Company Analysis - Methanol Chemicals Company PLC Research Paper

Company Analysis - Methanol Chemicals Company PLC - Research Paper Example In general, the company is engaged mainly in the manufacture of methanol of premium grade like formaldehyde. The company has earned a reputation of being a world class company. It has also earned a reputation as dependable and a quality manufacturer that possess very sophisticated logistical support and marketing system. The company is committed to advance in its leading position in the manufacture of chemicals by the way it undertakes its investments and this will be achieved by intensified research and development and with the production of tailor made products which will be made to meet the specific needs of the customers. To remain competitive in the market, the company also plans to increase its methanol capacity to the production capacity of231,000 tons a year. Industry overview and competitive positioning Methanol Chemicals Company PLC operates in a manufacturing industry where it manufactures agricultural fertilizers, solvents, pharmaceuticals, laminates for the wood industry and various types of concrete admixtures. The company offers diversified products with 26 different products in more than 50 countries across the globe, which provides profitability and flexibility for the company. The company has performed well financially in the past years and this is provided by the sustained economic growth and profitable operations which have been experienced in the company. The company operates in a very competitive environment but it has been able to gain competitive advantage over all its competitors, making it a global leader in the industry. The existing economic environment had a huge impact on the performance of the industry. That is, the existing economic growth in Saudi Arabia has led to an increase in the company performance with high profits resulting from increased economies of scale. Investment summary The performance of the company has been increasing in terms of investment for the last five years. This is given by the increase in the amount of s hareholder value in the five year period. The company seems to have acquired investor confidence and this has made the company to be in a position of trading 2,116,530 shares in the last three months which were trading at a price of 2.43 per share. The company has also recorded an increase in shareholders’ equity, the share capital, share premium, statutory reserve and retained earnings for the last five years – a clear indication that the company has had high investor confidence which has made the investors heavily invest in the company (Brown and Reilly, 2012). Valuation The company uses market value as its valuation technique. This method is applicable for quoted companies only and is determined by multiplying the quoted share prices and the number of issued shares. This valuation method takes into consideration the perception of the investors on the performance of the company and the capabilities of the management in delivering a return on their investments. For ex ample, the market value of the company by the end of the first quarter of 2012 was 66,380,450 with a market capitalization of 2,116,530 – a clear indication that the company was performing better in the market (Pendlebury and Roger, 2004). Financial analysis There have been fluctuations of the performance of the company during the last five years. This is indicated by the fluctuations in the company’s current ratio, profit margin, solvency ratio, price earning ratio, return on assets and