Financial Performance Data (industry benchmarks)

Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) says Financial Performance Data lets you view financial data based on industry averages and add your own income statement and balance sheet information to the report. BDC points to it as a place to find industry ratios. ISED says it can provide insight on the operations of similar small and medium-sized businesses in your industry. See what buyers look for in your financial statements.

What the reports contain

ISED says its reports show income statement and balance sheet items as industry averages by quartile grouping, based on revenue or profit margin. The data is published by ISED using Statistics Canada data and is current at the time of publication. ISED cautions that comparing it with other departmental data is uncertain because of differences in methodology, interpretation and data sources. Its ratios include gross margin and debt-to-equity ratio.

What to check or ask

• Which industry and revenue group the report was run for, and whether it fits the business
• Which ratio definitions the glossary uses before comparing them with a seller’s figures
• When the data was published, since later revisions can change it