Working capital is defined as current assets minus current liabilities; it tells the financial statement user how much cash is tied up in the business through items such as receivables and inventories and also how much cash is going to be needed to pay off short term obligations in the next 12 months.
Working capital, also known as net working capital (NWC), is the difference between a company’s current assets—such as cash, accounts receivable/customers’ unpaid bills, and inventories of raw materials and finished goods—and its current liabilities, such as accounts payable and debts.
NWC is a measure of a company’s liquidity, operational efficiency, and short-term financial health. If a company has substantial positive NWC, then it should have the potential to invest and grow. If a company’s current assets do not exceed its current liabilities, then it may have trouble growing or paying back creditors. It might even go bankrupt.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Working capital, also called net working capital (NWC), represents the difference between a company’s current assets and current liabilities.
NWC is a measure of a company’s liquidity and short-term financial health.
A company has negative NWC if its ratio of current assets to liabilities is less than one.
Positive NWC indicates that a company can fund its current operations and invest in future activities and growth.
High NWC isn’t always a good thing. It might indicate that the business has too much inventory or is not investing its excess cash.