| Accountancy | |
|---|---|
| Key concepts | |
| Accountant · Bookkeeping · Cash and accrual basis · Constant Item Purchasing Power Accounting · Cost of goods sold · Debits and credits · Double-entry system · Fair value accounting · FIFO & LIFO · GAAP / International Financial Reporting Standards · General ledger · Historical cost · Matching principle · Revenue recognition · Trial balance | |
| Fields of accounting | |
| Cost · Financial · Forensic · Fund · Management · Tax | |
| Financial statements | |
| Statement of Financial Position · Statement of cash flows · Statement of changes in equity · Statement of comprehensive income · Notes · MD&A | |
| Auditing | |
| Auditor's report · Financial audit · GAAS / ISA · Internal audit · Sarbanes–Oxley Act | |
| Accounting qualifications | |
| CIMA · ACCA · CA · CGA · CIMA · CMA · CPA · LCCI |
In accounting and finance, earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) or operating income is a measure of a firm's profitability that excludes interest and income tax expenses.[1]
EBIT = Operating Revenue – Operating Expenses (OPEX) + Non-operating Income
Operating Income = Operating Revenue – Operating Expenses[1]
Operating income is the difference between operating revenues and operating expenses, but it is also sometimes used as a synonym for EBIT and operating profit.[2] This is true if the firm has no non-operating income.
A professional investor contemplating a change to the capital structure of a firm (e.g., through a leveraged buyout) first evaluates a firm's fundamental earnings potential (reflected by Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation and Amortization EBITDA and EBIT), and then determines the optimal use of debt vs. equity.
To calculate EBIT, expenses (e.g., the cost of goods sold, selling and administrative expenses) are subtracted from revenues.[3] Profit is later obtained by subtracting interest and taxes from the result.
| Statement of Income — Example (figures in millions) |
|
| Operating Revenue | |
| Sales Revenue | $20,438 |
| Operating Expenses | |
| Cost of goods sold | $7,943 |
| Selling, general and administrative expenses | $8,172 |
| Depreciation and amortization | $960 |
| Other expenses | $138 |
| Total operating expenses | $17,213 |
| Operating income | $3,225 |
| Non-operating income | $130 |
| Earnings before Interest and Taxes (EBIT) | $3,355 |
| Net interest expense/income | $145 |
| Earnings before income taxes | $3,210 |
| Income taxes | $1,027 |
| Net Income | $2,183 |
(Table info source: Bodie, Z., Kane, A. and Marcus, A. J. Essentials of Investments, McGraw Hill Irwin, 2004, p. 452.)