Back to Lessons

Annual Reports and Long-Term Signals

The full story in one place

Learn how to read annual reports, why companies publish them, and how investors use them to understand long‑term performance, risks, and strategy.

ChatGPT Image Feb 12, 2026, 11_26_14 AM.png

Why Annual Reports Matter 

Annual reports are the most comprehensive documents a company publishes each year. 

Unlike quarterly updates, they zoom out and show the bigger picture: what the business achieved, where it struggled, and how leadership sees the road ahead. 

For investors, it is the closest thing to a full-body scan of the company: numbers, long-term narrative, risks, sectoral check, and strategy all in one place. 

The latest annual report is often the best place to start when getting familiar with a potential new investment.

What’s Inside an Annual Report 

At Momus Partners, Jonah hands Xue PrettyBricks’ annual report, running over 100 pages, and smiles: “This is where everything comes together.” 

Most include:  

  • CEO’s letter: the company’s story for the year
  • Business overview: how the company makes money
  • Audited financials: income, balance sheet, cash flow
  • Notes to the accounts: the fine print behind the numbers
  • Risks: what could go wrong
  • Strategy: where the firm is headed and why
  • Analysis: take on the sector, markets, and the global economy

The CEO Letter: Tone, Honesty, Direction 

Xue starts with the CEO’s letter, written by Armand Lapierre, the longtime head of PrettyBricks. Jonah calls the letter “the company’s voice.”  

Lapierre opens with a steady tone: “Demand in residential construction remained resilient, but energy costs challenged our margins more than expected.”  

Xue notes how he balances pride with realism. 

Later, he addresses the rising debt levels due to the new factory investment: “We must now prove that investment was worth it.” 

Best CEO letters don’t gloss over challenges.

The Business Model: How to Make Money 

Annual reports break down the company’s operations in a way that quarterly updates rarely do. Xue learns to look for:  

• The main products or segments  

• Where growth is coming from  

• Competitive strengths and threats 

For PrettyBricks, that means understanding its product lines, stuff like traditional clay bricks, insulation panels, and prefabricated wall components, and how each responds to construction cycles. 

Energy prices, cement costs, and government infrastructure spending all shape the firm’s fortunes.

ChatGPT Image Feb 12, 2026, 11_36_24 AM.png

The Financial Statements: The Hard Evidence

Jonah guides Xue through the full-year financials, reminding her she’s seen these statements quarterly. 

The income statement shows how profitability held up against costs, the balance sheet captures PrettyBricks’ position after its expansion, and the cash flow statement shows how money moves.  

Annual statements are audited, meaning independent accountants have verified the numbers. 

Occasionally, a company can’t secure an auditor's sign-off and delays the report. Investors treat that as a serious warning sign.

Do you want to learn more?
Download InvestMentor to access the full lesson and explore interactive courses that build your financial knowledge and guide you toward smarter investing decisions.