Investopedia explains 'Last Twelve Months - LTM'
A twelve-month period can provide a useful set of data for a number of reasons. For example, when evaluating the earnings of a retail company, data from one quarter would not provide an accurate picture of performance since retail companies do most of their business around the winter holidays. When evaluating an investment, a twelve-month period is sometimes long enough to smooth out the effects of short-term swings in the market, and give an idea of the investment's potential future direction.
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