What do financial statements typically show about a company?

Financial statements are essential documents that provide a comprehensive overview of a company's financial health. They typically include the income statement, balance sheet, and cash flow statement, which together reveal crucial information about the company's profitability, cost management, and liquidity.

The income statement showcases revenue and expenses over a specific period, allowing stakeholders to assess how much profit or loss the company generated. The balance sheet offers a snapshot of what the company owns (assets) and what it owes (liabilities) at a particular point in time, which helps in understanding the company's net worth. Lastly, the cash flow statement tracks the inflows and outflows of cash, indicating how well the company manages its cash position to fund operations and growth.

The other choices, while related to business operations, do not accurately reflect the primary focus of financial statements. Operational practices and human resources data, investment opportunities and stock market trends, as well as production capacities and technologies, are important aspects of a business but are not typically detailed in the financial statements themselves. Thus, the correct answer highlights the fundamental purpose of financial statements in presenting a clear picture of a company's financial performance and stability.