Tag Archives: financial accounting

How would Microsoft’s $40 billion stock buyback and cash dividend impact its balance sheet?

Microsoft Corporation (MSFT) recently announced plans to buy back up to $40 billion of its own stock. In the same announcement on September 20, 2016, Microsoft also stated that it would be increasing the cash dividend by 8% for the dividend to be paid on December 8, 2016, to shareholders of record on November 17, […]

Continue reading

What is the impact on Abercrombie & Fitch’s financial statements from the write-down of its logo-adorned merchandise inventory?

Recently, Abercrombie & Fitch (NYSE: ANF) has been implementing a turnaround strategy since its sales had been falling for the past few years (11% decrease in 2014, 8% in 2015, and just 3% in 2016.) One part of Abercrombie’s new strategy has been to abandon its logo-adorned merchandise, replacing it with a subtler look. Abercrombie […]

Continue reading

How did a cash dividend impact Lowe’s financial position?

On November 2, 2016, Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE: LOW) paid a cash dividend of $0.35 per share to shareholders of record as of October 19, 2016.  The Lowe’s Board of Directors declared this dividend on August 19, 2016. As of the end of Lowe’s 2015 year (January 29, 2016), Lowe’s had 910 million shares of […]

Continue reading

What are the fiscal year ends of Amazon, Target, Apple, Walt Disney, and others?

A calendar year runs from January 1 to December 31 each year.  Companies are allowed to select a fiscal year that is different from the calendar year, which means not all companies’ financial statements are as of December 31. Here is a list of a variety of companies and their fiscal years: Amazon.com: Fiscal year […]

Continue reading

What does Huntington’s Form 10-K disclose about its loans and leases (aka “receivables”) and the related allowance accounts?

Huntington Bancshares Incorporated (NASDAQ:HBAN) recently acquired the Ohio-based FirstMerit Corp., further increasing Huntington’s market share across eight states in the Midwest: Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Kentucky, Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Illinois.  It is now the 33rd largest bank holding company in the United States, according to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) as of the […]

Continue reading

How could the different inventory costing methods used by Best Buy, Amazon, and Target impact their respective income statements and balance sheets?

Three retailing giants, Best Buy Co., Inc. (NYSE: BBY), Amazon.com, Inc., (NASDAQ: AMZN), and Target Corporation (NYSE: TGT) each use a different inventory costing method. Best Buy uses weighted-average cost, Amazon uses FIFO, and Target uses LIFO. Here is a hypothetical example that highlights the potential differences in income statements and balance sheets that could […]

Continue reading

How do Facebook and Twitter’s current and debt ratios compare?

Facebook, Inc. (NASDAQ: FB), and Twitter, Inc. (NYSE: TWTR), are two of the most popular publicly-held social media companies. Both are relatively young companies; Facebook was founded in 2004, while Twitter was started in 2006. To follow are adapted and condensed balance sheets for both Facebook and Twitter as of December 31, 2015. Please note: […]

Continue reading

What closing entries would Facebook make for fiscal year 2015?

Facebook, Inc., is a publicly held corporation and issued its financial statements for 2015 in mid-2016. To follow is a condensed and adapted trial balance as of December 31, 2015, that was constructed from those financial statements. Please note that the accounts have been adapted and condensed for educational use and should not be used […]

Continue reading

When LoanMax loans cash to individuals with a 25% monthly interest rate, does it have a receivable or a payable AND is it an ethical practice?

Car title lenders are considered to be predatory lenders, since they charge high rates of interest to those individuals who can least afford it. Various laws in recent years have attempted to curb the high interest rates and these practices. Car title lenders still operate and some would argue that they fill a need in […]

Continue reading