Common-Size Analysis of Financial Statements

Financial statements that show only percentages and no absolute dollar amounts are common-size statements. All percentage figures in a common-size balance sheet are percentages of total assets while all the items in a common-size income statement are percentages of net sales. The use of common-size statements facilitates vertical analysis of a company’s financial statements.

Balance sheet vertical analysis uses total assets as a base and assigns a percentage to all line items. For instance, we can see that our company’s long-term debt as a percentage of total assets is 17.0%. The metric we calculated is formally known as the “debt to asset ratio”, which is a ratio used to gauge a company’s solvency risk and the proportion of its resources (i.e. assets) funded by debt rather than equity. Performing vertical analysis creates the so-called “common size” income statement and the “common size” balance sheet. As you can see from the following common-size balance sheet (with amounts omitted) each item is expressed as a percent of the company’s total assets. Comparative financial statements reflect the profitability and financial status of the concern for various accounting years in a comparative manner.

Common-size income statement resulting from vertical analysis

The common-sized accounts of vertical analysis make it possible to compare and contrast numbers of far different magnitudes in a meaningful way. In accounting, a vertical analysis is used to show the relative sizes of the different accounts on a financial statement. On the liabilities and shareholders equity side, we’ve chosen the base figure to be total assets. Running Law Firm Bookkeeping: Consider the Industry Specifics in the Detailed Guide With our financial data presented in Excel, we can start to calculate the contribution percentages on either the side or below the income statement. The standard base figures for the income statement and balance sheet are as follows. The company’s internal balance sheet will also show more detail and often displays a percent next to each dollar amount.

The same would apply when performing a vertical analysis of your liabilities. Common size analysis displays each line item of your financial statement as a percentage of a base figure to help you determine how your company is performing year over year, and compared to competitors. It also shows the impact of each line item on the overall revenue, cash flow or asset figures for your company. Analysts also use vertical analysis of a single financial statement, such as an income statement.

Vertical Analysis

Conceptually, vertical analysis can be thought of as reading a single column of financial data and determining the relationships among each item to reflect the relative size of the various cost and profit metrics. Vertical Analysis refers to the analysis of the financial statement in which each item of the statement of a particular financial year is analysed, by comparing it with a common item. Most accounting computer programs, including QuickBooks, Peachtree, and MAS 90, provide common-size analysis reports.

Expressing every income statement amount as a percent of net sales, and every balance sheet amount as a percent of total assets is referred to as vertical analysis. In Horizontal Financial Analysis, the comparison is made between an item of financial statement, with that of the base year’s corresponding item. On the other hand, in vertical financial analysis, an item of the financial statement is compared with the common item of the same accounting period. Notice that PepsiCo has the highest net sales at $57,838,000,000 versus Coca-Cola at $35,119,000,000.

Using the Vertical Method to Analyze Financial Statements

It is also helpful in comparing the financial statements of two companies with the industry average. Vertical analysis is usually completed on balance sheets and income statements. These percentages are taken from comparing line items on your financial statements to total assets and total sales. We can learn whether it’s time to invest in new technology, find cheaper supplies, reallocate cash, or lower inventory. In vertical analysis, the line of items on a balance sheet can be expressed as a proportion or percentage of total assets, liabilities or equity. However, in the case of the income statement, the same may be indicated as a percentage of gross sales, while in cash flow statement, the cash inflows and outflows are denoted as a proportion of total cash inflow.

• First, we should review the income statements as they’re presented in dollar terms.
• The balance sheet is the financial statement that provides a snapshot in time of the company’s financial position.
• A business will look at one period (usually a year) and compare it to another period.
• Of the 49 cents remaining, almost 35 cents is used by operating expenses (selling, general and administrative), 1 cent by other and 2 cents in interest.
• This calculation helps identify trends and fluctuations in financial performance, which is useful in making informed business decisions.