The income statement in plain English

Revenue, costs, and whether growth is turning into profit. · 7 min

Read it top to bottom

Start with revenue. Is it growing, and is the growth steady or lumpy?

Then walk down: gross profit, operating income, net income. Each step tells you where money leaks out.

Margins are the quality check

A company can grow sales and still get worse if costs grow faster. Watch gross margin and operating margin over several years, not one quarter.

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