1) Find a company whose ticker symbol contains your initials. (For example if your initials are: BK, then Bank of New York Mellon (BK) or Barnes and Noble (BKS) or Ambac Financial Group (ABK) would satisfy this requirement). If you cannot find any company with your initials, then use one of your initials (you choose which) twice. So if your initial are: SV, choose a company with either 2 S’s or 2 V’s in the ticker. If there is still no suitable company, then choose any company contained in the Dow Jones Industrial Average.
2) Obtain the financial statements for the three most recent years. Usually, the financial statements are in the company’s annual report, and are on, or can be downloaded from the company’s website, or
3) For the three most recent years, analyze the Du Pont identity for your chosen company. How has ROE changed over this period? How have changes in each component of the Du Pont identity affected ROE over this period?
4) Choose two competitors of the company you chose in parts 1,2 and 3. Analyze the Du Pont identity for the competitors (over the most recent three years). How does your company’s profitability compare to the two competitors? What conclusion, if any, can you make about the condition of your chosen company?