You are a project manager for a large hospitality firm (e.g., Marriott International) who will be in charge of the firm’s HQ office relocation. You have been asked to speak to the HR staff about t

(AMZN) , Amazon

• Some Suggested Information Sources 


  • SeekingAlpha.com 


  • Company’s web site 


  • Company’s annual report 


  • Mergent Online 


  • Yahoo.com 


  • Sec.gov (Edgar) 


  • Wallstreetcity.com 


  • Fool.com 


• Use word file, and the Excel supplement file , and send both when you are done.

Company Description

The first step in security analysis is to become familiar with the company. This part of your analysis needs to identify basic facts about the company (e.g., legal name and headquarters address, primary industry(s), products or services, geographic markets, asset size, number of employees, corporate officers, equity market capitalization, equity ownership breakdown, capital structure) and identify from recent news accounts current issues that the company may be facing. What are the key economic and political drivers for this company?

Industry Analysis

This part of the analysis is intended to understand the structure of the key industry(s) in which the company competes and how each industry is affected by the domestic and global macroeconomies. Identify in each industry your company’s market share and major competitors with their approximate market shares. What are the characteristics of each industry? What are the key economic drivers for the industry? What are the primary risks facing the industry? Is the industry capital intensive or, put another way, with what degree of operating leverage do the companies’ operate (i.e., percentage change in operating profits for a given percentage change in sales)? What is the current and forecasted industry demand? How sensitive is industry demand to the business cycle? How mature is this industry (i.e., start-up, consolidating, mature, or decline)? What threats does the industry face (e.g., consolidation, global competition, technological, protection of intellectual property)? What are the overriding trends in the industry? How is the industry regulated and what impact does regulation have on industry operations?

Financial Analysis

Assemble at least three (3) years of financial statements (i.e., income statement, balance sheet, and cash flow statement) for the company (five or more years is better) and calculate the free cash flow values and key profitability, market, leverage, activity, and liquidity ratios. Compute growth rates for EPS, DPS, and assets. Compare these ratios and growth rates to the industry and/or key competitors. Identify and analyze the company’s financial strengths and weaknesses. Please highlight some key financial ratios in this section and leave other ratios in an Excel file.