Chapter 13, Problem 1DQ

To get an overall picture of each company’s capital structure, it is helpful to look at a chart that summarizes the company’s capital structure over the past decade. To obtain this chart, choose a company to start with and select FINANCIALS. Next, select MORE> THOMSON REPORTS & CHARTS>CAPITAL STRICTURE. This should generate a chart that plots the company’s total long-term debt, total common equity, and total current liabilities over the past decade. What, if any, are the major trends that emerge when you’re looking at these charts? Do these companies tend to have relatively high or relatively low levels of debt? Do these companies have significant levels of current liabilities? Have their capital structures changed over time?