Financial Statements Analysis - Measurement of Performance and Profitability: Applied Study of Baghdad Soft-Drink Industry

Abstract

This paper attempts to analyze the financial statements and measure the performance in terms of assets utilization, and profitability. In detail the research methodology used for the study that has focused on the past and present performance of Baghdad Sort-drink Industry. The study purely relies on secondary data, which were collected for a period of ten years (2004 to September 2013) from the audited annual reports of the company and maintained and made available by several organizations viz., Baghdad Sort-drink Industry, and Iraq’s Stock Exchange for the purpose of effective periodical analysis. In order to know the performance of the industry that was evaluated with the help of five financial ratios. The paper used accounting ratios and financial report analysis, namely, profitability ratios, which might affect the financial performance of the firm. Profit Margin (PM), Return on Assets (ROA), Return on Equity (ROE), Capital turnover ratio and Expense ratio.  All these analyses were done to the case of Baghdad Soft-Drinks Company. This study reveals that financial strengths and weaknesses of the Baghdad Soft-drink Industry over the connected period there were gray areas took place in June 2007 to June 2009, which resulted in decline of all the concerned profitability ratios and subsequently the performance of Baghdad Soft-Drinks Industry, during the two years. In conclusion, ROE is the most comprehensive measure of profitability of a firm; it considers the operating and investing decisions made as well as the financing and tax related decisions.

Keywords: Profitability, accounting ratios, financial statements, performance, Baghdad Soft-Drinks Industry.