Financial Statement Analysis
Build practical skills to analyse financial statements, interpret performance and understand what drives the financial health of a business.
Course overview
Financial analysis is essential for understanding how well an organisation is performing and where attention is needed. This half day workshop introduces the core accounting statements used across all sectors and shows how to interpret them using simple, reliable tools. Participants learn how profitability, liquidity and solvency are assessed, how working capital is managed and how basic valuation methods use accounting data to estimate firm value. The session uses examples from real New Zealand firms to make the concepts practical and relevant. It is designed for managers, analysts and professionals who need a clearer view of financial performance and want to build confidence in interpreting financial information.
What you'll learn
- Understand the purpose and structure of the balance sheet and income statement.
- Interpret key financial ratios that assess profitability, liquidity and solvency.
- Analyse working capital to identify strengths, risks and operational pressures.
- Use financial information to estimate firm value through simple valuation approaches.
- Recognise the limitations and assumptions that sit behind financial statements.
- Apply core analysis tools to real examples from New Zealand firms.
Course modules
Module 1: The basics of financial accounting
Learn how balance sheets and income statements are structured and what they reveal about an organisation’s position and performance.
Module 2: Financial ratio analysis
Explore the key ratios that assess profitability, liquidity and solvency, and interpret what they indicate about financial health.
Module 3: Working capital analysis and management
Examine how cash, inventory, receivables and payables interact and how working capital affects day to day operations.
Module 4: Firm valuation using accounting data
Use accounting information to apply simple valuation tools and understand how investors assess company value.
Module 5: Applying the tools to real NZ firms
Work through examples drawn from New Zealand companies to see how the concepts are used in practice.
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