Net sales represents the sales after the deduction of cash and trade discounts, returned sales, excise taxes, and allowances for which credit is given to customers.

Consensus estimates calculated by FactSet are based on estimates that have been validated via broker research within the past 100 days.

Net sales and the growth in net sales are indicators used to assess the prospects of a company. As opposed to net income, net sales is not subject to accounting adjustments such as depreciation, and does not depend on the company?s financial policy.
FactSet Estimates actual sales figures typically represent the company reported value for sales listed as the top line of the income statement. However, often the majority consensus (of brokers) uses a specific methodology when determining sales estimates, depending on the industry. In that case, FactSet will adjust the actual to match the majority consensus. For example, Ford Motor Company?s total sales line item for FQ2 2008 was $41,512 (mil), which was the sum of automotive sales $37,057 and financial services revenue $4,455. In this case, however, the majority consensus is primarily concerned with automotive sales. Thus, the actual sales figure in the FactSet Estimates database is $37,057.