Financial Performance of Commonwealth Bank and ANZ Bank

Question: Describe about the Financial Performance of Commonwealth Bank and ANZ Bank. Answer: Introduction This is a case study on the financial performance of Commonwealth Bank and ANZ Bank in Australia. The two banks are among the big four banks in the country, providing a diverse range of financial services to its customers. A financial analysis of these banks will determine the state of banking sector in Australia and the capacity that these banks have in sustaining the growth of the country. The contents of the sections from here are as under: Literature Review Research Questions Hypotheses Operational Definitions and Measurement Research Methodologies: Data Collection and Analysis Research Process Expected Research Outcome Conclusion Literature Review Profitability analysis of banks determines their long term sustenance capacities (Balakrishnan, 2016). In this concern, some of the major determinants of the financial performance are the capital structure and the dividend policies of the bank (Mirza Javed, 2013; Pratheepkanth, 2011). Commonwealth bank and ANZ are known to provide retail services, investment, insurance, savings, etc. (Commonwealth Bank, 2016) to the customers where the rise of the banks performances have been found to improve especially after privatization. Consistent performance along the line of Return on Assets, Return on Equity and Return on Investments has helped banks to get a larger market share. This has been maintained through the EPS granted by the banks to its stakeholders. The performance of Commonwealth bank and ANZ also depends on the manner in which the organizations have been performing over the years. More than often there have been analyses that have shown that Commonwealth Bank or ANZ is the best bank share to own in Australia. It is thus important to analyse the reasons that have led this argument to hold true and the consistency on the financial front that the two organizations have maintained. The investment fund and insurance products of both these banks have also found to excel and fetch the best of returns as compared to the other banks in the territory. This includes the business bonds, superannuation rollover plans, life rollover bonds, and life insurance and family bonds. A data of 2013 to 2016 shows that a consistent growth in profitability ratios has contributed in the performance of the banks in the above categories. Research Questions and Hypotheses The research questions proposed for the study have been mentioned as under: What can be concluded about the financial condition of the banks from a trend analysis of the financial statements? This is the main question. What is the effect of the dividend policies on the stock market position of the banks? How do the banks finance themselves and what is its impact on the leverage ratios? How have the capital structures of the banks changed over the years and what has caused the change? Based on the above questions, the following hypotheses have been proposed for the analysis? Ho1: Trend analysis does not have a say in the financial conditions of the banks. Ho2: Stock market positions of the banks are not guided by the dividend policies. Ho3: Mode of financing does not influence the leverage ratio of the banks over the years. Ho4: There has been no change in the capital structures of the banks. Operational Definitions and Measurement The dependent variables identified and their units of measurement have been mentioned as under: Current Ratio: This is the ratio between the current assets and current liabilities of the banks. It shows the ability of the banks to meet their short term financial requirements. A higher ratio indicates a safety cushion for the banks. Debt-to-asset ratio: This is the ratio between the total debts and total assets of the banks. It is an indication of the financial stability of the banks. The smaller the ratio, the higher the capacity of the banks to manage their cash flows. Debt to Equity Ratio: This is the ratio between the total liabilities and total equity of the bank which shows its leverage position (Megginson Smart, 2008 ). Return on Assets: This is the ratio between the Net Profit and the Total Assets of the organization. It is a ratio; therefore there is no unit of measurement (Damodaran, 2002). Return on Equity: This is the ratio between the Net Profit and the Total Equity that the banks have received. Again, being a ratio, there is no unit of measurement (Vasigh et al., 2010). Return on Investment: This is the ratio between the net profit and the cost of investment. It compares the efficiency of an investment (Friedlob Plewa, 1996 ; Phillips Phillips, 2006). Inventory Turnover ratio- This is the ratio of the costs of goods sold to inventory. The higher the ratio, the higher is the capability of the banks to convert its inventory into sales. There is no further simplifying required to the problem, as these ratios themselves will answer the research questions. Since these are all ratios, they are all numbers having no units. Also, since the ratios are all from the financial statements of the banks, they are required to be accurate to the second place of decimal. Research Methodologies: Data Collection and Analysis Sampling Techniques Population of Sample Four years financial data are selected from 2013 to 2016 of Commonwealth bank and ANZ which forms the sample size of the study. Sources of Collection of Data Only secondary data is taken here from the results published by the two banks on public forum Sampling Technique The study uses a Non-Probabilistic sampling technique. Here, the sample chosen for the research does not involve a random selection. Since, the entire financial statements of the four years is being considered, it is a non-probabilistic sampling technique. Also, it is a secondary data study; hence, judgemental technique will be where the research questions will be answered on the basis of the ratio analysis of the banks. (McMurray, 2004). Methods of Analysis In order to suffice the major objective of the study, which is to determine the financial position of Commonwealth Bank and ANZ and its impact on the overall performance and repute of the bank; the financial statements of both the banks will be analysed through different ratios. The data used in this study will include the Balance Sheet where the Equity, Assets and Liabilities of the banks. Many of the profitability ratios described above will be based upon the data received from the balance sheet. The next financial statement that will be analysed here is the Profit Loss Statement where the net income of the organizations can be seen that will serve to be numerators for the profitability ratios mentioned above. The higher the value obtained from these financial statements, the better would be the performance of the banks. The dividend policies of the banks will also be determined with the help of the Profit Loss statements, where earnings and no. of shares will be used as determinants. The trends analysed through the financial statements and its subsequent ratio analysis will then be compared with the market share of the two banks year on year, to find out the relation between the two and the level of impact they have on the financial strength of the banks are perceived by the market. Research Process The research process is mainly divided into four basic steps. The first step is data collection where financial data as mentioned above will be collected from 2013 to 2016. This data will then be analysed as per the research questions by conducting ratio analysis, majorly along the line of profitability. This will be used to find out the factors of financial performance of the two banks. Then the final conclusion will be made on discussing the analysis with respect to the hypotheses. Expected Research Outcome The financial strength of an organization is guided by its profitability along different determinants of the balance sheet, over the years. It is expected that the general understanding of previous researchers which puts both Commonwealth Banks and ANZ among high potential banks in Australia, can be proved from the profitability ratios of the banks from 2013 to 2016. One will also be able to analyse the reason for the high performing products of the two banks looking at its financial strengths. Conclusion This paper discusses the financial performance of Commonwealth Bank and ANZ in Australia through an analysis of its financial statements. It will serve as guide to analyse the factors that contribute to the financial growth of a bank and the reasons for its sustained performance over the years. It used financial ratio analysis to answer the research questions. References Balakrishnan, C.S., 2016. Asset Liability Management. [Online] Available at: https://www.iibf.org.in/uploads/caiibrmalmmodule_a.ppt [Accessed 10 August 2016]. Commonwealth Bank, 2016. Commonwealth Bank overview. [Online] Available at: https://www.commbank.com.au/about-us/our-company/overview.html [Accessed 20 August 2016]. Damodaran, A., 2002. Investment Valuation: Tools and Techniques for Determining the Value of Any Asset. John Wiley Sons. Friedlob, G.T. Plewa, F.J., 1996. Understanding Return on Investment. John Wiley Sons. McMurray, A., 2004. Research: A Commonsense Approach. Australia: Cengage Learning. Megginson, W.L. Smart, S.B., 2008. Introduction to Corporate Finance. Cengage Learning. Mirza, S.A. Javed, A., 2013. 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