Balance Sheet

What is Retained Earnings?

Cumulative profits kept in the business rather than paid out.

How it is calculated

Reported retained earnings, or accumulated deficit when negative.

How to read it

Negative retained earnings mean past losses or, for heavy repurchasers, buybacks that exceeded profits. Read it together with the buyback history before judging.

Where the numbers come from

Scrutar computes Retained Earnings from the figures each company reports to the SEC in its annual and quarterly filings, using the XBRL data attached to those filings.

More Balance Sheet metrics

Total AssetsEverything the company owns or controls: cash, receivables, inventory, property, equipment and intangibles.How to read it →Current AssetsAssets expected to turn into cash within a year: cash, short-term investments, receivables and inventory.How to read it →Total LiabilitiesEverything the company owes: debt, payables, deferred revenue, leases and other obligations.How to read it →Current LiabilitiesObligations due within a year: payables, short-term debt, the current slice of long-term debt, accrued costs.How to read it →Stockholders' EquityThe book value of what shareholders own: assets minus liabilities.How to read it →Cash & EquivalentsCash on hand and near-cash holdings such as money-market funds.How to read it →Long-term DebtBorrowings due in more than a year, such as bonds and term loans.How to read it →Total DebtAll interest-bearing borrowings: long-term debt, the part of it due within a year, and short-term borrowings.How to read it →Net DebtDebt after subtracting the cash that could repay it. A negative number means the company holds more cash than debt, a net cash position.How to read it →Invested CapitalThe money tied up in running the business, from both lenders and shareholders.How to read it →GoodwillThe premium paid over the fair value of the net assets of businesses the company acquired.How to read it →

See it for a real company

Ten years of Retained Earnings and every other metric on this page, for every company Scrutar covers, computed from SEC filings.

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