Find a news story about a U.S. company that is changing its balance sheet in some way that we have covered in this course. For example, the company might be issuing or repurchasing debt or common stock, increasing or cutting its dividends, changing its pension plan or stock-based compensation plan, modifying its lease terms, or asking its suppliers to alter their payment terms.

Write a short essay — under two pages — on the following:

Describe the transaction.
What reasons does the company give for conducting the transaction?

How will the transaction affect the company’s balance sheet?

Besides the reasons the company discloses for conducting the transaction, what additional reasons might the company have for conducting the transaction? In particular, what benefits is the company trying to get and/or what risks is the company trying to lessen?

Please submit your essay as a Microsoft Word document. You must provide a complete citation of the article (author, title, publication date, periodical name) and upload a PDF of the news article. The news article must come from either The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The LA Times, The San Francisco Chronicle, The Boston Globe, or Bloomberg News / BusinessWeek.