Keystone Assignment: Strategic Corporate Financial Analysis Project
COs: 4
SLOs: 7
Purpose
This Keystone Assignment is the culminating assessment for the course. Students will integrate financial statement analysis, valuation methods, forecasting, capital budgeting, and strategic decision making to evaluate a real publicly traded company. The project measures mastery of course outcomes and student learning outcomes through applied managerial finance analysis.
Course Outcomes Aligned
CO 1. Provides mastery of a systematic approach to managerial finance and improves critical thinking.
CO 2. Reinforces financial statement analytics to develop skills for decision making and problem solving.
CO 3. Provides mastery of appraising techniques and models for investment and financial decisions.
CO 4. Provides mastery of techniques and models for capital structure, planning, and strategic finance decisions.
Student Learning Outcomes Aligned
SLO 1. Apply financial analysis techniques to Income Statement, Balance Sheet, and Cash Flow Statement.
SLO 2. Use common size statements and ratio analysis for decision making.
SLO 3. Interpret and apply PV, FV, RATE, NPV, and IRR.
SLO 4. Synthesize financial data for stock and bond valuation concepts.
SLO 5. Apply CAPM, WACC, and financial structure concepts.
SLO 6. Evaluate working capital performance and operational efficiency.
SLO 7. Compare domestic and international financial environments when relevant to industry benchmarking.
Select a publicly traded company from a U.S. stock exchange.
Gather 5 years of financial data (Income Statement, Balance Sheet, and Cash Flow Statement).
Perform the following:
A. Historical Performance Analysis
Calculate and interpret key ratios (profitability, liquidity, leverage, efficiency)
Evaluate trends in revenue growth, margins, and capital structure
B. Benchmarking
Compare your company’s performance to at least two competitors and industry averages
Provide commentary on relative strengths and weaknesses
C. Financial Forecasting
Build 3-year forecasted financial statements in Excel
Include assumptions for sales growth, expense trends, capital investment, etc.
Use scenario analysis to show best, base, and worst cases
D. Strategic Recommendation
Identify a strategic opportunity (e.g., acquisition, product launch, expansion)
Use capital budgeting tools (e.g., NPV, IRR) to support the decision
Discuss the financial impact of your recommendation
E. Written Report
Write a professional, executive-style report (1500–2000 words)
Summarize findings, support with visuals/tables, and cite all sources in APA format
F. Submit Excel Workbook
Include all your data, calculations, and forecast models
Deliverables:
Written Report (.docx or .pdf, APA 7 format)
Excel Workbook with financial models
Due: Before the end of the term
Submission: Via course LMS link (email submissions not accepted)
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