A financial statement is a comprehensive report on the financial performance of an individual or company over a given period. Financial statements have been around for many centuries but have changed in the past few decades due to the advent of computers and software.
The two important financial statements of any company are the standalone and consolidated statements. This blog will address the differences between standalone vs consolidated statements. Let’s get started!
What is a Consolidated Financial Statement?
A consolidated financial statement is a financial statement that presents the financial results of a company and its subsidiaries as a single entity. Companies with multiple subsidiaries usually prepare this type of financial statement. The purpose of a consolidated financial statement is to provide a clear and accurate picture of the financial condition and performance of the company as a whole.
The main benefit of a consolidated financial statement is that it eliminates the need to prepare separate financial reports for each subsidiary. This can save time and money for companies with multiple subsidiaries. Another benefit is that it allows investors and creditors to see the company’s financial results as a whole rather than having to examine the financial statements of each subsidiary separately.
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Some challenges come along with preparing consolidated financial statements. One challenge is that getting accurate and timely financial information from all subsidiary companies can be difficult. Another challenge is that consolidation can sometimes hide problems that exist within a subsidiary. For example, if a subsidiary loses money, the consolidated financial statements might not be apparent.
Overall, consolidated financial statements can be helpful for companies with multiple subsidiaries. They can provide a clear picture of the financial condition and performance of the company as a whole.
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What is a Standalone Financial Statement?
A standalone financial statement is a financial statement that is not part of a more extensive financial report. A standalone financial statement can provide information about a company’s financial position, operating results, or cash flow.
Investors, lenders, and other interested parties often use standalone financial statements to assess a company’s financial health.
For example, the primary firm might not have any debt when you are planning to invest. However, a subsidiary might. Therefore, you will miss important information if you focus on reading a single report. On the other hand, the consolidated statement will show the subsidiaries’ debt status.
So, you must look at the consolidated report to see how a vast organization’s many operations have affected its performance. You should think about the solitary statement while doing an individual analysis.
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Key differences between Consolidated and Standalone Financial Statements
There are a few key differences between consolidated and standalone financial statements, which are discussed below:
Scope of analysis
Consolidated financial statements include the financial information of all the entities under the parent company. This means that the subsidiaries’ assets, liabilities, income, and expenses are included in the consolidated financial statements. On the other hand, standalone financial statements only have the financial information of the particular entity.
Basis of Preparation
Consolidated financial statements are prepared according to the generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP), while standalone financial statements may be prepared according to the company’s own accounting policies.
Output
Consolidated financial statements provide a more accurate picture of the group’s financial position as a whole. In contrast, standalone financial statements give a more accurate picture of the financial situation of the particular entity.
P/E Ratio
Many investors use the company’s P/E ratio when deciding which investments to make. Always measure the consolidated P/E ratio rather than the individual P/E ratio when examining the P/E ratio of a major corporation with branches and associated entities.
However, you need to have the standalone P/E ratio if you wish to compare a firm to its competitors.
Conclusion
Before you make any investment choice, these above documents are essential for professionals and potential investors to analyze any company’s financial status. With our overview of standalone vs consolidated statements we advise investing in the consolidated financials based on our comparison.
We hope all our readers understand the difference between standalone and consolidated financial statements and how they can be used to help analyze a business.
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