Depreciation & Amortization D&A
Non-cash charges that spread the cost of long-lived assets over the years they are used.
What it is
Depreciation spreads the cost of tangible assets like machinery, buildings, and equipment over their useful lives, while amortization does the same for intangible assets like patents, software, and acquired customer lists. Both are non-cash expenses — the cash went out when the asset was bought, and these charges just allocate that cost over time. D&A appears as an expense on the income statement and is added back on the cash-flow statement.
Why it matters
D&A reduces reported profit without consuming cash in the period, which is why it is added back to compute EBITDA and operating cash flow. The size of D&A relative to capital spending also hints at whether a company is reinvesting enough to maintain its asset base.
How it's calculated
Each asset's cost (less any salvage value) is divided over its estimated useful life, most commonly on a straight-line basis; the period's D&A is the sum across all assets being depreciated or amortized.
How Quintarthai uses it
D&A is shown on the Financials 10-yr tab and feeds the EBITDA and cash-flow figures on a company's deep-analysis page — open a company page.