Equity

Retained Earnings

Dow Retained Earnings decreased by 4.7% to $15.99B in Q1 2026 compared to the prior quarter. Year-over-year, this metric declined by 20.4%, from $20.10B to $15.99B. Over 5 years (FY 2020 to FY 2025), Retained Earnings shows relatively stable performance with a 0.5% CAGR. This decline may warrant attention — for this metric, higher values are generally preferred.

Analysis

StatementBalance Sheet Statement
SectionEquity
CategoryCapital Allocation
SignalHigher is better
VolatilityStable
First reportedQ3 2015
Last reportedQ4 2025

How to read this metric

Consistent growth in retained earnings signals a profitable business model that can sustain itself without constant external capital raises.

Detailed definition

The cumulative amount of net income that has been reinvested in the business rather than distributed to shareholders as...

Peer comparison

Mature, highly profitable companies like Apple may actually see this decrease if they return more cash to shareholders via buybacks than they earn in net income.

Metric ID: retained_earnings

Historical Data

20 periods
 Q2 '21Q3 '21Q4 '21Q1 '22Q2 '22Q3 '22Q4 '22Q1 '23Q2 '23Q3 '23Q4 '23Q1 '24Q2 '24Q3 '24Q4 '24Q1 '25Q2 '25Q3 '25Q4 '25Q1 '26
Value$18.20B$19.36B$20.62B$21.67B$22.83B$23.07B$23.18B$22.58B$22.57B$22.38B$21.77B$21.80B$21.74B$21.46B$20.91B$20.10B$18.77B$18.58B$16.78B$15.99B
QoQ Change+6.4%+6.5%+5.1%+5.3%+1.1%+0.5%-2.6%-0.1%-0.9%-2.7%+0.1%-0.3%-1.3%-2.6%-3.9%-6.6%-1.0%-9.7%-4.7%
YoY Change+25.4%+19.2%+12.4%+4.2%-1.1%-3.0%-6.1%-3.5%-3.7%-4.1%-4.0%-7.8%-13.7%-13.4%-19.7%-20.4%
Range$15.99B$23.18B
CAGR-2.7%
Avg YoY Growth-2.5%
Median YoY Growth-3.8%
Current Streak8 quarters decline

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Dow's retained earnings?
Dow (DOW) reported retained earnings of $15.99B in Q1 2026.
How has Dow's retained earnings changed year-over-year?
Dow's retained earnings decreased by 20.4% year-over-year, from $20.10B to $15.99B.
What is the long-term trend for Dow's retained earnings?
Over 5 years (2020 to 2025), Dow's retained earnings has grown at a 0.5% compound annual growth rate (CAGR), from $16.36B to $16.78B.
What does retained earnings mean?
The total profits the company has kept and reinvested since it started, after paying out any dividends.