Oshkosh Truck Corporation (OSK)

[Investorman]

Show Me the Money, Oshkosh
http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2010/10/11/show-me-the-money-oshkosh.aspx

Seth Jayson
October 11, 2010


Although business headlines still tout earnings numbers, many investors have moved past net earnings as a measure of a company's economic output. That's because earnings are very often less trustworthy than cash flow, since earnings are more open to manipulation based on dubious judgment calls.

Earnings' unreliability is one of the reasons Foolish investors often flip straight past the income statement to check the cash flow statement. In general, by taking a close look at the cash moving in and out of the business, you can better understand whether the latest batch of earnings brought money into the company, or merely disguised a cash gusher with a pretty headline.