Bell Industries (Bell Industries) Retained Earnings : $-36.7 Mil (As of Sep. 2010)

Bell Industries Retained Earnings Chart

Bell Industries Annual Data
	Trend	Dec00	Dec01	Dec02	Dec03	Dec04	Dec05	Dec06	Dec07	Dec08	Dec09
Retained Earnings		Get a 7-Day Free Trial					-12.53	-15.42	-30.54	-35.75	-37.66

Bell Industries Quarterly Data
	Dec05	Mar06	Jun06	Sep06	Dec06	Mar07	Jun07	Sep07	Dec07	Mar08	Jun08	Sep08	Dec08	Mar09	Jun09	Sep09	Dec09	Mar10	Jun10	Sep10
Retained Earnings	Get a 7-Day Free Trial															-36.68	-37.66	-39.13	-38.50	-36.74

Bell Industries 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.

Bell Industries  (GREY:BLLI) 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.

Bell Industries (Bell Industries) Business Description