ELE 3750 Financial Analysis and Valuation
ELE 3750 Financial Analysis and Valuation
The course is taught in English in Oslo (full-time) and in Norwegian in Bergen and BI Nettstudier. The exam can be answered in Norwegian or English.
All corporations have to prepare annual financial statements and companies listed at a stock exchange have to prepare company annual reports which contain more comprehensive information. The main purpose of the company annual report is to provide shareholders and potential investors with decision-relevant information so that they can make up their mind about:
- The value creation during the financial year and the financial situation at the end of the financial year (the control motive)
- Likely future cash flows generation capabilities (valuation, sustainability, and credit analysis motives)
However, there are many conditions that have an impact on the numbers as well as the information that are presented in the corporate annual report. Many of these conditions might cause the financial statements to present an incomplete picture of the company's underlying economic reality. The chance that financial information might be surrounded by "noise" makes it even more important to critically assess the quality of financial information before used.
Valuations are commonly made in relation to transactions as mergers, acquisitions, demergers, transitions to next generation, IPO's, in relation to asset pricing or in relation to supervision of the value creation in companies.
Both credit analysis and valuations are based on prognosis for the company's likely future economic development and financial condition (prognosis for future income statement items, balance sheet items and cash flow items). Such prognosis is usually, to a great extent, based on historic profit figures (time series analysis) and on other economic information about the company.
After completing the course, students will have:
- Acquired an understanding of the financial information that a company produces in an annual report, which is relevant for the analysis and valuation of the company.
- Knowledge of what drives a company's development and a better understanding of accounting from a user perspective.
After completing the course, students will be able to:
- Extract relevant information from the annual report for the purpose of analyzing a company's economic development, sustainability, and / or the valuation of a company's stock.
- Make an opinion of the extent to which the company's financial information gives a good indication of the underlying economic reality of the company.
The course will help the students to establish an understanding of the motives that underlie accounting fraud. Furthermore, the course will help students understand how sustainable development impacts firms' future cash flow generation and their values.
- The Corporate Annual Report - Content and Relevance
- Accounting Standards
- Main Accounting Issues important for Financial statement Analysis
- Accounting Quality Analysis
- Analysis of Historic Financial Results
- Forecasts and sustainability of the firm
- Valuation
The course consists of 30 lecture hours and 15 hours of asynchronous learning activities. During the semester, there will be given an assignment over three (3) weeks. One of the lectures will be used to review and explain the elements of the assignment.
The students are supposed to use a spreadsheet program (i.e. Excel).
E-Learning
Where the course is delivered as an online course, the lecturer will, in collaboration with the study administration, arrange an appropriate combination of digital learning resources and activities. These activities will correspond to the stated number of teaching hours delivered on campus. Online students are also offered a study guide that will provide an overview of the course and contribute to course progression. The total time students are expected to spend completing the course also applies to online studies.
Teaching language Norwegian.
For electives re-sit is normally offered at the next scheduled course. If an elective is discontinued or is not initiated in the semester it is offered, re-sit will be offered in the electives ordinary semester.
This course is taught in English, but is taught in Norwegian upon completion of BI Online Studies. (Autumn).
Higher Education Entrance Qualification
Disclaimer
Deviations in teaching and exams may occur if external conditions or unforeseen events call for this.
Recommended prerequisites are an introduction course in finance, BØK 1121 or BØK 3423 or equivalent.
| Assessments |
|---|
Exam category: Submission Form of assessment: Submission PDF Exam/hand-in semester: First Semester Weight: 100 Grouping: Group/Individual (1 - 3) Duration: 3 Week(s) Comment: The paper is not to exceed 18 to 20 pages, in which a given company should be analyzed and valued. The paper can be answered in English or in Norwegian. Exam code: ELE37501 Grading scale: ECTS Resit: Examination when next scheduled course |
| Activity | Duration | Comment |
|---|---|---|
Teaching | 30 Hour(s) | Lectures, work-shops, group work with feed back. |
Prepare for teaching | 75 Hour(s) | Working with the text books, exercises and preparing for next lecture. |
Digital resources
| 15 Hour(s) | |
Feedback activities and counselling | 40 Hour(s) | The students will get a project to work with during 3 weeks. Then, a full lecture will be used to discuss the project and help the students. |
Examination | 40 Hour(s) |
A course of 1 ECTS credit corresponds to a workload of 26-30 hours. Therefore a course of 7,5 ECTS credit corresponds to a workload of at least 200 hours.