of snowmobiles and all-terrain vehicles (ATVs),
has different items in its inventory account than a restaurant
does.

However, inventory can consist of more than just finished

products and is divided into three categories: raw materials,
work-in-progress, and finished goods. Raw materials are
14 the most basic materials used in the production of products.
Work-in-progress represents products that are not yet finished, but
are past the raw materials stage.

Depending on the business, a company’s inventory could become

obsolete. This is where management skills come into play. If the
restaurant manager orders more tomatoes than needed, they will
rot and shareholders’ capital will be wasted. The same principle
applies to manufacturers. Arctic Cat should not produce more
snowmobiles than there is demand for because they are not going
to sell or will have to be discounted significantly to be converted to
cash through the current asset cycle.

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 Income
Statement

Chapter 3
 Income Statement

T he income statement is an important financial report that shows the enterprise’s success in terms of
| The Basics of Understanding F inancial S ta te m e n t s

profitability. Unlike the balance sheet, the income statement is prepared for a given period such as a
quarter or year, versus a snapshot on a particular day. The preparation of this financial report is based on the
following formula:

Revenue – Expenses = Profit or Loss

If the business brings in more revenues than it pays out in expenses, it reports a profit. Otherwise, it reports a
loss. The following is a sample income statement:

Income Statement
31-Dec-09
(In Thousands, Except Per Share
Data)

Revenues $ 109,017
Cost of goods sold 73,445
Gross profit 35,572

Selling, general and administrative 22,635

Research and development 3,199
Depreciation 1,123
Operating income 8,615
26
Interest expense 805
Other (income)/expense, net -87
Income before income taxes 7,897
Provision for income taxes 2,764
Net income $ 5,133

Basic earnings per share $ 0.82

Diluted earnings per share $ 0.81

Weighted average shares

outstanding:
Basic 6,286
Diluted 6,343
 
Figure 17

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 Selling, general and administrative expenses (SG&A) include expenditures such as sales commissions,
management salaries, office supplies, advertising, and accounting and legal fees. The amount of SG&A expenses
does not mean much by itself, but becomes more meaningful when compared either to total revenues or gross
profits.

Generally, the best businesses spend fewer revenue dollars on these activities than their competitors. Some
companies sell such a valuable product or service that they do not have to advertise much because customers
do the selling through word of mouth. This is the best kind of advertising because it is free. If, on the other hand,
a business is selling a product or service that is just average, and people do not really need it, then a significant
amount of resources needs to be spent convincing people to buy it.

Research and development expenses

Income Statement
31-Dec-09
(In Thousands)

Revenues $ 109,017
Cost of goods sold 73,445
Gross profit 35,572

Selling, general and

administrative 22,635
Research and development 3,199
Depreciation 1,123
Operating income 8,615

Interest expense 805

Other (income)/expense, net -87
Income before income taxes 7,897
Provision for income taxes 2,764
Net income $ 5,133

  Figure 23 31

Income Statement
Research and development expenses involve spending money on
upgrading or investing in new products. The amount of research and
development expense varies based on the type of business. For example,
Intel has to spend significantly more on the research and development of
new products than The Wrigley Company, which produces chewing gum.

The amount of research and development expense can give companies

competitive advantages. For example, because Microsoft is a huge and
successful company, it can spend billions of dollars on this activity without
a problem. A small start-up may be lucky to be able to spend millions of
dollars on research and development activities.

The negative side of research and development spending is that companies in certain industries have to spend
more on it than companies in other industries. For example, if Apple stopped developing new products, it would
no longer have any products in the marketplace because electronics and technology product quickly become

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by any means, electronic, mechanical, or otherwise, without the written permission of the author.
 Cash Flow
Statement

Chapter 4
 Cash Flow Statement

C ompanies can either use cash or accrual basis accounting, but those firms that want to be publicly
traded in the U.S. are required to follow GAAP, which is synonymous with accrual basis accounting.
However, the movement of actual cash is very important for investors to understand. The statement of cash
flows reconciles net income under GAAP rules into the change in the cash balance through various adjustments.
If all companies used cash basis accounting, there would be no use for the cash flow statement because it would
T he Basics of Understanding Financial Sta te m e n t s

be identical to the income statement. The cash flow statement, like the income statement, is prepared for a set
period of time, such as a quarter or a year. The income statement shows the company’s profitability, whereas
the cash flow statement records the movement of cash through various sources and uses of cash. A sample
cash flow statement is shown below:
Cash Flow Statement
2009
Operating Activities (In Thousands)
Net income $ 8,732
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash
provided by operating activities:
Depreciation expense 2,123
Gain/loss on sale of fixed assets 89
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:
Accounts receivable 2,312
Inventories -1,100
Prepaid expenses and other current assets 110
Accounts payable 1,068
Accrued expenses -987
Income taxes payable -60
Net cash provided by operating activities 12,287
42
Investing Activities
Capital expenditures -3,541
Business acquisitions -2,000
Purchase/sale of equity investments 1,400
Purchase/sale of short-term investments -1,100
Net cash used in investing activities -5,241

Financing Activities
Borrowing/repayment of long-term debt -3,389
Issuance of common stock 0
Stock repurchases -2,000
Cash dividends paid -3,000
Net cash (used in) provided by financing activities -8,389

Net (decrease) increase in cash and cash equivalents -1,343

Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of year 4,273
Cash and cash equivalents at end of year $ 2,930
 
Figure 32

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 “ The cash flow statement,
like the income statement,
is prepared for a set period
“
of time, such as a quarter or
a year.

Sources of cash include transactions such as selling products, borrowing from banks, issuing shares, and
collecting accounts receivable. The uses of cash include paying suppliers, repaying lenders, repurchasing
shares, and paying dividends.

Before discussing different sections of the cash flow statement, it is beneficial to go to the bottom of the
statement where cash and cash equivalents are recorded for the beginning and end of a reporting period. These
same amounts are also recorded on the balance sheet as shown by the following illustration:

Cash Flow Statement Balance Sheet

2009 2008 2009 Change
Operating Activities (In Thousands) (In Thousands)
Net income $ 8,732 ASSETS
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash
provided by operating activities: Current Assets
Depreciation expense 2,123 Cash and cash equivalents 4,273 2,930 -1,343
Gain/loss on sale of fixed assets 89 Accounts receivable X,XXX X,XXX
Changes in operating assets and liabilities: Inventories X,XXX X,XXX
Accounts receivable 2,312 Prepaid expenses X,XXX X,XXX
Inventories -1,100 Total current assets X,XXX X,XXX
Prepaid expenses and other current assets 110
Accounts payable 1,068 Property, plant and equipment X,XXX X,XXX
Accrued expenses -987 Less: Accumulated depreciation X,XXX X,XXX
Income taxes payable -60 X,XXX X,XXX
Net cash provided by operating activities 12,287 Other assets X,XXX X,XXX
Total assets X,XXX X,XXX
Investing Activities
LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS'
Capital expenditures -3,541 EQUITY
Business acquisitions -2,000 Current liabilities
Purchase/sale of equity investments 1,400 Accounts payable X,XXX X,XXX
Purchase/sale of short-term investments -1,100 Accrued expenses X,XXX X,XXX
Current portion of long-term
Net cash used in investing activities -5,241 debt X,XXX X,XXX
Income taxes payable X,XXX X,XXX
Financing Activities
Borrowing/repayment of long-term debt -3,389
Total current liabilities X,XXX X,XXX
43
Issuance of common stock 0 Long-term debt X,XXX X,XXX

Cash Flow Statement

Stock repurchases -2,000 Total liabilities X,XXX X,XXX
Cash dividends paid -3,000
Net cash (used in) provided by financing
activities -8,389 Shareholders' equity:
Capital Stock X,XXX X,XXX
Net (decrease) increase in cash and cash
equivalents -1,343 Additional paid-in capital X,XXX X,XXX
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of
year 4,273 Retained earnings X,XXX X,XXX
Cash and cash equivalents at end of year $ 2,930 Total shareholders' equity X,XXX X,XXX
Total liabilities and shareholders'
equity X,XXX X,XXX
 
Figure 33

In the cash flow statement above, the cash balance at the beginning of year was $4,273 and at the end of the
year it was $2,930. This means that it decreased by $1,343 during the year. All the cash flow statement does
is explain how the cash balance went from one amount at the beginning of the year to another amount at the

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