Working Capital Turnover

Filed Under »
Dictionary Says

Definition of 'Working Capital Turnover'

A measurement comparing the depletion of working capital to the generation of sales over a given period. This provides some useful information as to how effectively a company is using its working capital to generate sales.

Working Capital Turnover

Investopedia Says

Investopedia explains 'Working Capital Turnover'

A company uses working capital (current assets - current liabilities) to fund operations and purchase inventory. These operations and inventory are then converted into sales revenue for the company. The working capital turnover ratio is used to analyze the relationship between the money used to fund operations and the sales generated from these operations. In a general sense, the higher the working capital turnover, the better because it means that the company is generating a lot of sales compared to the money it uses to fund the sales.

For example, if a company has current assets of $10 million and current liabilities of $9 million, its working capital is $1 million. When compared to sales of $15 million, the working capital turnover ratio for the period is 15 ($15M/$1M). When used in fundamental analysis, this ratio can be compared to that of similar companies or to the company's own historical working capital turnovers.

Video Definition


Related Definitions

  • Turnover

    1. In accounting, the number of times an asset is replaced during a financial period. 2. The number of shares traded for a period as a percentage of the total shares in a portfolio or of ...
    Read More »
  • Working Capital

    A measure of both a company's efficiency and its short-term financial health. The working capital ratio is calculated as: Positive working capital means that the company is able to pay ...
    Read More »
  • Working Capital Loan

    A loan whose purpose is to finance everyday operations of a company.
    Read More »
    • Revenue

      The amount of money that a company actually receives during a specific period, including discounts and deductions for returned merchandise. It is the "top line" or "gross income" figure ...
      Read More »
    • Current Assets

      1. A balance sheet account that represents the value of all assets that are reasonably expected to be converted into cash within one year in the normal course of business. Current assets ...
      Read More »
    • Current Liabilities

      A company's debts or obligations that are due within one year. Current liabilities appear on the company's balance sheet and include short term debt, accounts payable, accrued ...
      Read More »
    • Inventory

      The raw materials, work-in-process goods and completely finished goods that are considered to be the portion of a business's assets that are ready or will be ready for sale. Inventory ...
      Read More »
    • Fundamental Analysis

      A method of evaluating a security that entails attempting to measure its intrinsic value by examining related economic, financial and other qualitative and quantitative factors. ...
      Read More »
    • Working Ratio

      A ratio used to measure a company's ability to recover operating costs from annual revenue. This ratio is calculated by taking the company's total annual expenses (excluding depreciation ...
      Read More »
    • Working Capital Management

      A managerial accounting strategy focusing on maintaining efficient levels of both components of working capital, current assets and current liabilities, in respect to each other. Working ...
      Read More »

Articles Of Interest

Partner Links