Last Fiscal Year - LFY

Filed Under »
Dictionary Says

Definition of 'Last Fiscal Year - LFY'

The most recent 12-month accounting period that a business uses when determining its annual financial performance. The SEC requires businesses to list their last fiscal year's revenue (in addition to other financial figures) in their 10-Q filings.

Analysts and management will often use figures and metrics from a company's last fiscal year in order to forecast whether or not a business's current performance will outdo that of the previous fiscal year.
Investopedia Says

Investopedia explains 'Last Fiscal Year - LFY'

For example, ABC Corporation's fiscal year starts and ends in February, and it is currently July. If it were to list its revenue from the last fiscal year, it would show the results that took place from February 1st of the previous year to January 31st of the current year.

However, the inclusion of one-time financial anomalies in the last fiscal year's results may cause an ineffective comparison, as one-time non-operating events could skew a company's metrics.

For example, ABC Corporation sold a factory for $1 million and it reported the cash as revenue in the last fiscal year's financial statements. Unless it is specified that the extra million dollars was not from its regular operations, individuals may mistakenly believe that ABC Corp.'s operations generated an extra million dollars. 

Sign Up For Term of the Day!

Try Our Stock Simulator!

Test your trading skills!

Related Definitions

  1. Calendar Year

    The one-year ...
  2. Accounting Period

    The time span in ...
  3. Tax Year

    The period of ...
  4. Fiscal Year - FY

    A period that a ...
  5. Year

    A period of time ...
  6. Securities And Exchange Commission - SEC

    A government ...
  7. SEC Form 10-Q

    A comprehensive ...
  8. Short Tax Year

    A tax year, ...
  9. Commercial Year

    A commercial ...
  10. Liquidator

    In the most ...

Articles Of Interest

  1. Introduction To Fundamental Analysis

    Learn this easy-to-understand technique of analyzing a company's financial statements and reports.
  2. Advanced Financial Statement Analysis

    Learn what it means to do your homework on a company's performance and reporting practices before investing.
  3. Revenue Projections Show Profit Potential

    Examining how a company makes money can offer clues about its earnings potential.
  4. The Impact Of Combining The U.S. GAAP And IFRS

    The convergence of accounting standards is changing the attitudes of CPAs and CFOs toward harmonization of international accounting.
  5. Analyze Cash Flow The Easy Way

    Find out how to analyze the way a company spends its money to determine whether there will be any money left for investors.
  6. Digging Into Book Value

    This calculation will serve up your portion of the shareholder pie.
  7. CPA, CFA Or CFP® - Pick Your Abbreviation Carefully

    A couple of letters can mean a big difference. Find out which designation you need and how to get it.
  8. Using Enterprise Value To Compare Companies

    Learn how enterprise value can help investors compare companies with different capital structures.
  9. Understanding Pro-Forma Earnings

    These figures can either shed light on a company's performance or skew it. Find out why.
  10. Analyzing Operating Margins

    Find out how to put this important component of equity analysis to work for you.

comments powered by Disqus
Recommended
Loading, please wait...
Trading Center