Learning Objectives and professional uses

• Process financial statements to get an appropriate basis for analysis and valuation;
• Apply financial ratio analysis to bring out the story that the financial statements tell;
• Identify the drivers of firm value;
• Develop good financial statement forecasts using a systematic, structured approach;
• Apply the most common valuation models; and
• Use analysis and valuation to challenge the assumptions inherent in the market price.

The skills acquired in this course are useful in a wide array of professional areas, including investment banking (particularly equity research), private equity, security analysis, asset management, consulting, public accounting, corporate finance, and strategy. More generally, they allow you to increase your financial literacy to manage decisions that involve financial statements more effectively.