Financial Statements: List of Types and How to Read Them

Moving down the stairs from the net revenue line, there are several lines that represent various kinds of operating expenses. Although these lines can be reported in various orders, the next line after net revenues typically shows the costs of the sales. This number tells you the amount of money the company spent to produce the goods or services it sold during the accounting period.

  • Each financial statement is also analyzed with vertical analysis to understand how different categories of the statement are influencing results.
  • The income statement, or profit and loss statement, shows how the company performed during the course of its operations for a fixed period of time.
  • While an income statement can tell you whether a company made a profit, a cash flow statement can tell you whether the company generated cash.
  • The values of securities of a business concern are fixed upon the basis of its financial statements.
  • Because of this, managers have some ability to game the numbers to look more favorable.

They report cumulatively in the contra account to fixed assets in the balance sheet called accumulated depreciation. The statement of retained earnings presents changes in equity during the reporting period. The report format varies, but can include the sale or repurchase of shares, dividend payments, and changes caused by reported profits or losses. This is the least used of the financial statements, and is commonly only included in the audited financial statement package. Financial statement analysis is the process of analyzing a company’s financial statements for decision-making purposes. External stakeholders use it to understand the overall health of an organization and to evaluate financial performance and business value.

In May, you sold $1,200,000 in furniture, and your cost of goods sold (material and labor costs) totaled $900,000. Assume, for example, that you’re a small furniture manufacturer, and that you’re creating a multi-step income statement for May. The double-entry accounting system requires the accounting equation to stay in balance as transactions post. Balance sheet accounts calculate working capital and other important ratios. Second, vertical analysis compares items on a financial statement in relation to each other. For instance, an expense item could be expressed as a percentage of company sales.

Total assets of the business, total outstanding credits, and debts are available in financial statements. The statement which is prepared at the end of a particular accounting period with the help of periodic income and expenditure to know the operating result, i.e., profit or loss of a company, is called an income statement. Changes in balance sheet accounts are also used to calculate cash flow in the cash flow statement. For example, a positive change in plant, property, and equipment is equal to capital expenditure minus depreciation expense. If depreciation expense is known, capital expenditure can be calculated and included as a cash outflow under cash flow from investing in the cash flow statement.

Nonprofit Financial Statements

It is also known as net assets since it is equivalent to the total assets of a company minus its liabilities or the debt it owes to non-shareholders. As noted above, you can find information about assets, liabilities, and shareholder equity on a company’s balance sheet. If they don’t balance, there may be some problems, including incorrect or misplaced data, inventory or exchange rate errors, or miscalculations.

  • In the modem business world, two statements are generally termed financial statements.
  • They are for investors, tax authorities or other significant partners who require financial information.
  • Liabilities are an entity’s obligation to other persons or entities—for example, credit purchases, bank loans, interest payable, taxes payable, and an overdraft.
  • The control over the products or services is handed over from the seller to the buyer.

Using accounting software, for example, leverages technology to handle all the number crunching. You can generate operating income from the day-to-day business activities. Your company also earned non-operating income, including $2,000 in interest income and $4,000 from an equipment multinational operations sale. Review the balance sheet for Centerfield Sporting Goods as of December 31, 2021. Total assets ($185,000) equals the sum of total liabilities ($150,000) plus equity ($35,000). Using accounting conventions makes your financial statements comparable and realistic.

Without context, a comparative point, knowledge of its previous cash balance, and an understanding of industry operating demands, knowing how much cash on hand a company has yields limited value. Most income statements include a calculation of earnings per share or EPS. This calculation tells you how much money shareholders would receive for each share of stock they own if the company distributed all of its net income for the period.

Investing activities include any sources and uses of cash from a company’s investments in the long-term future of the company. A purchase or sale of an asset, loans made to vendors or received from customers, or any payments related to a merger or acquisition is included in this category. Investors can also see how well a company’s management is controlling expenses to determine whether a company’s efforts in reducing the cost of sales might boost profits over time. A conscious investor invests in business after proper consideration of its debts, assets, profit-earning capacity, etc. The investor takes into consideration the paying capacity of interest and the security of his investment.

Statement of Cash Flows

Shareholders’ equity is the amount owners invested in the company’s stock plus or minus the company’s earnings or losses since inception. Liabilities also include obligations to provide goods or services to customers in the future. Below is a portion of ExxonMobil Corporation’s cash flow statement for fiscal year 2021, reported as of Dec. 31, 2021.

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It provides information relating to returns on investments, risks, financial flexibility, and operation capabilities. Most companies produce a multi-step income statement, which documents how a firm produces net income. Although laws differ from country to country, an audit of the financial statements of a public company is usually required for investment, financing, and tax purposes. Results of the audit are summarized in an audit report that either provide an unqualified opinion on the financial statements or qualifications as to its fairness and accuracy. The audit opinion on the financial statements is usually included in the annual report. The income statement, or profit and loss statement, shows how the company performed during the course of its operations for a fixed period of time.

Employees’ interests are directly related to financial progress and regress of the business concern. Employees always remain eager to know the true financial position of a business concern, and this can be known from financial statements. Besides, in formulating trade policy, taxation rules, industrial policy, etc., of a country, financial statements of business concerns play an important role. Financial statements are important to the government for various purposes.

IAS plus

Starting with direct, the top line reports the level of revenue a company earned over a specific time frame. Direct expenses are generally grouped into cost of goods sold or cost of sales, which represents direct wholesale costs. Gross profit is then often analyzed in comparison to total sales to identify a company’s gross profit margin. The financial solvency of a business concern can be ascertained with the help of the current ratio and acid test ratio prepared with current assets and current liabilities mentioned in the balance sheet. The balance sheet is sometimes called the statement of financial position since it shows the values of the entity’s net worth.

Through financial statements, necessary information is communicated to various interested parties. This account may or may not be lumped together with the above account, Current Debt. While they may seem similar, the current portion of long-term debt is specifically the portion due within this year of a piece of debt that has a maturity of more than one year. For example, if a company takes on a bank loan to be paid off in 5-years, this account will include the portion of that loan due in the next year. Includes non-AP obligations that are due within one year’s time or within one operating cycle for the company (whichever is longest). Notes payable may also have a long-term version, which includes notes with a maturity of more than one year.

The cash flow statement shows cash movements from operating, investing, and financing activities. Financial statements are written records that convey the business activities and the financial performance of a company. Financial statements are often audited by government agencies, accountants, firms, etc. to ensure accuracy and for tax, financing, or investing purposes. For-profit primary financial statements include the balance sheet, income statement, statement of cash flow, and statement of changes in equity.

Internal financial statements are more flexible than external financial statements and have a higher analytical component. They may report by division, have more detail or be produced on a more frequent basis (weekly, monthly or quarterly). Total assets is calculated as the sum of all short-term, long-term, and other assets. Total liabilities is calculated as the sum of all short-term, long-term and other liabilities.