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Comprehensive Information = Effective Due Diligence

Integra's Information is a valuable support tool when performing a financial analysis of your client using the online Comparative Profiler Report.  With information on over 4 million companies, this database is the most comprehensive private company data source ever developed.   The result of your due diligence efforts will be maximized.  

Sample Case Study:

Your client, Mid-State Lithographers, has applied for a working capital line of credit and provides their financial statements for the last three years.  After you input the client’s information into the input fields, you generate a Comparative Profile Report.  First, we compare Mid-State’s income statement with its peers to review its financial performance.

Officers Compensation is the first item that appears to have a large variance with the peer group.  During the three years being analyzed, the subject’s officer compensation is consistently higher than the industry mean.  Once this issue has been identified, you can approach Mid-State and ask them to address it.  There may be several reasons why management has chosen to do this, including estate planning, management succession, or income tax planning.  The important thing to remember is that the Comparative Profiler Report has helped you identify an item that needs to be addressed while conducting your due diligence.

As a whole, Mid-State is outpacing the industry in terms of profitability.  This illustrates an efficiently run organization since their low operating expenses offset the relatively high officers’ compensation expense.

Next, you focus on the comparative balance sheet, beginning with the assets.

 

Mid-State’s level of current assets is significantly higher than the industry.  A closer look reveals that our customer’s accounts receivable level is more than double the industry norm.  The company’s inventory level is also much higher than average.  The graphs of the liquidity ratios contained in the Comparative Profiler Report, specifically the Accounts Receivable to Sales ratio, helps to illustrate this point as shown below:    

These two factors could put a strain on Mid-State’s cash flow and may inhibit its growth, as well as its ability to service the proposed loan.  These issues should be addressed with management.

Next, you compare the liabilities.  The item with the largest variance from the industry norm is accounts payable, which consistently exceeds that of the industry as shown in the liquidity ratio graphs above (accounts payable to sales ratio).  We can infer that this reflects Mid-State’s excessive level of accounts receivable, which in turn is causing the payables to lag behind the industry.  In any event, you can approach your customer for their feedback regarding these issues once they have been identified.

In addition to the Income Statement and Balance Sheet, the report also provides a comparative cash flow analysis, as well as comparative financial ratios, as demonstrated below:

The high level of detail gives you the flexibility to choose the line items you need to focus on.  By In the Mid-State Lithographers example, we were able to identify some important areas within the company that needed closer examination for your analysis.  You were able to focus on the unique aspects of the company's  financial picture by having a clear understanding of the commercial printing industry.  Integra's Information was designed with the understanding that your decisions as an analyst should be based on the most complete information available, as opposed to the “hit or miss” approach.