Paper Assignment
1. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) requires publicly traded companies to electronically file a variety of forms or reports (for example, 8-K, 10-K, 10-Q, and DEF-14a) and makes most of these electronic documents available on the Internet via EDGAR. EDGAR stands for Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis, and Retrieval system. The primary purpose for EDGAR is to increase the efficiency and fairness of the securities market for the benefits of investors, corporations, and the economy by accelerating the receipt, acceptance, dissemination, and analysis of time-sensitive corporate information filed with the agency.
- Visit the SEC Web site (www.sec.gov) and get yourself familiar with the search engine EDGAR for company filings. Then choose a publicly held company with stocks actively traded on NYSE or NASDAQ and obtain a copy of its most recent 10-K report.
Answer the following questions:
a. What is the company's industry?
b. What are its primary products or services?
c. Who are its customers?
d. Where is the company located?
e. What are the main financial characteristics of the company:
- Total Assets
- Equity
- Revenue
- Net Income (Loss)
- Other relevant metrics
f. Who are the major competitors/peers of this company?
g. Look at the annual report:
- What image does it intend to convey?
- What messages are being communicated to the shareholders?
- Are these messages consistent with the disclosures in the financial statements?
ORGANIZATIONAL: Costco Wholesale Corporation (COST)
Format your assignment according to the following formatting requirements:
1. The answer should be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides.
2. The response also includes a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student's name, the course title, and the date. The cover page is not included in the required page length.
3. Also include a reference page. The Citations and references should follow APA format. The reference page is not included in the required page length.