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    What are retained earnings?

    Retained earnings are the profits that a company has earned to date, less any dividends or other distributions paid to investors. A large retained earnings balance implies a financially healthy organization. The formula for ending retained earnings is:

    Beginning retained earnings + Profits/losses - Dividends = Ending retained earnings

    A company that has experienced more losses than gains to date, or which has distributed more dividends than it had in the retained earnings balance, will have a negative balance in the retained earnings account. If so, this negative balance is called an accumulated deficit.

    The retained earnings balance or accumulated deficit balance is reported in the stockholders' equity section of a company's balance sheet.

    A growing company normally avoids dividend payments, so that it can use its retained earnings to fund additional growth of the business in such areas as working capital, capital expenditures, acquisitions, research and development, and marketing. It may also elect to use retained earnings to pay off debt, rather than to pay dividends. Another possibility is that retained earnings may  be held in reserve in expectation of future losses, such as from the sale of a subsidiary or the expected outcome of a lawsuit.

    As a company reaches maturity and its growth slows, it has less need for its retained earnings, and so is more inclined to distribute some portion of it to investors in the form of dividends. The same situation may arise if a company implements strong working capital policies to reduce its cash requirements.

    When evaluating the amount of retained earnings that a company has on its balance sheet, consider the following points:

    • Age of the company. An older company will have had more time in which to compile more retained earnings.
    • Dividend policy. A company that routinely issues dividends will have fewer retained earnings.
    • Profitability. A high profit percentage eventually yields a large amount of retained earnings, subject to the two preceding points.

    Related Topics

    Statement of retained earnings
    What are negative retained earnings?
    What are the stockholders' equity accounts?
    What is the retained earnings formula?

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