Financial Analyst Master

Financial Analyst Master

You are a senior equity research analyst conducting comprehensive financial analysis and writing institutional-quality research reports using the full suite of Octagon MCP skills.

Persona

Role: Senior Equity Research Analyst writing an Initiation of Coverage report.

Audience: Hedge fund portfolio manager who wants a decision-ready report. Clear, quant-driven, and focused on alpha generation.

Style: Modeled on Goldman Sachs reports, but tailored for a time-constrained PM. Plain English, active voice, concise sentences.

Prerequisites

Ensure Octagon MCP is configured in your AI agent (Cursor, Claude Desktop, Windsurf, etc.). See references/mcp-setup.md for installation instructions.

Available Skills

This master skill orchestrates all individual analysis skills:

Financial Statements

• Income Statement - Revenue, Net Income, EPS data
• Balance Sheet - Assets, Liabilities, Equity, Net Debt
• Cash Flow Statement - OCF, FCF, Cash Position

Growth Analysis

• Financial Metrics Analysis - YoY income statement growth
• Income Statement Growth - Revenue, Profit, EPS growth
• Balance Sheet Growth - Assets, Equity growth
• Cash Flow Growth - OCF, FCF growth
• Financial Growth - Comprehensive growth metrics

Segmentation

• Revenue Product Segmentation - Product mix analysis
• Revenue Geographic Segmentation - Regional exposure

Estimates & Ratings

• Analyst Estimates - Consensus estimates
• Financial Health Scores - Altman Z-Score, Piotroski
• Historical Financial Ratings - ROA, ROE, DCF scores
• Ratings Snapshot - Current rating overview

ESG

• ESG Ratings - MSCI, Sustainalytics ratings
• ESG Benchmark Comparison - Sector ESG benchmarks

Workflow

See references/workflow-overview.md for the complete end-to-end analysis workflow.

Phase 1: Data Collection

Gather comprehensive financial data for the target company:

1. Retrieve income statement data for <TICKER>
2. Retrieve balance sheet data for <TICKER>
3. Retrieve cash flow statement data for <TICKER>
4. Retrieve analyst estimates for <TICKER>
5. Retrieve financial health scores for <TICKER>

Phase 2: Growth & Trend Analysis

Analyze historical performance and trends:

1. Retrieve YoY growth in key income-statement items for <TICKER>, limited to 5 records
2. Retrieve balance sheet growth metrics for <TICKER>
3. Retrieve cash flow growth metrics for <TICKER>
4. Retrieve historical financial ratings for <TICKER>, limited to 2000 records

Phase 3: Segmentation & Positioning

Understand business mix and geographic exposure:

1. Retrieve revenue breakdown by product segment for <TICKER>
2. Retrieve revenue breakdown by geographic segment for <TICKER>

Phase 4: ESG & Sustainability

Assess ESG positioning and risks:

1. Retrieve ESG ratings and scores for <TICKER>
2. Retrieve ESG benchmark comparison for <SECTOR> for fiscal year <YEAR>

Phase 5: Peer Comparison

Compare against competitors:

1. Repeat Phase 1-4 for 2-3 direct competitors
2. Build comparative tables for key metrics

Phase 6: Report Generation

Synthesize findings into equity research report. See references/report-template.md for the complete template.

Report Structure

Executive Summary & Snapshot

• Current price, target price, implied upside (%), investment rating
• Factor profile: Growth, Returns, Multiple, Integrated percentile
• 12-month price chart

Skills used: analyst-estimates, financial-health-scores, ratings-snapshot

Investment Thesis

• 3-bullet "Why now" summary
• One-sentence positioning line

Skills used: financial-growth, revenue-product-segmentation

Investment Positives

• Rank-ordered drivers of upside with quantitative support
• Contribution to valuation re-rating

Skills used: income-statement-growth, financial-metrics-analysis, cash-flow-growth

Competitive/Peer Analysis

• Table comparing company to peers on key KPIs
• Growth, margins, multiples comparison

Skills used: All growth skills, esg-benchmark-comparison

Estimates & Operating Assumptions

• 3-year forward model (revenue, margins, FCF)
• Base-case, bear-case, bull-case sensitivities

Skills used: analyst-estimates, income-statement, balance-sheet

Valuation

• Primary method: multiples (EV/EBITDA, P/E)
• Cross-check: peer median multiples
• Re-rating catalysts

Skills used: financial-health-scores, historical-financial-ratings

Key Risks

• Ranked by probability x impact
• Financial sensitivity for each risk

Skills used: balance-sheet, cash-flow-statement, esg-ratings

ESG Assessment

• Current ESG ratings and trajectory
• Material ESG factors for sector
• Comparison to sector benchmarks

Skills used: esg-ratings, esg-benchmark-comparison

Appendix

• Detailed financial models
• Extended historical data
• Methodology notes

Skills used: All financial statement and growth skills

Example: Full Analysis Query Sequence

# Phase 1: Financial Statements
Retrieve real-time income statement data for NVDA
Retrieve detailed balance sheet data for NVDA
Retrieve cash flow statement data for NVDA

# Phase 2: Growth Analysis
Retrieve year-over-year growth in key income-statement items for NVDA, limited to 5 records and filtered by period FY
Retrieve YoY growth in Total Assets, Liabilities, Equity for NVDA
Retrieve YoY growth in Operating Cash Flow and Free Cash Flow for NVDA

# Phase 3: Ratings & Health
Retrieve analyst Revenue and EPS estimates for NVDA
Retrieve Altman Z-Score and Piotroski Score for NVDA
Retrieve historical financial ratings and key metric scores for NVDA, limited to 2000 records

# Phase 4: Segmentation
Retrieve revenue breakdown by product segment for NVDA
Retrieve revenue breakdown by geographic segment for NVDA

# Phase 5: ESG
Retrieve ESG ratings and scores, including risk rating and industry rank, for NVDA
Retrieve ESG benchmark comparison metrics for the Technology sector for FY2024

# Phase 6: Peer Comparison
Retrieve year-over-year growth in key income-statement items for AMD, limited to 5 records
Retrieve year-over-year growth in key income-statement items for INTC, limited to 5 records

Output Specifications

Length: 6,000-10,000 words total

Section allocation: 500-1,000 words per major section

Formatting:

• Bullet-heavy where useful (bullets under 2 lines)
• Bold all key metrics (target price, upside %, rating)
• Tables for peer comps, models, valuation cross-checks
• Placeholders for charts/figures
• Footnote every number with source and date

Sourcing Hierarchy

1. Company filings (10-K, 20-F, earnings call transcripts, IR decks) 2. Press releases, industry reports, news articles 3. Third-party databases where accessible

If data is missing: Write "DATA NEEDED" and suggest a source.

Compliance

End reports with standard sell-side disclosure boilerplate.

Analysis Tips

1. Start with the thesis: Form a preliminary view before deep analysis, then validate or revise.

2. Quantify everything: Every investment positive/negative needs numerical support.

3. Think in ranges: Use bear/base/bull scenarios for key assumptions.

4. Focus on materiality: Prioritize metrics that drive 80% of the valuation.

5. Track changes: Note what has changed since last quarter/year.

6. Cross-validate: Use multiple skills to confirm findings.

Financial Analyst Master Skill

Comprehensive equity research analyst skill that orchestrates all Octagon financial analysis skills for full company analysis, due diligence, and investment recommendations.

Installation

npx skills add OctagonAI/skills --skill financial-analyst-master

<details> <summary>bun</summary>

bunx skills add OctagonAI/skills --skill financial-analyst-master

</details>

<details> <summary>pnpm</summary>

pnpm dlx skills add OctagonAI/skills --skill financial-analyst-master

</details>

What This Skill Does

This master skill combines all financial analysis skills into a comprehensive equity research workflow:

• Financial Statements: Income statement, balance sheet, cash flow analysis
• Growth Analysis: YoY growth metrics across all financial statements
• Segmentation: Product and geographic revenue breakdown
• Estimates & Ratings: Analyst estimates, health scores, financial ratings
• ESG: Environmental, social, and governance ratings

Example Usage

Write an initiation of coverage report for NVDA with investment thesis, valuation, and risks

---

Octagon MCP Setup

This skill requires the Octagon MCP server to be configured in your AI agent.

Get Your API Key

1. Sign up at Octagon 2. Navigate to API Keys from the left menu 3. Generate and save your API key

Configure Cursor

1. Open Cursor Settings → Features > MCP Servers 2. Click + Add New MCP Server 3. Enter:

• Name: octagon-mcp
• Type: command
• Command: env OCTAGON_API_KEY=<your-api-key> npx -y octagon-mcp

Windows: cmd /c "set OCTAGON_API_KEY=<your-api-key> && npx -y octagon-mcp"

Configure Claude Desktop

Add to claude_desktop_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "octagon-mcp-server": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "octagon-mcp@latest"],
      "env": {
        "OCTAGON_API_KEY": "YOUR_API_KEY_HERE"
      }
    }
  }
}

Documentation

• Octagon Docs
• Octagon MCP GitHub

Octagon MCP Setup

Get Your Octagon API Key

1. Sign up for a free account at Octagon 2. After logging in, from left menu, navigate to API Keys 3. Generate a new API key 4. Save the key securely - you'll need it for configuration

Prerequisites

Before installing or running Octagon MCP, you need to have npx (which comes with Node.js and npm) installed on your system.

Mac (macOS)

1. Install Homebrew (if you don't have it):

   /bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"

2. Install Node.js (includes npm and npx):

   brew install node

3. Verify installation:

   node -v
   npm -v
   npx -v

Windows

1. Download the Node.js installer:

• Go to https://nodejs.org/ and download the LTS version for Windows.

2. Run the installer and follow the prompts. This will install Node.js, npm, and npx. 3. Verify installation: Open Command Prompt and run:

   node -v
   npm -v
   npx -v

If you see version numbers for all three, you are ready to proceed.

Configure Cursor

1. Open Cursor Settings 2. Go to Features > MCP Servers 3. Click + Add New MCP Server 4. Enter:

• Name: octagon-mcp
• Type: command
• Command: env OCTAGON_API_KEY=<your-api-key> npx -y octagon-mcp

Replace <your-api-key> with your actual Octagon API key.

Windows users: Use this command format instead:

cmd /c "set OCTAGON_API_KEY=<your-api-key> && npx -y octagon-mcp"

After adding, refresh the MCP server list to see the new tools. The Composer Agent will automatically use Octagon MCP when appropriate. Access the Composer via Command+L (Mac), select "Agent" next to the submit button, and enter your query.

Configure Claude Desktop

1. Open Claude Desktop 2. Go to Settings > Developer > Edit Config 3. Add the following to your claude_desktop_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "octagon-mcp-server": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "octagon-mcp@latest"],
      "env": {
        "OCTAGON_API_KEY": "YOUR_API_KEY_HERE"
      }
    }
  }
}

4. Restart Claude for the changes to take effect

Configure Windsurf

Add this to your ./codeium/windsurf/model_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "octagon-mcp-server": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "octagon-mcp@latest"],
      "env": {
        "OCTAGON_API_KEY": "YOUR_API_KEY_HERE"
      }
    }
  }
}

Verify Setup

1. Refresh the MCP server list 2. The octagon-agent tool should appear in available tools 3. Test with a simple query:

   Retrieve the current stock price for AAPL

Available Tools

Troubleshooting

API Key Issues: Verify the key is correctly set in the command string with no extra spaces.

Connection Issues: Ensure you have internet connectivity and the Octagon API is accessible.

Rate Limiting: Reduce query frequency if encountering rate limit errors.

Documentation

Full documentation: https://docs.octagonagents.com

Equity Research Report Template

Initiation of Coverage: [COMPANY_NAME] ([TICKER])

Rating: [Buy/Hold/Sell] Current Price: $[XX.XX] Target Price: $[XX.XX] Upside: [XX]% Date: [DATE] Analyst: [NAME]

---

1. Executive Summary & Snapshot

Investment Rating

Factor Profile

[Insert 12-month price chart]

Key Statistics

Data Sources: octagon-agent (income-statement, analyst-estimates, ratings-snapshot)

---

2. Investment Thesis

Why Now

1. [Catalyst 1]: [One sentence with quantitative support]

2. [Catalyst 2]: [One sentence with quantitative support]

3. [Catalyst 3]: [One sentence with quantitative support]

Positioning Statement

[Company] is [positioning description]. We initiate at [Rating] with a $[XX] target price representing [XX]% upside.

Data Sources: octagon-agent (financial-growth, revenue-product-segmentation)

---

3. Investment Positives

1. [Investment Positive Title]

[2-3 sentences with quantitative support. Include CAGR, margin delta, market share, or other metrics.]

• Key metric: [X]% [growth/improvement/advantage]
• Contribution to valuation: [X]% of target price upside

2. [Investment Positive Title]

[2-3 sentences with quantitative support.]

• Key metric: [X]% [growth/improvement/advantage]
• Contribution to valuation: [X]% of target price upside

3. [Investment Positive Title]

[2-3 sentences with quantitative support.]

• Key metric: [X]% [growth/improvement/advantage]
• Contribution to valuation: [X]% of target price upside

Data Sources: octagon-agent (income-statement-growth, financial-metrics-analysis, cash-flow-growth)

---

4. Competitive/Peer Analysis

Peer Comparison Table

Competitive Positioning

[2-3 paragraphs analyzing competitive dynamics, market share trends, and relative positioning.]

Data Sources: octagon-agent (all growth skills applied to company and peers)

---

5. Estimates & Operating Assumptions

Revenue Model

Profitability Model

Key Operating Assumptions

Scenario Analysis

Data Sources: octagon-agent (analyst-estimates, income-statement, revenue-product-segmentation)

---

6. Valuation

Primary Valuation: [Method]

Target Price Derivation

Valuation Re-Rating Catalysts

1. [Catalyst 1]: Could drive multiple expansion of [X.X]x, adding $[X] to target 2. [Catalyst 2]: Could drive multiple expansion of [X.X]x, adding $[X] to target

Data Sources: octagon-agent (financial-health-scores, historical-financial-ratings)

---

7. Key Risks

Risk Matrix

Risk Details

[Risk 1]: [Description of risk and financial sensitivity. E.g., "10% lower ARPU reduces target price by 8%."]

[Risk 2]: [Description of risk and financial sensitivity.]

[Risk 3]: [Description of risk and financial sensitivity.]

Data Sources: octagon-agent (balance-sheet, cash-flow-statement, esg-ratings)

---

8. ESG Assessment

ESG Ratings

Component Scores

Material ESG Factors

1. [Factor 1]: [Assessment and outlook] 2. [Factor 2]: [Assessment and outlook] 3. [Factor 3]: [Assessment and outlook]

Data Sources: octagon-agent (esg-ratings, esg-benchmark-comparison)

---

9. Appendix

Detailed Financial Model

[Insert detailed income statement, balance sheet, cash flow projections]

Historical Financial Data

[Insert extended historical data tables]

Methodology Notes

• Valuation methodology: [Description]
• Peer selection criteria: [Description]
• Data sources: Octagon MCP (octagon-agent)

---

Disclosures

[Standard sell-side disclosure boilerplate]

This report is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice. The analyst and firm may hold positions in securities mentioned. Past performance is not indicative of future results. See full disclosure statement for additional information.

---

Report Generated Using: Octagon MCP Financial Analysis Skills Data Sources: octagon-agent (income-statement, balance-sheet, cash-flow-statement, analyst-estimates, financial-health-scores, esg-ratings, and related skills)

Skill: Analyst Estimates

Purpose

Retrieve analyst revenue and EPS estimates with consensus ranges for public companies.

When to Use

• Gauging market expectations
• Identifying estimate momentum
• Comparing company guidance to consensus
• Setting up valuation multiples

Example Prompt

Retrieve analyst Revenue and EPS estimates with consensus ranges for NVDA

Key Metrics Returned

Integration with Other Skills

• Validates against: income-statement actual results
• Supports: Valuation with forward multiples
• Pairs with: financial-growth for estimate reasonability

Report Section Mapping

Analysis Tips

• Estimate revisions up = positive momentum
• Wide high/low range = uncertainty
• Beats/misses vs consensus drive stock moves

Data Source

octagon-financials-agent

Skill: Balance Sheet Growth

Purpose

Retrieve year-over-year growth in total assets, liabilities, equity, cash, and inventories.

When to Use

• Tracking capital structure changes
• Monitoring leverage trends
• Assessing asset efficiency
• Identifying balance sheet risks

Example Prompt

Retrieve YoY growth in Total Assets, Liabilities, Equity, Cash, and Inventories for AMZN

Key Metrics Returned

Integration with Other Skills

• Builds on: balance-sheet current data
• Pairs with: income-statement-growth, cash-flow-growth
• Supports: financial-health-scores context

Report Section Mapping

Analysis Tips

• Asset growth > Revenue growth = declining asset turnover
• Liability growth > Equity growth = increasing leverage
• Inventory growth > Revenue growth = potential demand issues

Data Source

octagon-financials-agent

Skill: Balance Sheet

Purpose

Retrieve detailed balance sheet data for public companies including assets, liabilities, equity, and net debt.

When to Use

• Assessing financial health and leverage
• Analyzing capital structure
• Evaluating liquidity position
• Risk assessment for debt levels

Example Prompt

Retrieve detailed balance sheet data for MSFT

Key Metrics Returned

Integration with Other Skills

• Pairs with: income-statement, cash-flow-statement for complete financials
• Feeds into: balance-sheet-growth for trend analysis
• Supports: financial-health-scores interpretation

Report Section Mapping

Data Source

octagon-financials-agent

Skill: Cash Flow Growth

Purpose

Retrieve year-over-year growth in operating cash flow, free cash flow, and net cash flow.

When to Use

• Tracking cash generation trends
• Assessing FCF growth for valuation
• Monitoring cash conversion
• Supporting cash-based investment thesis

Example Prompt

Retrieve YoY growth in Operating Cash Flow, Free Cash Flow, and Net Cash Flow for META

Key Metrics Returned

Integration with Other Skills

• Builds on: cash-flow-statement current data
• Pairs with: income-statement-growth, balance-sheet-growth
• Supports: Valuation via FCF growth rate

Report Section Mapping

Analysis Tips

• FCF growth > Net Income growth = improving cash conversion
• OCF growth < Net Income growth = working capital concerns
• Consistent FCF growth supports premium valuation

Data Source

octagon-financials-agent

Skill: Cash Flow Statement

Purpose

Retrieve cash flow statement data including operating cash flow, investing, financing activities, free cash flow, and cash position.

When to Use

• Assessing cash generation capability
• Evaluating capital allocation decisions
• Analyzing free cash flow for valuation
• Understanding funding sources and uses

Example Prompt

Retrieve cash flow statement data for GOOGL

Key Metrics Returned

Integration with Other Skills

• Pairs with: income-statement, balance-sheet for complete financials
• Feeds into: cash-flow-growth for trend analysis
• Supports: Valuation via DCF methodology

Report Section Mapping

Data Source

octagon-financials-agent

Skill: ESG Benchmark Comparison

Purpose

Retrieve ESG benchmark comparison metrics by sector using MSCI, S&P, CDP, and other frameworks.

When to Use

• Contextualizing company ESG vs sector
• Identifying ESG leaders/laggards by industry
• Setting ESG investment thresholds
• Regulatory framework alignment

Example Prompt

Retrieve ESG benchmark comparison metrics by sector for the fiscal year 2024

Key Metrics Returned

Integration with Other Skills

• Pairs with: esg-ratings for company-specific scores
• Contextualizes: Company ESG relative to peers
• Supports: Sector allocation decisions

Report Section Mapping

Analysis Tips

• Sector context critical (60 = good in Energy, average in Tech)
• EU benchmarks typically higher than US
• Material ESG factors vary by sector

Data Source

octagon-companies-agent, octagon-web-search-agent

Skill: ESG Ratings

Purpose

Retrieve ESG ratings and scores including MSCI ratings, Sustainalytics risk ratings, and industry rank for public companies.

When to Use

• ESG due diligence
• Sustainability assessment
• ESG-focused investment screening
• Regulatory and reputational risk analysis

Example Prompt

Retrieve ESG ratings and scores, including risk rating and industry rank, for MSFT

Key Metrics Returned

Integration with Other Skills

• Pairs with: esg-benchmark-comparison for context
• Supports: Risk section of report
• Complements: financial-health-scores for full picture

Report Section Mapping

Analysis Tips

• AAA/AA = ESG leader, potential premium
• High Sustainalytics risk = ESG laggard
• Component imbalance warrants investigation

Data Source

octagon-companies-agent, octagon-financials-agent, octagon-web-search-agent

Skill: Financial Growth

Purpose

Retrieve comprehensive year-over-year growth across revenue, gross profit, operating income, net income, EPS, and free cash flow in a single query.

When to Use

• Quick comprehensive growth snapshot
• Holistic performance assessment
• Efficient data gathering for analysis
• Broad trend identification

Example Prompt

Retrieve comprehensive YoY growth in Revenue, Gross Profit, Operating Income, Net Income, EPS, and FCF for TSLA

Key Metrics Returned

Integration with Other Skills

• Consolidates: income-statement-growth + cash-flow-growth
• Efficient alternative: To running multiple growth skills
• Pairs with: revenue-product-segmentation for context

Report Section Mapping

Analysis Tips

• All metrics positive = strong execution
• Revenue > Profit growth = margin pressure
• FCF > Net Income = quality earnings

Data Source

octagon-financials-agent

Skill: Financial Health Scores

Purpose

Retrieve Altman Z-Score and Piotroski Score for financial health assessment of public companies.

When to Use

• Assessing bankruptcy risk
• Evaluating overall financial strength
• Screening for quality investments
• Risk assessment for credit analysis

Example Prompt

Retrieve Altman Z-Score and Piotroski Score for GE

Key Metrics Returned

Score Interpretation

Altman Z-Score

Piotroski F-Score

Integration with Other Skills

• Validates: balance-sheet analysis
• Pairs with: historical-financial-ratings for trend
• Supports: Risk section of report

Report Section Mapping

Data Source

octagon-financials-agent

Skill: Financial Metrics Analysis

Purpose

Analyze year-over-year growth in income statement items including revenue, COGS, gross profit, operating income, and net income.

When to Use

• Identifying growth trends and inflection points
• Detecting operating leverage
• Comparing growth across metrics
• Building investment thesis with quantitative support

Example Prompt

Retrieve year-over-year growth in key income-statement items for AAPL, limited to 5 records and filtered by period FY

Key Metrics Returned

Integration with Other Skills

• Builds on: income-statement current data
• Complements: income-statement-growth, financial-growth
• Supports: Investment thesis quantification

Report Section Mapping

Key Patterns

• Operating leverage: Op Income Growth > Revenue Growth
• Margin expansion: Gross Profit Growth > Revenue Growth
• Margin compression: COGS Growth > Revenue Growth

Data Source

octagon-financials-agent

Skill: Historical Financial Ratings

Purpose

Retrieve historical financial ratings and key metric scores over time including ROA, ROE, DCF, and debt-to-equity scores.

When to Use

• Tracking rating evolution over time
• Identifying improvement or deterioration trends
• Long-term financial health assessment
• Historical pattern analysis

Example Prompt

Retrieve historical financial ratings and key metric scores over time for NVDA, limited to 2000 records

Key Metrics Returned

Integration with Other Skills

• Extends: financial-health-scores with historical view
• Pairs with: ratings-snapshot for current state
• Supports: Trend analysis in valuation

Report Section Mapping

Analysis Tips

• Consistent 5-star ratings = quality premium justified
• Improving trajectory = potential re-rating catalyst
• Recent downgrades = investigate cause

Data Source

octagon-financials-agent

Skill: Income Statement Growth

Purpose

Retrieve year-over-year growth in revenue, gross profit, operating income, net income, and EPS diluted.

When to Use

• Tracking profitability trends
• Analyzing EPS growth for valuation
• Identifying margin trends
• Supporting growth-based investment thesis

Example Prompt

Retrieve YoY growth in Revenue, Gross Profit, Operating Income, Net Income, and EPS Diluted for NVDA

Key Metrics Returned

Integration with Other Skills

• Builds on: income-statement current data
• Complements: financial-metrics-analysis
• Pairs with: balance-sheet-growth, cash-flow-growth

Report Section Mapping

Analysis Tips

• EPS growth > Net Income growth may indicate buybacks
• Consistent growth across all metrics = strong execution
• Diverging metrics warrant investigation

Data Source

octagon-financials-agent

Skill: Income Statement

Purpose

Retrieve real-time income statement data for public companies including revenue, net income, and EPS metrics.

When to Use

• Beginning of analysis to establish current financial position
• Validating analyst estimates against actual results
• Building financial models with current data
• Quick snapshot of profitability metrics

Example Prompt

Retrieve real-time income statement data for AAPL

Key Metrics Returned

Integration with Other Skills

• Pairs with: balance-sheet, cash-flow-statement for complete financial picture
• Feeds into: financial-metrics-analysis for growth calculations
• Validates: analyst-estimates actuals vs consensus

Report Section Mapping

Data Source

octagon-financials-agent

Skill: Ratings Snapshot

Purpose

Retrieve current financial ratings overview for quick assessment of a company's financial position.

When to Use

• Quick initial screening
• Current state assessment before deep dive
• Executive summary preparation
• Rapid comparison across companies

Example Prompt

Retrieve current financial ratings snapshot for AAPL

Key Metrics Returned

Integration with Other Skills

• Starting point for: Comprehensive analysis
• Pairs with: historical-financial-ratings for context
• Validates: financial-health-scores

Report Section Mapping

Analysis Tips

• Use as first skill in analysis workflow
• Compare snapshot to historical for trend
• Cross-reference with peer snapshots

Data Source

octagon-financials-agent

Skill: Revenue Geographic Segmentation

Purpose

Retrieve revenue breakdown by geographic segment with regional exposure analysis for public companies.

When to Use

• Assessing geographic diversification
• Identifying regional growth opportunities
• Evaluating currency exposure
• Analyzing market-specific risks

Example Prompt

Retrieve revenue breakdown by geographic segment for MSFT

Key Metrics Returned

Integration with Other Skills

• Pairs with: revenue-product-segmentation for full mix picture
• Supports: Risk assessment for geopolitical exposure
• Feeds into: Currency and macro analysis

Report Section Mapping

Analysis Tips

• Emerging market exposure = growth potential + volatility
• US/Europe concentration = currency stability
• China exposure = regulatory and geopolitical risk

Data Source

octagon-financials-agent

Skill: Revenue Product Segmentation

Purpose

Retrieve revenue breakdown by product segment with concentration analysis for public companies.

When to Use

• Understanding business mix
• Identifying growth drivers by segment
• Assessing revenue concentration risk
• Analyzing product portfolio evolution

Example Prompt

Retrieve revenue breakdown by product segment for AAPL

Key Metrics Returned

Integration with Other Skills

• Pairs with: revenue-geographic-segmentation for full mix picture
• Supports: Investment thesis on segment-level drivers
• Feeds into: Estimates with segment-level projections

Report Section Mapping

Analysis Tips

• High concentration (>50% one segment) = risk factor
• Fastest-growing segment = key value driver
• Declining segments may need restructuring

Data Source

octagon-financials-agent

Equity Research Workflow Overview

This document outlines the end-to-end workflow for conducting comprehensive financial analysis using all Octagon skills.

Workflow Diagram

Phase 1: Data Collection
    ├── Income Statement
    ├── Balance Sheet
    ├── Cash Flow Statement
    └── Current Ratings
           │
           ▼
Phase 2: Growth & Trend Analysis
    ├── YoY Income Growth
    ├── Balance Sheet Growth
    ├── Cash Flow Growth
    └── Historical Ratings
           │
           ▼
Phase 3: Segmentation
    ├── Product Segments
    └── Geographic Segments
           │
           ▼
Phase 4: Forward Estimates
    ├── Analyst Estimates
    └── Financial Health Scores
           │
           ▼
Phase 5: ESG Assessment
    ├── ESG Ratings
    └── Sector Benchmarks
           │
           ▼
Phase 6: Peer Comparison
    └── Repeat Phases 1-5 for peers
           │
           ▼
Phase 7: Report Generation
    └── Synthesize into IC Report

Phase 1: Data Collection

Objective: Gather current financial snapshot of the company.

Skills Used:

• income-statement
• balance-sheet
• cash-flow-statement
• ratings-snapshot

Queries:

Retrieve real-time income statement data for <TICKER>
Retrieve detailed balance sheet data for <TICKER>
Retrieve cash flow statement data for <TICKER>
Retrieve current financial ratings snapshot for <TICKER>

Output: Current financial position including revenue, profitability, assets, liabilities, cash flows, and ratings.

Time: 5-10 minutes

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Phase 2: Growth & Trend Analysis

Objective: Understand historical performance and trajectory.

Skills Used:

• financial-metrics-analysis
• income-statement-growth
• balance-sheet-growth
• cash-flow-growth
• financial-growth
• historical-financial-ratings

Queries:

Retrieve year-over-year growth in key income-statement items for <TICKER>, limited to 5 records and filtered by period FY
Retrieve YoY growth in Total Assets, Liabilities, Equity, Cash for <TICKER>
Retrieve YoY growth in Operating Cash Flow, Free Cash Flow for <TICKER>
Retrieve historical financial ratings for <TICKER>, limited to 2000 records

Output: Multi-year growth trends, margin evolution, rating trajectory.

Key Analysis:

• Revenue growth acceleration/deceleration
• Margin expansion/compression
• Operating leverage signals
• Rating improvements/deteriorations

Time: 10-15 minutes

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Phase 3: Segmentation Analysis

Objective: Understand business mix and geographic exposure.

Skills Used:

• revenue-product-segmentation
• revenue-geographic-segmentation

Queries:

Retrieve revenue breakdown by product segment for <TICKER>
Retrieve revenue breakdown by geographic segment for <TICKER>

Output: Product mix, segment growth rates, geographic concentration, regional trends.

Key Analysis:

• Revenue concentration risk
• High-growth vs mature segments
• Geographic diversification
• Currency exposure implications

Time: 5-10 minutes

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Phase 4: Forward Estimates & Financial Health

Objective: Assess forward expectations and financial stability.

Skills Used:

• analyst-estimates
• financial-health-scores

Queries:

Retrieve analyst Revenue and EPS estimates with consensus ranges for <TICKER>
Retrieve Altman Z-Score and Piotroski Score for <TICKER>

Output: Consensus estimates, estimate revisions, financial health indicators.

Key Analysis:

• Estimate momentum (revisions up/down)
• Consensus vs company guidance
• Bankruptcy risk (Z-Score)
• Financial strength (Piotroski)

Time: 5-10 minutes

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Phase 5: ESG Assessment

Objective: Evaluate sustainability positioning and risks.

Skills Used:

• esg-ratings
• esg-benchmark-comparison

Queries:

Retrieve ESG ratings and scores, including risk rating and industry rank, for <TICKER>
Retrieve ESG benchmark comparison metrics for <SECTOR> for fiscal year <YEAR>

Output: ESG scores, ratings, industry comparison, material ESG factors.

Key Analysis:

• ESG leader or laggard vs peers
• Material ESG risks for sector
• Rating trajectory
• Regulatory exposure

Time: 5-10 minutes

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Phase 6: Peer Comparison

Objective: Contextualize company performance vs competitors.

Skills Used: All skills from Phases 1-5, applied to 2-3 peer companies.

Queries: Repeat key queries for each peer ticker.

Output: Comparative tables for growth, margins, multiples, ESG.

Key Analysis:

• Relative growth rates
• Margin differential
• Valuation premium/discount
• ESG positioning

Time: 20-30 minutes (for 2-3 peers)

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Phase 7: Report Generation

Objective: Synthesize all findings into a decision-ready report.

Template: See report-template.md

Sections: 1. Executive Summary & Snapshot 2. Investment Thesis 3. Investment Positives 4. Competitive/Peer Analysis 5. Estimates & Operating Assumptions 6. Valuation 7. Key Risks 8. ESG Assessment 9. Appendix

Time: 30-60 minutes

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Total Workflow Time

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Skill-to-Report Section Mapping

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Best Practices

1. Run skills in parallel when possible: Data collection queries can run simultaneously.

2. Cache results: Save skill outputs for reference during report writing.

3. Cross-validate: Use multiple skills to confirm key findings.

4. Document gaps: Note any "DATA NEEDED" items for follow-up.

5. Iterate: Initial analysis may reveal areas needing deeper investigation.

6. Peer selection: Choose 2-3 most comparable competitors, not tangential players.

7. Time management: Spend 60% on analysis, 40% on report writing.