Which financial statement reports a public company’s revenues and expenses for a period?

The income statement reports a public company’s revenues and expenses for a period.

It summarizes financial performance over a defined interval, such as a quarter or fiscal year. Subtracting expenses from revenues produces profit or loss, with additional lines often showing operating income, interest, taxes, and earnings attributable to shareholders.

The income statement is sometimes called the profit-and-loss statement or statement of operations. It differs from the balance sheet, which presents assets, liabilities, and equity at a specific date rather than activity across a period.

The cash flow statement is also different: it tracks cash generated and used by operating, investing, and financing activities. Investors commonly review all three statements together because accounting profit, balance-sheet strength, and cash generation can tell different parts of a company’s financial story.