Trend Analysis and Changes over the Last Two-Year Period
Revenues
The income statements of the two firms over the last two-year period indicate increasing trends in the revenues. The net income for GlaxoSmithKline increased from £4678 in the financial year 2012 to £5628 in the 2013 accounting period (GlaxoSmithKline, 2013). In other words, the revenue increased by £950, which represents over 20% rises in the total revenues. Similarly, Roche Group’s income increased in the last two-year period. In the 2012 financial year, the total income was £2708 while in the financial year 2013, the total net income was £4353 (Roche Group, 2013). The increase was £1645 representing over 60% rise in the total revenues. Considering the two firms, the Roche Group revenues have increased significantly compared with GlaxoSmithKline.
The Cost of Goods Sold
Both firms’ costs of sales have increased in the last two financial year periods. The costs of sales of GlaxoSmithKline have increased from £7925 in the 2012 financial year to £8585 in the 2013 financial year (GlaxoSmithKline, 2013). The rise in the cost of sales is about 8.3%. On the other hand, the cost of sales of the Roche Group rose from £6598 in the 2012 financial period to £6705 in the following financial period (Roche Group, 2013). The rise in the costs of sales is about 1.6%. Comparing the two firms, the costs of sales of GlaxoSmithKline have increased considerably in the last one-year period compared with the Roche Group. The indication is that the Roche Group has performed better in terms of cost controls and sales compared with GlaxoSmithKline (Westbrook, 2014).
Accounts Receivables
The accounts receivables of the two firms in the last two financial years also indicate the increasing trend. The GlaxoSmithKline’s accounts receivables increased from £5242 in 2012 to £5442 in 2013 (GlaxoSmithKline, 2013). The rise represents about 3.8%. Similarly, the accounts receivables of the Roche Group rose from £2065 in 2012 to £2203 in 2013, which is around 6.7% increase (Roche Group, 2013).
Accounts Payables
A similar trend is also observed in the accounts payables of the two firms. In fact, in the last financial period, the accounts payable of GlaxoSmithKline increased from £8054 in the previous financial period to £8317 in the 2013 financial year, which represents an increase of about 3.3% (GlaxoSmithKline, 2013). The Roche Group’s accounts payables also rose from £417 in the 2012 financial period to £565 in the following financial year. The rise represented about 3.5% increase in the accounts payables (Roche Group, 2013).
Inventory
The inventories for the GlaxoSmithKline decreased from the previous financial period. The decrease was from £3969 in 2012 financial year to £3900 in the 2013 financial period (GlaxoSmithKline, 2013). However, the increasing trend in the inventories is observed in the Roche Group. The inventories of the firm increased from £1971 in the 2012 financial period to £2031 in the 2013 financial year (Roche Group, 2013). The percentage changes in the inventories are -1.7% and 3%, respectively.
Best Performing Firm
As can be observed from the trend analysis, the best performing firm is the Roche Group. Considering revenues of the two firms, the Roche Group has an increase of over £1645 million pounds representing about 60% rises in the total net income of the firm compared with only a 20% increase of GlaxoSmithKline’s total revenues. Changes in the revenues indicate that Roche Group has better performance in terms of profit margins (Allman, 2010). Besides, changes in the cost of sales of the Roche Group in the last two financial years are less compared with that of GlaxoSmithKline. The indication is that Roche Group has good management of its costs. In fact, the increase of the firm’s cost of sales is only 1.6% compared with 8.3% of the GlaxoSmithKline.
The better performance of Roche Group is also indicated in the balance sheet items, particularly in the current assets. The positive changes in the inventories and bigger accounts receivables indicate that Roche Group can easily offset its short-term expenses (Westbrook, 2014). In fact, Roche Group experienced a 3% increase in the inventories, indicating much of the products are in the store awaiting sales.
On the other hand, GlaxoSmithKline had a negative change in its inventories of about 1.7%, indicating that the firm lacked the products to be sold, which decreased the number of its revenues. Increased stability of the Roche Group can also be observed in the accounts receivables and payables. In fact, the differences between the accounts receivables and payables of the Roche group are about 3.2% compared with that of GlaxoSmithKline, which is only about 0.5%. Generally, the Roche Group has better financial performance in the last two-year period compared with GlaxoSmithKline.
Importance of the Financial Information from the Managerial Perspective
The financial information indicated in the trend analysis is critical for managers to improve their performances (Westbrook, 2014). The changes in the revenues can be utilized to gauge the firms in terms of their profit margin performances. In fact, higher profit margins indicate greater performance. Other variables, such as cost of sales, indicate how the firm is performing in terms of cost management (Allman, 2010). The management also utilizes the information to gauge the financial stability of the firm. Using the figures in the trend analysis, GlaxoSmithKline should increase its performance.
Appendix
Financial Trends
Changes in Revenues
Changes in the Cost of Sales
Changes in the Accounts Receivables
Changes in the Account Payables
Changes in Inventory
References
Allman, K. (2010). Corporate valuation modeling: A step-by-step guide. Hoboken, N J: John Wiley & Sons.
GlaxoSmithKline 2013. Financial statements. Web.
Roche Group 2013. Annual report. Web.
Westbrook, I. (2014). Strategic financial and investor communication. London, UK: Routledge.