Course · 20 min read

Understanding the P&L Statement (Part 1)

Karthik Rangappa, Zerodha Varsity · zerodha.com Free Beginner India

Varsity's line-by-line reading of an Indian company's profit and loss statement: revenue, other income, expenses and how they are presented in an annual report.

  • Revenue from operations is separate from other income; look at operations first.
  • Expenses are grouped by nature: materials, employee costs, finance costs, depreciation.
  • Read the notes to the accounts for what sits inside each line.

It answers 3 questions

  1. What is EBITDA, and how do I calculate it?
  2. How do I calculate gross margin?
  3. How do I read a P&L, balance sheet, and cash flow statement?

Read with it

  1. Zerodha Varsity's chapter on profitability ratios, worked on a real Indian company's results. It defines EBITDA as operating... zerodha.com Course · 20 min read Financial Ratio Analysis (Varsity, Fundamental Analysis) Karthik Rangappa, Zerodha Varsity
  2. The most accessible book for non-finance founders on reading a P&L, balance sheet, and cash flow statement. It demystifies the... hbr.org Book · book (~304 pages) Financial Intelligence for Entrepreneurs Karen Berman & Joe Knight
  3. This is the cleanest side-by-side we found: it defines both margins in plain language and then walks the exact same $600,000... AccountingCoach Article · 5 min read What is the difference between gross margin and contribution margin? Harold Averkamp (AccountingCoach)
  4. This is the cleanest plain-language separation of the two margins we found, and it walks through both formulas with actual... Shopify Article · About 8 minute read Contribution Margin vs. Gross Margin: What's the Difference? Shopify
  5. A clear explainer of the gross margin ratio with the formula, (Revenue minus COGS) divided by revenue, a worked income... corporatefinanceinstitute.com Article · 8 min read Gross Margin Ratio: formula and example Corporate Finance Institute
  6. The second half of Varsity's P&L walkthrough, covering finance costs, depreciation, tax and profit after tax, with reader... zerodha.com Course · 20 min read Understanding the P&L Statement (Part 2) Karthik Rangappa, Zerodha Varsity
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