Pro Forma Financial Statements

Pro forma basic EPS reflecting the conversion of preferred stock into common stock at the IPO date should not be presented in financial statements issued subsequent to the IPO. 3440.4The provision of S-X 3-14 which permits estimated taxable operating results of real estate companies to include annualization of existing lease contracts is not applicable to equipment accounting technology leasing companies or other businesses that generate income through leases. Pro forma financial information is required if acquisitions which are in the aggregate significant have occurred in the latest fiscal year or subsequent interim period, or are probable. See Section 2320 for guidance related to aggregate significance tests for real estate acquisitions.

Pro forma projections are all about looking ahead to try and predict where finances are headed and how hypothetical scenarios could affect the bottom line. Fortunately, there are Excel templates that can help you achieve that — or even smarter solutions (more on this later). Hence, it’s critical to be cautious when examining these types of financial statements and to use them in conjunction with other financial records to gain a broader view of the company’s actual finances. Continuing with Bob and his donut shop example, we can look into how he can make use of pro forma statements.

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The pro forma part of the balance sheet is a projection that looks ahead, assuming certain things will occur. Pro forma balance sheets are difficult to compile, but banks generally ask for them and they are important for showing your potential financial picture. They can show the projection of what money will be tied up in receivables, equipment, and inventory. Further, they can represent if your company could run out of money, and how much is necessary to keep it afloat. If your company has a high debt-to-equity ratio, it will show on the balance sheet.

The dotcom era of the late 90s saw some of the worst abusers of pro-forma earnings manipulations. Many Nasdaq-listed companies utilized pro-forma earnings management to report more robust pro-forma numbers. Taken cumulatively, the difference between GAAP earnings and pro-forma earnings for the dotcom sector during its heyday exceeded billions of dollars. A full-year projection is just what the name suggests—accounting for the current year.

Pro Forma Adjustments

Pro forma EPS are calculated in the pro forma income statement, but the figure is also used in the pro forma balance sheet and the pro forma cash flow statement, when necessary. According to the SEC, when the dividends from stock exceed or are planned to exceed the current earnings, the EPS must be calculated. The SEC assumes that that proceeds from any additional shares will be used to fund dividends. Statements of cash flow, or cash flow statements, measure the sources of a company’s cash and how it uses that cash over the stated period. Pro forma statements of cash flow estimate how much cash inflow and outflow is expected in one or more future periods. Often requested by banks, they may also be prepared as a part of the annual budgeting or forecast and estimate where cash shortages may occur in order to obtain additional funding.

3310.3Pro forma adjustments that give effect to actions taken by management or expected to occur after a business combination, including termination of employees, closure of facilities, and other restructuring charges. Forecasts or projections may be the most appropriate way to depict the effect of such actions. There are other stable variables that aren’t influenced by sales on the income statement, including operating expenses, depreciation and amortization, and interest expense. The COGS figure does directly vary with sales; if it does not, something is wrong with your numbers.

Adjustments to GAAP or IFRS

The COGS forecast is the COGS/Sales ratio from several years multiplied by the sales forecast. For example, a company will report its actual sales and expenses for the quarter that just passed and, in the same chart, will list its projections of these numbers for the current quarter. Essentially, a pro forma financial statement can exclude anything a company believes obscures the accuracy of its financial outlook and can be a useful piece of information to help assess a company’s future prospects. Pro forma financials are not computed using generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) and usually leave out one-time expenses that are not part of normal company operations, such as restructuring costs following a merger.

For this projection, you need to determine where in your company the investments would be parlayed. For example, you may be able to add the investment onto the balance sheet under the cash row in the historical with acquisition pro forma template, or you may have to divide the investment under multiple rows. Check the templates in this guide to determine which is right for you to create your own. Many of the items listed above are part of the GAAP, but not included in pro forma reporting, making it rife for possible deception.

Discover a Better Way to Manage Pro Forma Statements and Finance Operations

Creditors might also get insecure due to higher financial leverage situation of a company as this might violate existing debt covenants that are in place. There are both benefits and downsides to the assumption structure that pro forma is built upon. In the Parliament of the United Kingdom, the equivalents are the Outlawries Bill in the House of Commons and the Select Vestries Bill in the House of Lords.

• The resulting calculations would show how a rise would impact the company’s net profit.
• New financial models use computer programs that has made this testing better, which enables quick calculation for real-time decision making.
• Unlike traditional financial statements that explain the past, pro forma documents usually look forward and rely on financial modeling and speculation.
• With Bench, you get a crystal clear image of your financial history so you can focus on planning your future.
• Several third-party sites offer links to pre-built pro forma templates they’ve designed.

But generally, these are the steps you need to take to create them—and the info your pro forma statements should include. You may be courting investors or trying to convince your business partners of the value of a capital investment or additional financing. It takes into account an injection of cash from an outside source—plus any interest payments you may need to make—and shows how it will affect your business’s financial position. Taking an online course like Financial Accounting can help you understand how to create and interpret different kinds of financial statements so you can find meaning in them. Learners enrolled in the course learn the language of accounting and how to create financial statements and forecasts to make strategic decisions.

If you’re considering a major decision, such as a business merger or a new product launch, creating pro forma statements is important. Pro forma financial statements are used in a business plan to present the best-case, expected, and worst-case scenarios for a proposed transaction. With pro forma statements, businesses can better make assumptions on what decisions are best for the company, such as labor increases, production increases, or even expansion.

• In this paragraph, you should offer a high-level explanation of the limitations and assumptions the pro forma documents were produced under.
• In other words, you get an idea of what your financial results would have been if the event had already occurred.
• Companies in the U.S. follow Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) as a best practice.