Associated British Foods (LSE:ABF) Retained Earnings : £11,043 Mil (As of Feb. 2024)

Associated British Foods Retained Earnings Chart

Associated British Foods Annual Data
	Trend	Aug14	Aug15	Aug16	Aug17	Aug18	Aug19	Aug20	Aug21	Aug22	Aug23
Retained Earnings		Get a 7-Day Free Trial					8,832.00	8,819.00	9,692.00	10,649.00	10,910.00

Associated British Foods Semi-Annual Data
	Aug14	Feb15	Aug15	Feb16	Aug16	Feb17	Aug17	Feb18	Aug18	Feb19	Aug19	Feb20	Aug20	Feb21	Aug21	Feb22	Aug22	Feb23	Aug23	Feb24
Retained Earnings	Get a 7-Day Free Trial															10,091.00	10,649.00	10,970.00	10,910.00	11,043.00

Associated British Foods Retained Earnings Calculation

Retained Earnings is the accumulated portion of net income that is not distributed to shareholders. Because the net income was not distributed to shareholders, shareholders' equity is increased by the same amount.

Of course, if a company loses, it is called retained losses, or accumulated losses.

Associated British Foods  (LSE:ABF) Retained Earnings Explanation

Historically profitable companies sometimes have negative retained earnings. This is because they have cumulatively paid out more to shareholders than they reported in profits.

For example, in 2011, Microsoft had negative retained earnings. This does not mean the company lost more money than it made over the years. It just means it paid out more money than it earned.

If a company has negative retained earnings, investors should check the 10-year financial results. They should not assume that negative retained earnings prove a company has generally lost money in the past.

Of course, many companies with negative retained earnings have indeed lost money in the past.

Retained Earnings: Warren Buffett's Secret.

One of the most important indicators of durable competitive advantage. Net earnings can be paid out as dividends, used to buy back shares or retained for growth.

If the company loses more than it has accumulated, retained earnings is negative.

If a company isn't adding to its retained earnings, it isn't growing its net worth.

Rate of growth of retained earnings is good indicator whether it's benefiting from a competitive advantage.

Microsoft is negative because it chose to buyback stock and pay dividends.

The more earnings retained, the faster it grows and increases growth rate for future earnings.

Associated British Foods (LSE:ABF) Business Description