retained earnings

Examples of retained earnings in the following topics:

• Introduction to the Retained Earning Statement

  • The statement of retained earnings explains the changes in a company's retained earnings over the reporting period.
  • The retained earnings statement explains the changes in a company's retained earnings over the reporting period.
  • Line items for the retained earnings statement typically include profits or losses from operations, dividends paid, issue or redemption of stock, and any other items charged or credited to retained earnings. .
  • The retained earnings statement may appear in the balance sheet, in a combined income statement and changes in retained earnings statement, or as a separate schedule.
  • Ending Retained Earnings = Beginning Retained Earnings − Dividends Paid + Net Income.

• The Cost of Retained Earnings

  • Due to the relationship between retained earnings and dividends, the cost of retained earnings as a source of capital is relative to the overall cost of equity.
  • Retained earnings indicate the amount of capital remaining after profits or losses from net income are paid out to investors and shareholders via dividends.
  • Retained earnings are reinvested back into the organization.
  • As a result, these retained earnings can essentially be viewed as a potential funding source for the organization.
  • Retained earnings is listed under equity, and is thus relative to the cost of equity.

• The Statement of Equity

  • A retained earnings statement is required by the U.S.
  • The retained earnings account on the balance sheet is said to represent an "accumulation of earnings" since net profits and losses are added / subtracted from the account from period to period.
  • Retained earnings are part of the statement of changes in equity.
  • The general equation can be expressed as following: ending retained earnings = beginning retained earnings − dividends paid + net income
  • The statement of retained earnings uses information from the income statement and provides information to the balance sheet.

• Special Reporting

  • Other special reporting issues include Earnings per Share, Retained Earnings and Intraperiod Tax Allocation.
  • Retained Earnings: The statement of retained earnings explains the changes in a company's retained earnings over the reporting period.
  • It may appear in the balance sheet, in a combined income and changes in retained earnings statement, or as a separate schedule.
  • In essence, the statement of retained earnings uses information from the income statement and provides information to the balance sheet.
  • Summarize how a company reports extraordinary items, discontinued operations, intraperiod tax allocations, retained earnings and earnings per share.

• Dividend Payments and Earnings Retention

  • On the other hand, retained earnings refers to the portion of net income which is retained by the corporation rather than distributed to its owners as dividends.
  • Retained earnings and losses are cumulative from year to year with losses offsetting earnings.
  • Many corporations retain a portion of their earnings and pay the remainder as a dividend.
  • Dividends paid are not classified as an expense but rather a deduction of retained earnings.
  • These retained earnings can be expressed in the retention ratio.

• Closing the Cycle

  • Only revenue, expense, and dividend accounts are closed—not asset, liability, Capital Stock, or Retained Earnings accounts.
  • Closing the Income Summary account—transferring the balance of the Income Summary account to the Retained Earnings account (also known as the capital account).
  • Closing the Dividends account—transferring the balance of the Dividends account to the Retained Earnings Account
  • Closing or transferring the balance in the Income Summary account to the Retained Earnings account results in a zero balance in the Income Summary.
  • The dividends account is closed directly to the Retained Earnings account.

• Overview of Statement Changes and Errors

  • Make an offsetting adjustment to the opening balance of retained earnings for that period; and
  • If the financial statements are only presented for a single period, then reflect the adjustment in the opening balance of retained earnings.
  • Yet when retained earning for year Z is correct, because the two previous errors cancelled each other out.
  • If the error has not counterbalanced then an entry must be made to retained earnings.
  • If the error has not counterbalanced, an entry is necessary to adjusted beginning retained earnings and correct the current period.

• Relationship Between Dividend Payments and the Growth Rate

  • The portion of the earnings not paid to investors is, ideally, left for investment in order to provide for future earnings growth.
  • Capital that is kept from investors is known as retained earnings.
  • Investors hope that firms will use retained earnings to either maximize their current operations or invest in such as a way as to lead to higher profits.
  • On the other hand, some companies can retain earnings and put that money back to work - i.e., invest in growth opportunities.
  • Firms that can do this tend to retain more of their earnings.

• Residual Dividend Model

  • The Residual Dividend Model first uses earnings to finance new projects, then distributes the remainder as dividends.
  • Companies which use retained earnings to finance new projects use this method.
  • What investors want are high returns - either in the form of dividends or in the form of re-investment of retained earnings by the firm .
  • The firm paying out dividends is obviously generating income for an investor; however, even if the firm diverts some earnings for investment opportunities, the income of the investors will rise later, assuming that those investments are profitable.
  • The dividend, therefore, fluctuates every year because of different investment opportunities and earning levels.

• Dividends Payable

  • When a corporation earns a profit or surplus, that money can be put to two uses: it can either be re-invested in the business (called retained earnings), or it can be distributed to shareholders as dividends.
  • Many corporations retain a portion of their earnings and pay out the remaining earnings as a dividend.
  • The per share dividend amount is multiplied by the number of shares outstanding and this result is debited to retained earnings and credited to dividends payable.