1: Introduction Flashcards
1. The Corporation 2. Introduction to Financial Statement Analysis 3. Financial Decision Making and the Law of One Price 4. Appendix: The Price of Risk
agency problem
When decision makers, despite being hired as the agents of other stakeholders, put their own self-interest ahead of the interests of the stakeholders.
ask price
The price at which a market maker or specialist is willing to sell a security.
bid-ask spread
The amount by which the ask price exceeds the bid price.
bid price
The price at which a market maker or specialist is willing to buy a security.
board of directors (BoD)
A group elected by shareholders that has the
ultimate decision-making authority in the corporation.
“C” corporations
Corporations that have no restrictions on
who owns their shares or the number of shareholders, and therefore cannot qualify for subchapter S treatment and are subject to direct taxation.
chief executive officer (CEO)
The person charged with running the corporation by instituting the rules and policies set by the board of directors.
chief financial officer (CFO)
The most senior financial manager, who often reports directly to the CEO.
corporation
A legally defined, artificial being, separate from its owners.
dark pools
Trading venues in which the size and price of orders are not disclosed to participants. Prices are within the best bid and ask prices available in public markets, but traders face the risk their orders may not be filled if an excess of either buy or sell orders is received.
dividend payments
Payments made at the discretion of the corporation to its equity holders.
Dodd-Frank Act
A 2010 Congressional act that sought to bring about financial stability by bringing about sweeping changes to the financial regulatory system in response to the 2008 financial crisis.
equity
The collection of all the outstanding shares of a
corporation.
equity holder
An owner of a share of stock in a corporation (also shareholder or stockholder).
high frequency traders (HFTs)
Traders who place, update, cancel, and execute trades many times per second.
hostile takeover
A situation in which an individual or organization, sometimes referred to as a corporate raider, purchases a large fraction of a target corporation’s stock and in doing so gets enough votes to replace the target’s board of directors and its CEO.
limit order
Order to buy or sell a set amount of a security at a
fixed price.
limit order book
Collection of all current limit orders for a given security.
limited liability
When an investor’s liability is limited to her initial investment.
limited liability company (LLC)
A limited partnership without a general partner.
limited partnership
A partnership with two kinds of owners, general partners and limited partners.
liquid
Describes an investment that can easily be turned into cash because it can be sold immediately at a competitive market price.
liquidation
Closing down a business and selling off all its assets; often the result of the business declaring bankruptcy.
liquidity
Extent to which the market for an asset is liquid. Limit orders provide liquidity by making available an immediate opportunity to trade.
market makers
Individuals on the trading floor of a stock exchange who match buyers with sellers.
market orders
Orders to trade immediately at the best outstanding limit order available.
partnership
A sole proprietorship with more than one owner.
primary market
Market used when a corporation itself issues new shares of stock and sells them to investors.
private companies
The companies whose shares do not trade on a public market.
public companies
Those corporations whose stock is traded on a stock market or exchange, providing shareholders the ability to quickly and easily convert their investments into cash.
“S” corporations
Those corporations that elect subchapter S tax treatment and are allowed, by the U.S. Internal Revenue Tax code, an exemption from double taxation.
secondary market
Market shares continue to trade on after the initial transaction between the corporation and investors.
sole proprietorship
A business owned and run by one person.
specialists
Individuals on the trading floor of the NYSE who
match buyers with sellers; also called market makers.
stock
The ownership or equity of a corporation divided into shares.
stock market (or stock exchange)
Organized market on which the shares of many corporations are publicly traded.
transaction cost
In most markets, an expense such as a broker commission and the bid-ask spread investors must pay in order to trade securities.
10-Q
The quarterly reporting form that U.S. companies use to file their financial statements with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
accounts payable
The amounts owed to creditors for products or services purchased with credit.
accounts payable days
An expression of a firm’s accounts payable in terms of the number of days’ worth of cost of goods sold that the accounts payable represents.
accounts payable turnover
The ratio of annual cost of sales to accounts payable. A measure of how quickly the firm is paying its suppliers.
accounts receivable
Amounts owed to a firm by customers who have purchased goods or services on credit.
accounts receivable days
An expression of a firm’s accounts receivable in terms of the number of days’ worth of sales that the accounts receivable represents.
accounts receivable turnover
The ratio of annual sales to accounts receivable. A measure of how efficiently the firm is managing accounts receivable.
accumulated depreciation
The cumulative depreciation of an asset up to a given point in its life; equal to last period’s accumulated depreciation plus the current period’s depreciation expense.
amortization
A charge that captures the change in value of acquired assets. Like depreciation, amortization is not an actual cash expense.
annual report
The yearly summary of business sent by U.S. public companies to their shareholders that accompanies or includes the financial statement.
asset turnover
The ratio of sales to assets, a measure of how
efficiently the firm is utilizing its assets to generate sales.
assets
The cash, inventory, property, plant and equipment, and
other investments a company has made.
auditor
A neutral third party that corporations are required to hire that checks the annual financial statements to ensure they are prepared according to GAAP, and to verify that the information is reliable.
balance sheet
A list of a firm’s assets and liabilities that provides a snapshot of the firm’s financial position at a given point in time.
balance sheet identity
Total assets equals total liabilities plus stockholders’ equity.
book value
The acquisition cost of an asset less its accumulated
depreciation.
book value of equity
The difference between the book value of a firm’s assets and its liabilities; also called stockholders’ equity, it represents the net worth of a firm from an account- ing perspective.
capital expenditures
Purchases of new property, plant, and equipment.
capital lease
A lease viewed as an acquisition for accounting purposes. The asset acquired is listed on the lessee’s balance sheet, and the lessee incurs depreciation expenses for the asset. In addition, the present value of the future lease payment is listed as a liability, and the interest portion of the lease payments is deducted as an interest expense. Also known as a finance lease.
cash ratio
The ratio of cash to current liabilities. It is the most stringent liquidity ratio.