Users of Financial Statements

Top 10 Most Common Users of Financial Statements

Financial statementsFinancial StatementsFinancial statements are written reports prepared by a company's management to present the company's financial affairs over a given period (quarter, six monthly or yearly). These statements, which include the Balance Sheet, Income Statement, Cash Flows, and Shareholders Equity Statement, must be prepared in accordance with prescribed and standardized accounting standards to ensure uniformity in reporting at all levels.read more prepared by the Companies are used by different categories of individuals and corporates in a sense relevant to them. The most common users of the financial statements are listed below:

1. Management of the Company
2. Investors
3. Customers
4. Competitors
5. Government and Government Agencies
6. Employees
7. Investment Analysts
8. Lenders
9. Rating Agency
10. Suppliers

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Let us discuss each of them in detail –

#1 Management of the Company

The company’s management is the first and foremost user of the financial statements. Although they are the ones who prepare the financial statements, the board and the management need to refer to them while considering the progress and growth of the company. The company’s management looks at the financial statement from the perspective of liquidityPerspective Of LiquidityLiquidity is the ease of converting assets or securities into cash.read more, profitability, cash flows, assets and liabilities, cash balances, fund requirements, debt to be paid, project financing, and various other day-to-day operational activities. Simply put, the company’s management needs financial statements to make decisions about the business.

#2 Investors

Investors are the owners of the company. They would like to understand and keep updated with the company’s financial performance. Based on the financial statement, they would like to decide whether they need to keep invested or move out of the company based on its performance.

#3 Customers

Customers need to view the financial statements of the company from which they are procuring goods or services. In addition, big clients would like to have a long-term partnership or contract with the company; thus, they would like to work with a financially stable company. Further, a financially strong company can provide its customers with credit salesCredit SalesCredit Sales is a transaction type in which the customers/buyers are allowed to pay up for the bought item later on instead of paying at the exact time of purchase. It gives them the required time to collect money & make the payment. read more and can deliver products and services at a discount than the market.

#4 Competitors

Competitors would like to know the financial status of the competing company. In addition, they would like to maintain a competitive edge on their competitors and, hence, want to know the other company’s financial health. Further, they could change their strategy by looking at the statements.

#5 Government and Government Agencies

Government agencies like the Income-tax department, and the sales taxSales TaxThe government levies sales tax on the consumption of various goods and services as the percentage added to the product and services from which the government earns revenue and does the company's welfare. In the United States, 38 different states have different taxes, from Alaska (1.76%) to Tennessee (9.45%).read more department would like to go through the company’s financial statements to check if the company paid appropriate taxes. In addition, they would like to make future tax predictions based on the performance of the company and industry practices.

#6 Employees

Employees look at the financial statement of the company from different perspectives. They would like to know if the company is doing as their bonus and increments depend on the company’s financial performance. Also, they would look to have a deep understanding of the business and the current industry situation, which will be available in the financial statements. The company may choose to involve employees in decision-making; hence, it would like the employees to know and understand the company’s financials.

#7 Investment Analysts

Investment analysts keep a close eye on the financial statements of the company. This is because they have good industry knowledge and are updated about how the company is performing. Based on their analysis of the financial statements, the investment analystsInvestment AnalystsAn investment analyst is an individual or firm that excels in the financial and investment research and have a keen knowledge of financial instruments and models. Such financial professionals include portfolio managers, investment advisors, brokerage firms, mutual fund companies, investment banks, etc.read more decide whether to recommend the stock of the Company to their clients or not.

#8 Lenders

Lenders like traditional banks, financial institutions, and creditors would like to check the ability of the company to pay the debt. Thus, they go through the company’s financial statements and see if they would provide a loan.

#9 Rating Agency

A credit rating agency reviews the financial statement of the company to give credit rating to the debt instruments of the companyDebt Instruments Of The CompanyDebt instruments provide finance for the company's growth, investments, and future planning and agree to repay the same within the stipulated time. Long-term instruments include debentures, bonds, GDRs from foreign investors. Short-term instruments include working capital loans, short-term loans.read more. The issuing company must provide all information to the credit rating agency to get a rating of the securities it is issuing to raise funds. The investors of these securities can make an informed decision once a rating agency has provided a rating based on the company’s financials.

#10 Suppliers

Suppliers like the customers would like to deal with companies with good financial health. Thus, they are also users of financial statements and make decisions to provide credit to the company.

Conclusion

The company’s financial statements are the most important information about the company. It gives a clear picture of the financial affairs of the company, and its performance, which can be compared with the competitors and peers. Thus, as discussed in the article, various users read and understand the company’s financial statement for their purposes.

Recommended Articles

This has been a guide to Users of Financial Statements. Here we discuss the Top 10 Users of Financial Statements, including Investors, Customers, Competitors, Employees, Rating Agencies, etc. You can learn more about financing from the following articles –

• 4 Components of Financial Statements
• Financial Statements Importance
• Limitations of Financial Statement
• Audited Financial Statements