4. Income statement Income statements illustrate what revenues the firm collects, the expenses required to support revenues, and the firm's profitability over a specified period of time. While balance sheets are a "snapshot" of the firm's status on a specific date, income statements reflect performance over a period of time. Publicly held companies generate income statements every quarter (three months) and for their annual report. In this example, the firm pays half of its earnings as dividends to its stockholders and retains the other half. This is done for simplicity here, but real firms weigh a multitude of factors in setting their dividends. This issue will be covered in your finance course. Check Your Understanding The gross margin for this fictional company is: 14.7% 60.3% 33.3% 18.2% 9.2% If the firm has 200,000 common shares outstanding, its earnings per share (EPS) is while its dividends per share (DPS) is With its earnings, a firm has a decision to make about whether to pay common dividends or On the income statement, interest expense is preferred dividends are and common dividends are Wages are considered a(n) A company usually expenses when it incurs them, because the future benefits that this spending is expected to bring are very uncertain and difficult to time