TIP OF THE WEEK - The easy way to export & visualize 5 years of balance sheet data. ((Tip of the Week, EXC, Exelon, high dividend stocks))

The easy way to export & visualize 5 years of balance sheet data.

Jason Brizic

Apr. 22, 2011

You want to know if a company has a strong balance sheet.

You know how to view the balance sheet data online, but you still need to perform some calculations that meet your investment strategies.  Or maybe you want to compare two companies side-by-side.  You might be like me.  If so, then you love to see eye-glazing spreadsheet data in an easy to understand visual format where important changes in direction and magnitude jump out at you.

Use Morningstar’s export button on its Financials tab to quickly export balance sheet info to your spreadsheet program.  You can calculate or visualize from there.  Exelon has a nice stable balance sheet.  It would be nice to see them reduce their debts.

Here is how I produced this visualization of high dividend stock Exelon’s (EXC) basic balance sheet:

1)     Go to www.morningstar.com and type EXC into the quote box at the top

2)     Click on the Financials tab.  Then click on Balance Sheet.

3)     Click Export.  I chose to Open the file when given the choice to open or save.

4)     The file opened in Microsoft Excel 2007.  I adjusted the format to my liking.

5)     I deleted all rows but the dates and Total assets, Total liabilities, and Total shareholder equity.

6)     Chose Insert | Area chart.  Select the data.  Switch the horizontal and vertical axis.  Chose your series colors and chart add-ons like Titles, axis labels, etc.

Go to http://www.mrexcel.com/ for help with Microsoft Excel.

For more tips, go here:

http://www.myhighdividendstocks.com/category/tip-of-the-week