Financial Statement Analysis. Worth 11 to 14 percent of the exam. One session: the lesson, the rules, the method, then the questions.
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Five to ten minutes on this one unit: what the exam wants, the idea in plain words, then straight into the trap and the practice.
The exam wants you to calculate basic and diluted EPS using the treasury stock and if-converted methods, apply the anti-dilution test correctly, describe the five-step IFRS 15 revenue recognition model, and calculate revenue recognized under the percentage-of-completion method. EPS questions reward getting the mechanics exactly right, not just the concept.
Basic EPS answers one question: how much of this year's earnings belongs to each common share. The formula is net income minus preferred dividends, divided by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding. Preferred dividends come out first because preferred shareholders are paid before common shareholders see anything. The denominator is never shares outstanding at year end. It is weighted by how long each share was actually outstanding during the year, so shares issued halfway through the year count for half a year. A stock split or stock dividend is the one exception: it is applied retroactively to every period shown, as if it had always been in effect, rather than weighted from its actual date.
Diluted EPS asks what EPS would be if every security that could convert into common shares actually did. Two methods handle two different kinds of security. The treasury stock method applies to options and warrants. It adds only the net new shares: shares issued on exercise, minus shares the company could buy back with the exercise proceeds at the average market price. It changes the denominator only, never the numerator. The if-converted method applies to convertible bonds and convertible preferred shares instead. It adds the shares the security converts into, and it also adjusts the numerator. A convertible bond adds back the after-tax interest it saves; convertible preferred adds back the preferred dividend. Either cost disappears once the security has converted.
A security is included in diluted EPS only if doing so would actually reduce EPS. That test runs security by security: compute the incremental EPS a security would add, its numerator adjustment divided by its new shares, and include it only if that incremental figure is lower than the running EPS so far. A security whose incremental EPS is higher than the current figure is anti-dilutive and stays out. Options with an exercise price above the market price fail this test automatically, since exercising them would never happen anyway. When a company reports a net loss, every convertible security is anti-dilutive by definition, because adding shares to the denominator would only shrink the loss per share and make the loss look smaller. Diluted EPS equals basic EPS in any loss year, with no exceptions.
Revenue recognition under IFRS 15 runs through five sequential steps: identify the contract, identify each distinct performance obligation inside it, determine the total transaction price, allocate that price across the obligations by their relative standalone selling prices, then recognize revenue as each obligation is actually satisfied. A bundled item marketed as free still receives its own share of the total transaction price under step four; a marketing label never overrides the allocation rule. For a performance obligation satisfied gradually over time, such as a long-term construction contract, the percentage complete is measured as costs incurred to date divided by total estimated costs for the whole project, never by billings and never by costs to date alone against the contract price. That percentage, multiplied by the total contract price, gives cumulative revenue to date; the current period's revenue is that cumulative figure minus whatever was already recognized in prior periods.
A company reports net income of $3,000,000, no preferred dividends, and weighted average shares outstanding of 1,000,000. It also has $1,500,000 of 6 percent convertible bonds outstanding, convertible into 60,000 shares, and the tax rate is 25 percent. Is the bond dilutive, and what is diluted EPS? Basic EPS = $3,000,000 / 1,000,000 = $3.00. The after-tax interest the company would save if the bond converted = $1,500,000 x 0.06 x (1 - 0.25) = $67,500. Incremental EPS from the bond = $67,500 / 60,000 shares = $1.125, which is lower than the $3.00 basic EPS, so the bond is dilutive and must be included. Diluted EPS = ($3,000,000 + $67,500) / (1,000,000 + 60,000) = $3,067,500 / 1,060,000 = $2.89.
Same facts: net income $3,000,000, no preferred dividends, 1,000,000 weighted average shares, $1,500,000 of 6 percent convertible bonds converting into 60,000 shares, 25 percent tax rate. Compute the after-tax interest add-back and the incremental EPS test yourself, confirm the bond is dilutive, then finish diluted EPS.
NI = $3,000,000, no preferred, 1,000,000 shares, $1,500,000 6% convertible bonds into 60,000 shares, tax rate 25%. Find diluted EPS.
Forgetting that a net loss makes every convertible security anti-dilutive is the most common EPS error: including a convertible in a loss year would shrink the loss per share, which is by definition anti-dilutive, so diluted EPS equals basic EPS whenever net income is negative.
Read these before the questions, not after them. Everything here traces to this module's own lesson and to the 2026 outline.
Identify the contract, identify each distinct performance obligation, determine the total transaction price, allocate that price across obligations by their relative standalone selling prices, then recognize revenue as each obligation is satisfied. A bundled item labeled free in marketing materials still receives an allocated share of the transaction price under Step 4; contract labels never override the standalone-price allocation.
Whoever controls the good or service before it transfers to the customer is the principal and recognizes revenue gross; whoever merely facilitates the transaction is the agent and recognizes only the net commission or fee retained. This distinction does not change net income, but it materially changes reported revenue, cost of sales, and gross margin, so restating gross to net (or the reverse) is often necessary before comparing two companies.
For a performance obligation satisfied over time with a reliably measurable outcome, percent complete equals costs incurred to date divided by total estimated costs, and revenue recognized to date equals that percentage multiplied by the total contract price; the current period's revenue is this cumulative figure minus revenue already recognized in prior periods. Billing schedules are a separate, negotiated cash-timing matter and never substitute for the cost-based progress measure.
A cost is capitalized, placed on the balance sheet and depreciated or amortized over time, when it creates a future economic benefit extending beyond the current period; a cost is expensed immediately when its benefit is consumed within the period it is incurred. This choice, not merely revenue timing, is a primary lever management can use to shift reported income between periods, since capitalizing a cost defers its expense recognition into later periods.
Discontinued operations, and unusual or infrequent items still within continuing operations, are reported with enough separation that an analyst can back them out when estimating the earnings a business is likely to repeat; a change in accounting policy is applied retrospectively, restating prior periods so trend comparisons remain valid rather than distorted by the switch itself.
A security is included in diluted EPS only if including it would reduce EPS; the treasury stock method (options, warrants: denominator adjustment only, net shares equal to shares issued less shares that could be bought back at the average market price) and the if-converted method (convertible bonds and preferred: both a numerator add-back and a denominator addition) are each tested this way. In a net-loss year, adding any convertible security would shrink the loss per share, which counts as anti-dilutive, so diluted EPS equals basic EPS in that year regardless of what convertibles exist.
Expressing every income statement line as a percentage of revenue, gross margin, operating margin, net margin, turns absolute dollar figures into comparable percentages across companies of different sizes or across the same company over time; margin trends read this way reveal cost structure and pricing power changes that raw dollar figures obscure.
Any bundled item called free still gets a share of the contract price allocated by relative standalone selling price. The exam's telecom-bundle question always tests this directly.
The single check for options and warrants: exercise price greater than the average market price makes them anti-dilutive, full stop, regardless of how many are outstanding.
Including a convertible security would shrink a loss per share, which is by definition anti-dilutive; diluted EPS equals basic EPS in any loss year, no exceptions.
The denominator is always total estimated costs for the whole project. Using cost to date alone, or the contract price, produces a plausible-looking but wrong answer.
The order to work a question of this type in, every time, before you touch the numbers.
The first is worked in full. The second gives you the setup and stops. After that the questions give you nothing, which is the point: the help fades on purpose, so the last thing you practise is the thing the exam actually asks of you.
A company reports net income of $2,400,000 and paid preferred dividends of $400,000. At the start of the year, 500,000 shares were outstanding. On July 1, the company issued 200,000 new shares. Basic EPS is closest to:
Answer A. $3.33. Weighted average shares = 500,000 + (200,000 x 6/12) = 600,000. Basic EPS = (2,400,000 - 400,000) / 600,000 = $3.33
A company has basic EPS of $3.00. It has 100,000 options outstanding with an exercise price of $20. The average market price during the year was $25. Using the treasury stock method, how many net shares are most likely added to the denominator for diluted EPS?
For a revenue-recognition question, identify which of the five IFRS 15 steps the facts are testing before calculating anything.
Answer A. The correct answer is 20,000 net shares added. Shares issued upon exercise: 100,000. Proceeds = 100,000 x $20 = $2,000,000. Shares repurchased with proceeds at market price: $2,000,000 / $25 = 80,000. Net new shares = 100,000 - 80,000 = 20,000..
Pick an answer, say how sure you are, then reveal. Being sure and wrong is the most useful thing that can happen in a session, so answer honestly: it sends the unit back to learning and puts it at the front of your revision queue.
A company has net income of $1,000,000, no preferred dividends, and 500,000 weighted average shares. It has $2,000,000 of 5% convertible bonds outstanding, convertible into 80,000 shares. The tax rate is 30%. Should these bonds be included in diluted EPS, and what is most likely diluted EPS?
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Unit: analyzing-income-statements
Which of the following options is MOST LIKELY anti-dilutive and should be excluded from diluted EPS?
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Unit: analyzing-income-statements
Under the if-converted method, which adjustment is most likely made to compute diluted EPS for a company with convertible bonds?
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Unit: analyzing-income-statements
A company reports net income of $5,000,000 and has 2,000,000 weighted average shares. It has warrants outstanding to purchase 500,000 shares at $8. Average stock price during the year was $10. What is most likely diluted EPS?
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Unit: analyzing-income-statements
Under IFRS, a company with a net loss must most likely:
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Unit: analyzing-income-statements
Company X has the following: Basic EPS = $4.00. Security A (convertible preferred): adds 40,000 shares, eliminates $200,000 preferred dividends (incremental EPS = $5.00). Security B (options): adds 10,000 net shares under treasury stock method (incremental EPS = $0, denominator only). In what order should these be tested, and what is most likely diluted EPS if basic shares = 200,000 and net income applicable to common = $800,000?
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Unit: analyzing-income-statements
A company had 1,000,000 shares outstanding on January 1. On March 1, it repurchased 120,000 shares. On September 1, it issued 60,000 shares. What is the weighted average number of shares outstanding, most likely?
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Unit: analyzing-income-statements
Under US GAAP, which method must be used for diluted EPS when a company most likely has outstanding employee stock options?
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Unit: analyzing-income-statements
Under IFRS 15, which of the following is most likely the CORRECT order of the five-step revenue recognition model?
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Unit: analyzing-income-statements
A construction company enters a 3-year, $15 million contract. At end of Year 1, cumulative costs incurred are $3 million and estimated total costs are $12 million. Using the percentage-of-completion method, the revenue recognized in Year 1 is closest to:
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Unit: analyzing-income-statements
An analyst notices that a company's revenue grew 18% year-over-year, but its days sales outstanding (DSO) increased from 42 days to 67 days over the same period. This pattern most likely indicates:
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Unit: analyzing-income-statements
Under IFRS 15, an entity that most likely acts as an AGENT (rather than principal) in a transaction should recognize revenue:
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Unit: analyzing-income-statements
A software company sells a bundle that includes a software license (recognized at a point in time) and one year of customer support (recognized over time). The total contract price is $120,000. The standalone price of the license is $100,000 and the support is $20,000. The revenue recognized on the date the software is delivered is closest to:
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Unit: analyzing-income-statements
Under US GAAP (ASC 606), which long-term contract accounting method is most likely ALWAYS required when the outcome of a contract can be reliably estimated?
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Unit: analyzing-income-statements
A retailer sells $500,000 of goods to a distributor in December with a right of return for any unsold inventory by March 31. The expected return rate based on historical data is 15%. Under IFRS 15, what revenue should be recognized in December? The value is closest to:
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Unit: analyzing-income-statements
Which of the following BEST describes the accrual basis of accounting compared to the cash basis?
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Unit: analyzing-income-statements
A company reports revenue growth of 22% but its cash flow from operations grew only 3%. Which earnings quality concern does this MOST likely indicate?
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Unit: analyzing-income-statements
A company presents revenue at the gross amount of $10 million on its income statement, with related costs of $8 million. An analyst determines the company acts as an AGENT in this transaction. Restating to the correct net presentation, revenue would be closest to:
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Unit: analyzing-income-statements
Under IFRS 15, revenue from a performance obligation satisfied OVER TIME should most likely be recognized using:
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Unit: analyzing-income-statements
A telecom company offers a new customer a 'free' smartphone with a 24-month service contract. The standalone price of the phone is $600 and the standalone price of 24 months of service is $1,200. The total contract price is $1,200. Under IFRS 15, the revenue allocated to the phone is closest to:
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Unit: analyzing-income-statements
A company reports basic EPS of $2.00 based on 1,000,000 weighted-average shares. It also has 100,000 options outstanding, strike price $20, when the average market price during the year was $25, and $2,000,000 of 4% convertible bonds convertible into 80,000 shares (tax rate 25%). Combining the treasury stock method for the options with the if-converted method for the bonds, diluted EPS is closest to:
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Unit: analyzing-income-statements
A company changes its estimate of a machine's useful life partway through the machine's life, extending it from 8 years to 12 years, with no change to the salvage value. Combining the treatment of changes in accounting estimates with the effect on future depreciation expense, this change is most likely to:
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Unit: analyzing-income-statements