Financial Statement Analysis : Enron Corp

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It is easy to forget that pouring money into a problem will not fix it unless revenue flows continue or are increased and expenses are controlled. Some of the easiest computations can be made with information retrieved from balance sheets and income statements provided by accountants. Ratios such as the current ratio, long-term solvency ratio, contribution ratio, programs and expense ratio, general and management expense ratio, fund-raising and expense ratio, and revenue and expense ratio can provide a picture of where a company stands now compared to where it was in past years and what may need to be done in the future.

In order to understand and conduct a complete financial analysis of either organization, or any company for that matter, that desires to increase aspects of business, an analysis becomes fundamental when defining the company’s current standings in the market. This can also be a great way in order to discover new ways for expansion of productivity and development within the organization. Throughout the execution of a financial analysis of any business, it is imperative to understand the background of the company and the products they produce and sell. By understanding these

a. Stockholders at first reaped tremendous gains from their investments in Enron stock, because the company’s value rose a lot of quicker than market averages throughout the late Nineteen Nineties. In 2001, because the stock value folded, investors lost $70 billion in value. Each individual and institutional shareholders were hurt. Significantly blasted were Enron workers whose 401(k) retirement plans were heavily endowed in their company’s stock. Even shareholders who failed to own any Enron stock were hurt, as stock costs fell across the board within the wake of the scandal as investors doubted the integrity of the many companies’ monetary reports.

Enron was a publicly traded energy company formed in 1985 by Kenneth Lay when Internorth acquired Houston Natural Gas; the company, based in Houston Texas, Enron (originally entitled “EnterOn”, but was later subjected to abbreviation), worked specifically in power, natural gas, and paper and even ventured into various non-energy-based fields as they expanded, including: Internet bandwidth, risk management, and weather derivatives. Several years after the founding of the company, Enron hired a man by the name of Jeffrey Skilling, a former chemical and energy consultant, who, upon promotion, created a team of high-level administrative employees who, by using special purpose entities, lackluster reporting of finances, and unethical accounting practices, hid billions of dollars of debt from unsuccessful arrangements and ventures from stock holders and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Enron executives achieved this scheme by using a controversial accounting method entitled “mark-to-market accounting,” which in essence, assigns value to financial commodities based on their projected market values; mark-to-market accounting is the opposite of cost-based accounting which records the price of a commodity at the purchase price. As a result of this new method, Enron’s worth skyrocketed to over $70 billion at one time, only to collapse miserably several years later—ultimately costing thousands upon thousands of people their jobs, pensions, and retirements. Enron’s employees

According to WebFinance, Inc., the definition of disclosure, in relation to accounting practices, regards “Statutory or good faith revelation of a material fact (or an item of information that is not generally known) on a financial statement or in the accompanying notes (footnotes)” (2015). Furthermore, as per the Financial Accounting Standards Board [FASB], “The purpose of the notes to financial statements is to supplement or further explain the information on the face of the financial statements by providing information relevant to existing and potential investors, lenders, and other creditors . . .” (2013, p. 1). Publicly traded companies fall under regulations that are set forth by governing authorities to assist in bringing concise information to external users. The Starbucks Corporation [SBUX] implements the disclosing of pertinent information in its annual report by expanding within the section named “Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements” (SBUX, 2014, p. 51). The company’s cash and its equivalents, receivables, and inventories are further explained according to data as provided by SBUX.

“By 2000, Enron's stock was worth $ 90 a share, and its executives were being hailed as innovative geniuses and political gurus.” (St. Petersburg Times, "Enron's meltdown."), and the company has been organized into three divisions: Enron Wholesale Service, dedicated to operating in product markets (including Enron Online); Enron Energy Services, which provided consulting services to companies for the management of their electrical needs and Enron Global Services,

Enron was created from the joining of gas pipeline companies in 1985 and was responsible for natural gas, electricity, and communication products and services (Ferrell, et al, p.318). During the 1990’s,

In terms of net profit margin (NP), return on assets (ROA) and return on equity (ROE), Enron’s financial enactment was at the bottom end for this cluster. Only El Paso Corp. had worse profitability and return ratios.

These are strike years so we will ignore them. In 1994, ROE is less than that of last three years. Overall its not good sign, but its explanation will be given in upcoming ratios.

Obtaining financing is one of the challenges facing a new venture. The financial planning and good budgeting will be significant factors in helping Portions Restaurant reach success. The restaurants financial statement analysis below lists the sources of funding, the capital structure, debt to equity ratios, the intentions of going public and a break even analysis.

Enron Corporation was an energy company founded in Omaha, Nebraska. The corporation chose Houston, Texas to home its headquarters and staffed about 20,000 people. It was one of the largest natural gas and electricity providers in the United States, and even the world. In the 1990’s, Enron was widely considered a highly innovative, financially booming company, with shares trading at about $90 at their highest points. Little did the public know, the success of the company was a gigantic lie, and possibly the largest example of white-collar crime in the history of business.

As competition increased and the economy started to plunge in the early 2000s, Enron struggled to maintain their profit margins. Executives determined that in order to keep their debt ratio low, they would need to transfer debt from their balance sheet. “Reducing hard assets while earning increasing paper profits served to increase Enron’s return on assets (ROA) and reduce its debt-to-total-assets ratio, making the company more attractive to credit rating agencies and investors” (Thomas, 2002). Executives developed Structured Financing and Special Purpose Entities (SPE), which they used to transfer the majority of Enron’s debt to the SPEs. Enron also failed to appropriately disclose information regarding the related party transactions in the notes to the financial statements.Andersen performed audit work for Enron and rendered an unqualified opinion of their financial statements while this activity occurred. The seriousness and amount of misstatement has led some to believe that Andersen must have known what was going on inside Enron, but decided to overlook it. Assets and equities were overstated by over $1.2 billion, which can clearly be considered a material amount (Cunningham & Harris, 2006). These are a few of several practices that spiraled out of control in an effort to meet forecasted quarterly earnings. As competition grew against the energy giant and their

Needed for the Houston office of Andersen, an audit partner that understands the role of being a "public watchdog" with "ultimate allegiance to the creditors and shareholders" . Arthur Anderson abandoned its roles as independent auditor by turning a blind eye to improper accounting, including the failure to consolidate, failure of Enron to make $51million in proposed adjustments in 1997, and failure to adequately disclose the nature of transactions with subsidiaries . Another example is Lord Wakeham joined Enron as a non-executive director in 1994 and also sat on Enron's audit and compliance committee. In addition, Andersen also provides internal audit service to Enron, which in fact impact

The story of Enron begins in 1985, with the merger of two pipeline companies, orchestrated by a man named Kenneth L. Lay (1). In its 15 years of existence, Enron expanded its operations to provide products and services in the areas of electricity, natural gas as well as communications (9). Through its diversification, Enron would become known as a corporate America darling (9) and Fortune Magazine’s most innovative company for 5 years in a row (10). They reported extraordinary profits in a short amount of time. For example, in 1998 Enron shares were valued at a little over $20, while in mid-2000, those same shares were valued at just over $90 (10), the all-time high during the company’s existence (9).