Working Capital

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Modified on 2009/11/04 09:26 by tmkern Categorized as Financial Analysis
See Also:
Balance Sheet
How to collect accounts receivable
Factoring
Working Capital Analysis
Working Capital from Real Estate
Quick Ratio Analysis
Current Ratio Analysis
Financial Ratios


What is Working Capital?

Formula: Current Assets - Current Liabilities = Working Capital

Working Capital is the difference between Current Assets versus Current Liabilities. (Current Assets are those assets that will be turned into cash within one year. Current Liabilities are those liabilities due within one year) This calculation represents the liquidity that a company has to meet its obligations coming due in the next 12 months. Though the amount should be positive, in times of distress it can be a negative amount.

Often as a management tool it is useful to track the change in working capital on a weekly basis. A company that is generating profits is usually increasing their working capital. Conversely, declining profits often consume working capital. See Flash Report