Research & Development Expense As Percentage Of Revenue (Historical)

Returns R&D spending as a percentage of total revenue. This metric shows how much a company invests in innovation relative to its sales.

Supported Symbol Formats

Type Format Example
US Stocks SYMBOL AAPL, MSFT

Parameters

Parameter Required Description
Symbol Yes Stock ticker symbol
Year Yes Fiscal year (2020, 2021, etc.) or period code (lq, ly)
Quarter No Calendar quarter 1-4 (default: 1)
TTM No Enter "TTM" for trailing twelve months

Industry Benchmarks

Industry Typical R&D %
Pharmaceuticals 15-25%
Technology 10-20%
Automotive 4-6%
Consumer Goods 1-3%

Examples

Q4 2023 R&D/revenue %
=hf_RandD_Expense_as_percentage_of_revenue("MSFT", 2022, , "TTM")
2022 TTM R&D/revenue %
Last year R&D/revenue %

When to Use

  • Analyzing innovation investment trends
  • Comparing R&D intensity across companies
  • Technology sector analysis
  • Future growth potential assessment

When NOT to Use

Scenario Use Instead
Need SG&A expense ratio hf_SGandA_expense_as_percentage_of_revenue()
Need absolute R&D value hf_RandD_expense()
Need gross margin hf_Gross_margin()

Common Issues & FAQ

Q: Why do some companies have 0% R&D? A: Not all companies report R&D separately; some include it in other expense categories.

Q: Is higher R&D always better? A: Not necessarily. Efficiency of R&D spending matters more than absolute levels.

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MarketXLS Excel Add-in Tutorial - How to Use Research & Development Expense As Percentage Of Revenue (Historical) and Other Financial Formulas
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