Earnings - Meaning, Example, vs Profits, Importance, Measure (2024)

Earnings Meaning

Earnings are usually defined as the net income of the company which is obtained after reducing the cost of sales, operating expenses, interest, and taxes from all the sales revenue for a specific time period. In an individual’s case, it comprises wages or salaries, or other payments. For publicly listed companies, earnings per share is a common metric to gauge performance.

This metric determines the share price of a company adversely. Since they have an effect on the stock price, it is prone to manipulation to a large extent. It also gives the company an idea of its performance in a specific period in comparison to previous such time frames. A company that beats analysts’ expectations is looked at as a lucrative entity for investors.

Earnings Meaning
- Earnings Explained
- How To Calculate?
- Examples
- Measures
- Importance
- Earnings vs. Profits
- Recommended Articles

Earnings Explained

Earnings of a company are crucial determinant since it calculates the share price of the company. Share price determines the going concern of the company according to the profitability capabilities. It helps in determining whether it will be profitable in the long run or not. These are the most critical measure for stakeholders that have a massive impact on their decisions towards the company. It helps in making comparison, deriving estimates, and analyzing past trends of the company with the industry.

How To Calculate?

They are generally determined as earnings available for the shareholders of the company. From the after-tax profits of the company, the profits shared with the senior class of shareholders of the company have to be subtracted like preference shareholders. The remaining profits are the company's profits available for the shareholders, which shall be distributed among shareholders in ratio. The share that each shareholder get is thus their earnings per share.

Earnings - Meaning, Example, vs Profits, Importance, Measure (2)

Examples

Let us understand how to use the earnings calculator with the help of a couple of examples. These examples will give us practical insights into the concept.

Example #1

ABC company has after-tax profits of $100,000. The company has 1,000 preferred shareholders who are guaranteed dividends of $ 30 per year and 10,000 common stock shareholders.

In this case, the guaranteed dividend to the preferred shareholders is distributed first from the after-tax profits. The dividend distributed is $ 30,000, which is subtracted from after-tax profits. The remaining $ 70,000 in profits are the earnings available for the common stock shareholders.

Example #2

The S&P500 was expected to fall by 5.1% in the first quarter of 2023. However, the earnings of the index rose by a 0.1%. However, the earnings of the top 500 companies combined is expected to fall by 5.6% in the second quarter.

The last quarter of 2022 saw a drop in earnings of S&P500 companies by 3.2%. Had the first quarter shown a decline as well, it would have invoked what experts call a recession. Therefore, the improvement of a marginal 0.1% was celebrated among investors and market experts as the recession would have had an adverse effect on the economy as thousands more could have been laid off from their jobs. In fact, large corporations had already started laying employees off in thousands fearing the recession even before the end of the first quarter.

Measures

Commonly, the results from an earnings calculator are measured by reducing the cost of sales, operating expenses, and taxes from all the sales revenue for a specific period. They are measured in different ways, depending on the analysts. The most common measure of profitability is the calculation of earnings per share. The other measures are Earnings Before Taxes (EBT), Earnings Before Interest and Taxes (EBIT), Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation, and Amortization (EBITDA). The analysts use such measures based on their purpose and requirements. The ratios are also calculated to determine the earnings of an organization like EPS, PE Ratio, yield, etc.

Importance

Let us understand the importance of earnings per share and how earnings is an important metric for investors and shareholders to gauge the performance of a company through the discussion below.

Earnings are an essential measure for all the stakeholders of the company to review their decisions.
Investors are highly affected by the net income of a company as it drives stock prices. It tells about the financial health of a company and the value of the stock of the company.
The dividends are paid to the shareholders based on the net income of the company.

Earnings vs. Profits

There is a common confusion between earnings and profits. Despite the fact that they indicate similar metric of a company, there are a few differences in their fundamentals and implications. Let us understand the differences through the comparison below.

In general language, earnings and profits are treated as synonyms. In the financial industry, both terms are not the same.
These are the company's bottom lineprofits calculated after deduction of all the expenses. Whereas, profits are used with respect to income statement measuring gross profits, operating profits, and net profits.
Profits are commonly used in the calculation of ratios concerning profit margins to analyze a company's income statement and operating activities.
For example, ABC Ltd. Made sales of 10,000 units at $10 per unit. The revenue of the company is $ 100,000. The operational costs and expenses involved in preparing the finished units are $ 70,000. Therefore, the profits of the company are $ 30,000, i.e., the profits earned after reducing operational costs from the sales revenue. But, the earnings of the company would be calculated after further deducting the costs and expenses of debt sources, taxes, etc.

Earnings - Meaning, Example, vs Profits, Importance, Measure (2024)