Analyzing Stockholders’ Equity

Choose ONE of these companies

1. The Coca-Cola Co. (Ticker KO)
2. PepsiCo (Ticker PEP)
3. Home Depot (Ticker HD)
4. Lowe’s (Ticker LOW)
5. Gap, Inc. (Ticker GPS)
6. Abercrombie and Fitch Co. (Ticker ANF)
7. Ford Motor Co. (Ticker F)
8. General Motors Co. (Ticker GM)
9. Dunkin’ Brands, Inc. (Ticker DNKN)
10. Starbucks Corp. (Ticker SBUX)

The purpose of this assignment is to analyze stockholders’ equity to recommend strategies for generating cash. Understanding a company’s position as it relates to stockholders and stockholders’ equity is important when considering options and making decisions related to the strategies that should be implemented to generate cash for the company.

The chief executive officer (CFO) of the company wants to generate cash for the organization and has tasked you to review the current stockholders’ equity position for the company and use your findings to recommend strategies for generating cash flow. The CEO has requested you summarize your findings in a memo that is addressed to the CFO, but one that could be shared with other stakeholders.

Refer to the “Annual Reports for Approved Companies” and access the Form 10-K for one of the companies. Review and study the following information related to stocks:

1. Identify and discuss the current types of stock, such as common or preferred stock, currently issued, and outstanding. Include a narrative description along with the values and number of shares found on the balance sheet.
2. Identify the presence of treasury stock and its impact on overall stockholders’ equity. If the company does not have treasury stock, indicate the absence of treasury stock and provide some discussion as to why the company may not have purchased back any of its originally issued stock.
3. Review the notes to the financial statements to determine if the company has any convertible bonds and summarize the characteristics of those bonds. If there are no convertible bonds in the notes, discuss why a company may want to consider convertible bonds in the future.
4. Discuss the pros and cons of issuing new stock, reissuing treasury stock (if applicable), and issuing convertible bonds.
5. In addition, include your recommendations on how the company could generate cash from issuing new common stock, preferred stock, convertible bonds or reissuing treasury stock. Support your recommendations with examples that show the impact on cash.

Using the five items above as a guide, summarize your findings and recommendations for the CFO.