Days Sales Outstanding - DSO

Filed Under »
Dictionary Says

Definition of 'Days Sales Outstanding - DSO'

A measure of the average number of days that a company takes to collect revenue after a sale has been made. A low DSO number means that it takes a company fewer days to collect its accounts receivable. A high DSO number shows that a company is selling its product to customers on credit and taking longer to collect money.

Days sales outstanding is calculated as:

Days Sales Outstanding (DSO)
Investopedia Says

Investopedia explains 'Days Sales Outstanding - DSO'

Due to the high importance of cash in running a business, it is in a company's best interest to collect outstanding receivables as quickly as possible. By quickly turning sales into cash, a company has the chance to put the cash to use again - ideally, to reinvest and make more sales. The DSO can be used to determine whether a company is trying to disguise weak sales, or is generally being ineffective at bringing money in. For most businesses, DSO is looked at either quarterly or annually.

Related Video for 'Days Sales Outstanding - DSO'

Sign Up For Term of the Day!

Try Our Stock Simulator!

Test your trading skills!

Related Definitions

  1. Accounts Receivable - AR

    Money owed by ...
  2. Days Payable Outstanding - DPO

    A company's ...
  3. Days Sales Of Inventory - DSI

    A financial ...
  4. Cash Flow

    1. A revenue or ...
  5. Credit

    1. A contractual ...
  6. Cash Discount

    An incentive ...
  7. Accounts Receivable Aging

    A periodic ...
  8. Liquidator

    In the most ...
  9. Economic Profit (Or Loss)

    The difference ...
  10. Profit

    A financial ...

Articles Of Interest

  1. The Working Capital Position

    Learn how to correctly analyze a company's liquidity and beat the average investor.
  2. Understanding The Cash Conversion Cycle

    Find out how a simple calculation can help you uncover the most efficient companies.
  3. Working Capital Works

    A company's efficiency, financial strength and cash-flow health show in its management of working capital.
  4. Free Cash Flow: Free, But Not Always Easy

    Free cash flow is a great gauge of corporate health, but it's not immune to accounting trickery.
  5. Operating Performance Ratios: Operating Cycle

    An indepth look at the Operating Cycle Ratio, its calculations and comments.
  6. Advanced Financial Statement Analysis

    Learn what it means to do your homework on a company's performance and reporting practices before investing.
  7. The Impact Of Combining The U.S. GAAP And IFRS

    The convergence of accounting standards is changing the attitudes of CPAs and CFOs toward harmonization of international accounting.
  8. Analyze Cash Flow The Easy Way

    Find out how to analyze the way a company spends its money to determine whether there will be any money left for investors.
  9. Digging Into Book Value

    This calculation will serve up your portion of the shareholder pie.
  10. CPA, CFA Or CFP® - Pick Your Abbreviation Carefully

    A couple of letters can mean a big difference. Find out which designation you need and how to get it.

comments powered by Disqus
Recommended
Loading, please wait...
Trading Center