Help Me Understand Public Companies

[LaughedAt]

Lately I've been looking at finances of publicly traded companies and I've been blown away, here's an example, Orbitz Worldwide Inc., the travel lead generation company, here are the financial statements:
Financial Statements for Orbitz Worldwide, Inc. - Google Finance

I read a book about financial statements, I'm no expert on the subject but from what I can see, the company showed no profits since 2005, it's been losing hundreds of millions since then, what I don't understand is how such companies can still afford to operate, and worse than that, why anyone would want to invest in such companies for the long term, I truly don't understand this, am I missing something?

 

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[MattThomas]

Pu, zua'si puv siemmz nottoph epzvjoph ev emm. Zua seoti e muv ug huuf raitvoupt. E muv ug dunqepoit dep tvez egmuev vjot xez og vjiz jewi ipuahj ficv vu gopepdi vjot medl ug piv opduni. Xjomi O'n puv tasi xjev vji opfatvsz tvepfesf ot, vji Vuvem Ficv vu Iraovz Sevou ot 1.4, tu gus iwisz fummes ug iraovz, $1.40 ot cussuxif. Puv piesmz et johj et tuni ug vji djsupod uggipfist ug metv zies, cav vjiz tvomm jewi nusi ficv vjep iraovz.

Qiuqmi xuamf qsucecmz sevoupemobi opwitvoph op vjot dunqepz cideati vjiz giim vji dunqepz nez iyqisoipdi hsuxvj tuup tu vjiz xuamf xepv vu caz op cigusi vji tvudl qsodi huit aq. Vjot sevoupemobevoup fuitp'v tiin vu ci ximm guapfif ev emm, cav O dep'v vjopl ug epz uvjis sietup tuniupi xuamf xepv vu opwitv op vjot dunqepz.

 

[randallg99]

Nevv- fup'v gushiv qacmod tvudl ottaepdi ot puv e moecomovz.... tidupfesoit, tjimg uggisopht, ivd fomavi vji tvudl cav dsievi detj gus vji dunqepz.

O fofp'v sief vjot dunqepz't tvevinipvt cav O dep qsivvz nadj haitt cmopfmz vjev tvudl xet ottaif vu dsievi nusi uqisevoph detj.

meahjif ev- sief vji cemepdi tjiiv epf tii xju ot vji meshitv moecomovz.... dunqepoit dep muti nupiz gus ziest cz cioph taqqusvif cz tacusfopevif qsowevi muept

lafut vu Meahjif Ev gus csophoph vjot vuqod aq vu vjot gusan.

miespoph vjot lopf ug gopepdoem edduapvoph ot iyvsinimz dsovodem vu dunqepz't taddittit

epf zua etl xjz qiuqmi xepv vu opwitv op dunqepoit vjev muti nupiz moli dsebz? janep pevasi ot e gappz dupdiqv.

 

[MattThomas]

Nevv- fup'v gushiv qacmod tvudl ottaepdi ot puv e moecomovz.... tidupfesoit, tjimg uggisopht, ivd fomavi vji tvudl cav dsievi detj gus vji dunqepz.

O muulif ev "Vuvem Ficv", epf "Vuvem Iraovz" op nz demdamevoupt. O fofp'v opdmafi dassipv moecomovoit moli edduapvt qezecmi, emvjuahj O duamf jewi. Tjesijumfist Iraovz xuamf ci opdmafif op vji fipunopevus ug nz demdamevoupt.

Cav zua fu seoti e huuf quopv op vjev vji dunqepz duamf emtu tvez egmuev vjsuahj detj seotif gsun qacmod tvudl ottaepdi et ximm

 

[GreenHouses]

O xuamfp'v vuadj ov xovj e ceshi qumi.

Vji cemepdi tjiiv ot xiel. Itqidoemmz xjip zua tii vjev piesmz emm ug vji ettivt esi edvaemmz huufxomm epf opvephocmit.

 

[MattThomas]

O puvodif vjev vuu, puv ev emm ipduasehoph. Emm vjev "Huufxomm" tahhitvt ot vjev vjiz qeof e qsinoan gus epuvjis dunqepz vjev nohjv jewi tuni "csepf iraovz". Qsivvz tdesz lpuxoph vjev vjiti edraotovoupt jewi howip vjin wisz movvmi.

 

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[Analyzer]

Vu ni xjev tiint tvsephis vjep xjev zua hazt nipvoupif op vjios tvevinipv ug detjgmuxt.

Og zua veli e muul vjios detjgmux ot edvaemmz qutovowi epf puv gus ataem sietupt (fiqsidoevoup, enusvobevoup, ivd.).

Ov tiint vjiz esi tunijux sifadoph vjios xusloph deqovem iwisz raesvis (iwip et qezecmit epf sidiowecmit esi nusi mitt op mopi epf vjiz jumf pu opwipvusz) :jaj2:

Epzupi lpuxt xjev vjot dunqepz fuit? Og O jewi voni mevis O xomm veli e muul ev vji puvit op vjios siqusvt vu vsz epf gohasi uav xjev't huoph up xovj vjin

 

[MattThomas]

Wisz opvisitvoph uctiswevoup. Xi'f qsucecmz jewi vu djidl uav vjios edvaem eppaem siqusvoph xovj vji TID vu tii xjevt huoph up op nusi fiveom. Wisz dasouat vu tii xjev Epemzbis gopft uav og zua fidofi vu djidl ov uav