STANDARD METRICS

Standard Metric Formulas and Definitions

From raw SEC XBRL concepts to comparable company metrics: this page documents the selection order, derived formulas, and principal definitions used by Company Comparison.

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Standardization method

Companies can use different XBRL concepts for the same economic meaning. The system selects and records each value under the following rules.

Priority waterfall

Use the first valid consolidated value in the listed XBRL concept order. Component sums, derivation, and label matching are used only when primary concepts are absent.

Consolidated values first

Prefer company-wide values without segment dimensions. Business, geographic, or product members are summed only when no consolidated value exists and the dimension is safe to add.

Strict period matching

Discrete quarters, year-to-date periods, full fiscal years, and trailing twelve months are handled separately. Cash flow is matched by duration; balance sheet values are period-end snapshots.

Provenance and quality

Direct disclosure generally ranks above component sums and label fallbacks. A derived metric inherits its weakest input quality, and a missing required input remains null rather than becoming zero.

Income statement metrics

Period-flow metrics taken from consolidated income statement facts. Arrows indicate fallback order from left to right.

Revenue

revenue

Contract revenue excluding tax → Revenues → Net sales → Goods/services revenue

Source and priority: RevenueFromContractWithCustomerExcludingAssessedTax → Revenues → SalesRevenueNet and related concepts.
Definition notes: When contract revenue is only a subset of total revenue, as with rent, premiums, or interest, the more complete Revenues value is used.

Cost of revenue

cost_of_revenue

CostOfRevenue → CostOfGoodsAndServicesSold → Cost of goods + cost of services

Source and priority: Prefer a reported total; otherwise sum complementary goods and services cost concepts.
Definition notes: A partial component disclosure can still produce a value at lower quality. Cost above revenue is flagged for review.

Gross profit

gross_profit

GrossProfit → Revenue − cost of revenue

Source and priority: Prefer GrossProfit; derive from revenue and cost_of_revenue when it is absent.
Definition notes: Reported gross profit is checked against revenue less cost.

Research and development

rnd

Recurring R&D expense + separately reported acquired IPR&D write-off

Source and priority: ResearchAndDevelopmentExpense → R&D excluding acquired in-process costs, with IPR&D added when separately presented.
Definition notes: The add-on is used only when recurring R&D and acquired in-process research are separate income statement lines.

Selling, general and administrative

sga

SellingGeneralAndAdministrativeExpense → Selling expense + G&A expense

Source and priority: Prefer the SG&A total; otherwise sum SellingAndMarketingExpense and GeneralAndAdministrativeExpense.

Operating income

operating_income

OperatingIncomeLoss

Source and priority: Use the standard concept first, with exact normalized labels such as “operating income” only as a final fallback.

Pretax income

pretax_income

Income from continuing operations before income taxes

Source and priority: Supports the BeforeIncomeTaxes… concepts from both current and older taxonomy generations.

Income tax

income_tax

IncomeTaxExpenseBenefit

Source and priority: The standard XBRL concept for income tax expense or benefit.

Net income attributable to parent

net_income

NetIncomeLoss → ProfitLoss − NCI income → alternate net-income definitions

Source and priority: Prefer parent-attributable NetIncomeLoss; otherwise subtract noncontrolling interest from ProfitLoss.
Definition notes: Fallbacks based on ProfitLoss or income available to common preserve their NCI or preferred-dividend scope differences.

Net income including NCI

net_income_incl_nci

ProfitLoss → Parent net income when no NCI exists

Source and priority: Prefer ProfitLoss including noncontrolling interests; otherwise assume no NCI.

Net income to common

ni_to_common

Income available to common → Parent net income − |preferred dividends|

Source and priority: NetIncomeLossAvailableToCommonStockholdersBasic, or derived from net_income and preferred dividends.
Definition notes: This is the EPS numerator. Unreported preferred dividends are treated as zero at lower certainty.

Basic EPS

eps_basic

EarningsPerShareBasic

Source and priority: Read directly from the standard basic EPS concept; never component-summed with monetary facts.

Diluted EPS

eps_diluted

EarningsPerShareDiluted

Source and priority: Read directly from the standard diluted EPS concept; never component-summed with monetary facts.

Weighted average basic shares

shares_basic

WeightedAverageNumberOfSharesOutstandingBasic → Net income to common ÷ basic EPS

Source and priority: Prefer reported period-weighted shares; otherwise infer from ni_to_common / eps_basic.
Definition notes: Same-row income and EPS can correct obvious thousand-share unit errors. Implied shares are not used when EPS is too close to zero.

Weighted average diluted shares

shares_diluted

WeightedAverageNumberOfDilutedSharesOutstanding → Net income to common ÷ diluted EPS

Source and priority: Prefer reported diluted weighted shares; otherwise infer from same-period EPS.
Definition notes: This should normally be at least basic shares. An inferred value cannot restore if-converted numerator adjustments.

Cash flow statement metrics

A 10-Q usually reports cash flow year to date. A discrete quarter uses direct disclosure when available, then the difference between adjacent cumulative periods.

Operating cash flow

cfo

NetCashProvidedByUsedInOperatingActivities

Source and priority: Prefer the operating cash flow total; when absent, use cash-flow calculation relationships or a controlled sum of operating leaves.
Definition notes: The result is checked non-destructively against net income and the reported net change in cash.

Investing cash flow

icf

NetCashProvidedByUsedInInvestingActivities

Source and priority: Investing activities total or its continuing-operations variant. The reported sign is preserved.

Financing cash flow

fcf_fin

NetCashProvidedByUsedInFinancingActivities

Source and priority: Financing activities total or its continuing-operations variant. The reported sign is preserved.

Capital expenditure

capex

|Cash paid to acquire PP&E| + qualifying purchases of assets held for lease

Source and priority: Prefer PP&E/productive-asset purchase totals, then net-of-disposal concepts, industry components, or safe segment sums.
Definition notes: Reported as a positive number. Net disposal, rental fleet, intangible, and industry-specific definitions retain their quality differences.

Depreciation and amortization

dda

D&A total → Depreciation + intangible amortization

Source and priority: DepreciationDepletionAndAmortization → DepreciationAmortizationAndAccretionNet → component sum.
Definition notes: Some issuers provide only a combined line containing small other noncash items; that line is accepted at lower certainty.

Stock-based compensation

sbc

ShareBasedCompensation → AllocatedShareBasedCompensationExpense

Source and priority: The stock-based payment noncash adjustment in the cash flow statement.

Dividends paid

div_paid

|Common dividends paid| → |Total dividends − separately reported NCI/preferred distributions|

Source and priority: Prefer PaymentsOfDividendsCommonStock; when only total dividends exist, subtract separately disclosed other distributions where possible.
Definition notes: Reported as positive. An inseparable total may still contain preferred or NCI distributions.

Share repurchases

buyback

|PaymentsForRepurchaseOfCommonStock| → |PaymentsForRepurchaseOfEquity|

Source and priority: Prefer cash spent on common share repurchases; otherwise use the broader equity repurchase concept.
Definition notes: Reported as positive. The broader concept may include preferred shares or other equity units.

Balance sheet metrics

Balance sheet metrics are period-end snapshots. They are not accumulated across quarters or years.

Total assets

total_assets

Assets

Source and priority: The standard balance sheet total-assets concept.
Definition notes: Assets are checked against liabilities, temporary equity, and equity including NCI.

Current assets

current_assets

AssetsCurrent

Source and priority: The standard current-assets concept.
Definition notes: A null can be appropriate for insurers, REITs, and other issuers with an unclassified balance sheet.

Current liabilities

current_liabilities

LiabilitiesCurrent

Source and priority: The standard current-liabilities concept.
Definition notes: An unclassified balance sheet can appropriately leave this metric null.

Cash and equivalents

cash_eq

Cash equivalents → Cash including restricted cash → Cash and short-term investments

Source and priority: CashAndCashEquivalentsAtCarryingValue first, followed by broader concepts or a safe segment sum.
Definition notes: Broader concepts can contain restricted cash or short-term investments; net debt avoids subtracting investments twice.

Short-term investments

st_invest

ShortTermInvestments → MarketableSecuritiesCurrent

Source and priority: Short-term investments or current marketable securities.

Total liabilities

total_liabilities

Liabilities → Assets and liabilities total − equity − temporary equity

Source and priority: Prefer Liabilities; otherwise derive it from the balance sheet identity.

Short-term debt

debt_st

DebtCurrent → Short-term borrowing components + current portion of long-term debt

Source and priority: Prefer a short-term debt total; otherwise sum borrowings, commercial paper, current notes, and current long-term debt.
Definition notes: Some variants can include lease obligations.

Long-term debt

debt_lt

LongTermDebtNoncurrent → LongTermDebt → Long-term debt and capital leases

Source and priority: Progressively broaden from noncurrent long-term debt to notes and secured/unsecured long-term debt concepts.
Definition notes: Broader definitions may contain a current portion or lease obligations.

Equity attributable to parent

equity

StockholdersEquity → Equity including NCI − minority interest

Source and priority: Prefer parent-attributable stockholders’ equity; it can also be derived from equity including NCI.
Definition notes: When NCI cannot be identified, consolidated equity is used with NCI assumed to be zero.

Equity including NCI

equity_incl_nci

Stockholders’ equity including NCI → Parent equity + minority interest

Source and priority: StockholdersEquityIncludingPortionAttributableToNoncontrollingInterest first.

Property, plant and equipment

ppe

PropertyPlantAndEquipmentNet → PP&E net including finance-lease ROU assets

Source and priority: Standard PP&E net or controlled after-accumulated-depreciation variants.
Definition notes: Some variants can include finance- or operating-lease right-of-use assets.

Long-term investments

lt_invest

Long-term investment total → Sum of noncurrent securities and equity-method investments

Source and priority: LongTermInvestments, long-term investments and receivables net, or noncurrent security/investment components.

Goodwill

goodwill

Goodwill

Source and priority: The standard goodwill concept.

Intangible assets

intangibles

IntangibleAssetsNetExcludingGoodwill → FiniteLivedIntangibleAssetsNet

Source and priority: Intangibles net excluding goodwill, or finite-lived intangibles net.

Inventory

inventory

InventoryNet

Source and priority: The standard inventory-net concept.

Accounts receivable

ar

Accounts receivable net → Current receivables net → Accounts, notes, and loans receivable

Source and priority: Progressively broaden from AccountsReceivableNetCurrent to wider current receivable definitions.

Accounts payable

ap

AccountsPayableCurrent → Accounts payable and accrued liabilities → Trade payables

Source and priority: Prefer current accounts payable.
Definition notes: The broader definition may include accrued liabilities.

Shares outstanding

shares_out

SEC cover shares → Same-period filing cover index → CommonStockSharesOutstanding

Source and priority: Prefer dei:EntityCommonStockSharesOutstanding, then the balance sheet share concept.
Definition notes: This is a point-in-time value near the latest practicable date, not the period-weighted EPS denominator. Obvious thousand-share errors are corrected.

Ratios and derived metrics

A derived result remains null when any required input is invalid. Missing values are not filled with zero except for the explicitly optional debt components in net debt.

Free cash flow

free_cash_flow

Operating cash flow − capital expenditure

Source and priority: free_cash_flow = cfo − capex
Definition notes: Capital expenditure is already normalized to a positive number.

Gross margin

gross_margin

Gross profit ÷ revenue × 100%

Source and priority: gross_profit / revenue; invalid when revenue is null or zero.

Operating margin

operating_margin

Operating income ÷ revenue × 100%

Source and priority: operating_income / revenue; invalid when revenue is null or zero.

Net margin

net_margin

Net income attributable to parent ÷ revenue × 100%

Source and priority: net_income / revenue; invalid when revenue is null or zero.

Return on equity

roe

Net income ÷ average parent equity × 100% × 12 ÷ period months

Source and priority: Average equity = (opening + ending equity) ÷ 2; annual and TTM rows are not annualized again.
Definition notes: Ending equity substitutes for a missing opening balance at lower quality. Nonpositive or sign-changing average equity is invalid.

Return on assets

roa

Net income ÷ average total assets × 100% × 12 ÷ period months

Source and priority: Average assets = (opening + ending assets) ÷ 2; annual and TTM rows are not annualized again.
Definition notes: Ending assets substitute for a missing opening balance. A nonpositive average is invalid.

Net debt

net_debt

Short-term debt + long-term debt − cash and equivalents − short-term investments

Source and priority: cash_eq is required; undisclosed debt_st, debt_lt, and st_invest may be treated as zero at lower quality.
Definition notes: When cash already includes short-term investments, st_invest is not subtracted again.

Period derivation and data quality

These rules explain how quarterly, annual, and TTM rows are formed and what the comparison-page quality signal means.

Report row meanings

qf = discrete quarter   ·   af = full fiscal year   ·   ttm = trailing twelve months

A 10-Q cash flow is generally YTD and is matched by duration. Discrete cash flow for later quarters can equal current YTD less prior YTD. Balance sheet values always use the corresponding period-end snapshot.

Fourth-quarter derivation

Q4 flow = Full fiscal year − first nine months YTD

A row is created only when the year spans a full 12 months, the nine-month source exists, and currencies agree. Balance sheet values come directly from year end. EPS is recalculated from Q4 common income and Q4 shares on a consistent split basis.

Trailing twelve months

TTM = Prior full fiscal year − prior-year YTD + current-year YTD

When the primary path is unavailable, four consecutive discrete quarters can be summed. Balance sheet values use the current ending balance; EPS, margins, free cash flow, and net debt are recalculated from TTM inputs.

Quality levels

Direct standard concept ＞ Component sum/derivation ＞ Label or segment fallback

Row quality is the lowest certainty among its valid metrics. A derived value inherits the weakest input. Broader definitions, missing-component assumptions, unit correction, or mixed sources reduce certainty rather than silently appearing high quality.

Consistency checks

Assets = liabilities + temporary equity + equity   ·   Revenue − cost ≈ gross profit

The system also checks net income across the income and cash flow statements, operating/investing/financing cash flow against net cash movement, and compatibility among net income, EPS, and shares. An exception preserves the source value and signals review.

Currency and missing values

Income statement, cash flow, and balance sheet sources for one standardized row must use the same currency; conflicting sources are discarded. A genuinely undisclosed or unreliable metric remains null. Cross-company amount comparisons require known, matching currencies.