Similar to revenue, this will let you gauge whether or not that company is growing or shrinking and if there is potential into the future to make money. MacroAxis has a plethora of tools and research material to help you take this number to a whole other level. Comparing net income across companies can help you find which ones are growing, but you have to ensure they are in the same space and close to the same size because net income growth for a growing company could be exponential compared to an established one. Fundamental research is crucial to investing and net income is one of the more important numbers.