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Financial Statements: key terms, formulas and examples

Three statements tell the story: the balance sheet is a snapshot of assets, liabilities and equity; the income statement shows profit; the cash flow statement tracks real money.

Example

Assets 500 = liabilities 200 + equity 300. It always balances.

Takeaway

Read all three together; one alone can mislead.

Key terms

Balance sheet
A snapshot of assets, liabilities and equity on one date.
Income statement
Shows revenue, costs and profit over a period.
Assets
Things a company owns that have value.
Liabilities
What a company owes to others.
Equity
The owners' share: assets minus liabilities.
Cash flow statement
Report of cash coming in and out from operations, investing and financing.
Operating profit
Profit from core operations before interest and taxes.

Formulas

Asset turnoverR ÷ Avg A
DuPont ROE(NI ÷ R) × (R ÷ A) × (A ÷ E) × 100

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