Net Profit is the profit reported net of all taxes, interest and expenses. Often referred to as the 'bottom line' and used to calculate per share earnings.
After all costs have been taken into account, including taxes and non cash items such as Depreciation and Amortisation, you are left with Net Income, or Earnings.
This amount is taken to Retained Earnings on the Balance Sheet at the end of every year and it is from this pool of Retained Earnings that companies pay dividends in accounting terms.
This means that in order to pay dividends and grow the Balance Sheet naturally, the company must generate Net Profits.
| Ticker | Name | Net Profit | StockRank™ |
|---|---|---|---|
| LON:HSBA | HSBC Holdings | 17564.46 | 92 |
| LON:SHEL | Shell | 9901.11 | 69 |
| LON:RIO | Rio Tinto | 8461.76 | 84 |
| LON:BARC | Barclays | 6923.00 | 88 |
| LON:AZN | AstraZeneca | 5692.94 | 70 |