A second-quarter announcement may contain both three-month and six-month figures. Read the start and end dates before comparing the columns. A new quarterly filing in FirmLens does not turn its annual financial table into a quarterly table.
One report can contain several periods
IAS 34 addresses reporting for periods shorter than a year. OpenDART distinguishes standalone three-month income-statement amounts from cumulative amounts in quarterly and half-year reports. Check the dates on each statement; the income and cash flow statements do not necessarily cover the same span.
A fictional second quarter inside a half-year total
Assume matching accounting policies and scope, with amendments already reflected. Amounts are in millions and represent no actual issuer.
| Period | Revenue |
|---|---|
| Q1: January–March | 100 |
| Year to date: January–June | 230 |
| Q2 alone: April–June | 230 − 100 = 130 |
| Prior-year Q2 alone | 110 |
Q2 year-over-year growth is (130 − 110) / 110, approximately 18.2%. Sequential growth from Q1 is (130 − 100) / 100 = 30%. Comparing the six-month total of 230 with the prior three-month amount of 110 would mix periods.
Multiplying by four does not create a forecast
Four times the fictional quarter’s 130 is 520. That is arithmetic, not an estimate that incorporates seasonality, year-end adjustments, price changes or acquisitions. A trailing-twelve-month total also needs four non-overlapping quarters prepared on a comparable basis.
Keep a period comparison note
Record the current dates, comparison dates, standalone or cumulative basis, consolidation scope and amendment status. If the first-quarter amount was revised in a later report, reconcile that revision before subtracting it from a cumulative total. When the difference remains unexplained, keep your derived quarter labelled as a calculation rather than presenting it as a reported fact.