If you’re running a business, it’s important to understand what is income from operations and how to calculate it. This metric will give you a good indication of the financial health of your business.

Income from operations is defined as the net profit that a company generates from its core business activities. In other words, it’s the money that comes in after all expenses have been paid.

What Is Income From Operations?

What is income from operations or operating income? This refers to profits that a company makes after subtracting the expenses it incurs from its operations.

The operating income of a company is the difference between its revenue and its operating costs. These costs include the cost of producing the goods and services that a company sells, as well as things like employee salaries and advertising.

Operating costs refer to all the day-to-day expenses incurred by a business, such as office stationery and utility bills. These costs are necessary for a company to continue to operate.

Understanding Operating Income

The operating income of a company is how much of its total revenue becomes net profit. This is the same as a company’s earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT).

The one major distinction between operating earnings and EBIT is that the latter can include any income outside of operations.

Operating income is a key metric for investors because it provides insight into a company’s profitability that isn’t influenced by one-time items. This makes it an effective tool for comparing companies across different industries and periods.

When a company generates more revenue, this indicates that its management can generate more sales while reducing costs, production, and overhead.

How to Calculate Operating Income

The formula for calculating the operating expense ratio is outlined as follows:

OperatingIncome = GrossIncome − OperatingExpenses \text{Operating Income} = \text{Gross Income} – \text{Operating Expenses} OperatingIncome=GrossIncome−OperatingExpenses

Selling, General, and Administrative (SGA) expenses, depreciation, and amortization are major components of operating costs. It excludes non-operational expenses such as interest and tax payments.

The operating income figure excludes any one-time items, such as money paid to settle lawsuits. To calculate a company’s operating margin, which describes its operating efficiency, you need operating income.

The amount of money that your company earns from its main business operations, excluding any costs that are not directly associated with those activities.

Operating Income Examples

Many business owners use operating earnings to measure the success of their business.

For instance, Hospital and Drug Firm Inc. reported a 20% rise in its operating earnings during the first and second quarters of a financial year.

Revenue and income increased due to an increase in the number of patients who visited the hospitals over the period.

The growth was driven by two new drugs, one for lung cancer and the other for melanoma.

In yet another example, we have Company Blue, which reported an increase in operating income by 37% during the same period.

The rise in income is especially significant because the company is looking to merge with Company Red, and stockholders will vote on the proposed deal next month.

While first-quarter sales were down by 3%, its increased profits could convince investors to vote in favor of the merger.

How to Find Operating Income

Let’s look at how to calculate Apple’s (NASDAQ: APPL) operating income.

(Source)

Is Operating Income the Same as Profits?

Not quite. Net income is what is left over after subtracting COGS and other operating costs from the revenue you receive.

Operating income doesn’t take into account any expenses like taxes and interest payments.

Can a Company Have a High Operating Income but Lose Money?

An income can be great, but a company can lose a lot of money if it spends more on interest, taxes, and debt. This can happen due to one-time charges, bad financial choices, or a rising rate environment where debts become more expensive.

Alternately, a company that earns a lot of interest on its investments may not show this income as operating revenue.

What Is Non-Operating Income?

Non-operational revenue is any profit derived from sources other than a company’s core operations.

The non-operational items that can show up on your income statement include things such as dividends, interest income, capital gains, and currency translation adjustments.

Where Would I Find a Company’s Operating Income?

You can find operating income at the bottom of a company’s income statement. This line item refers to money made from the company’s main business, rather than from other areas.

On an income statement, operating income can be found directly below the company’s net income. It can help distinguish between operating and non-operating income and show which sources of income are from operations.

Conclusion

What is income from operations? Operating income is a key metric for assessing the financial health of your business. To calculate it, simply take your total revenue and subtract all operating expenses (including the cost of goods sold). If the resulting number is negative, then your company is losing money on its day-to-day operations.