As a company owner, you may be in search of effective ways to increase your profit. Various aspects have to be considered when handling your finances because the inflow of money needs to shoot up over time. In order to make it consistent, the company has to find an avenue that opens the doors to massive returns. Profit cannot be increased just by calculating the expenses and managing it; calibrating the risks and handling all challenges will further help the company build a secure financial statement. Net working capital is one factor that needs to be kept track of in order to generate more profits. Let us look at this aspect of business accounts in detail to improve the handling of finances.
Net Working Capital
Almost every business owner will have come across the term net working capital, which is simply a value that indicates the profit or loss of a company. Although it doesn’t directly show the loss or profit the company has attained; instead, it sums up to a certain amount that translates into the financial stability a company may or may not acquire over a period of time. NWC is essentially the difference between the current assets and current liabilities of a company. If the obtained value is negative, it means the company has more liabilities than assets. On the other hand, a positive value indicates the company’s ability to pay off the debts with the remaining assets. When the business has attained a positive value, it also means that new investments can be made with the existing funds.
Net Working Capital Ratio
This is the ratio that measures the percentage of current assets of a company to the short-term liabilities. Like you use net working capital to determine the total assets and liabilities of a company, the NWC ratio can also be used for the same so that the company has a clear picture of where the funds need to be directed. The net working capital ratio is calculated as:
(Current Assets) / (Current Liabilities)
When considering this value, the optimal ratio is almost often checked in order to see the drawbacks or the level by which the value falls beneath the peak point. The optimal ratio is 1.2 – 2 times the value obtained for current assets to the number of current liabilities. If the ratio is higher, it indicates that the company isn’t using all the current assets wisely. Asset management of a company can be made easier with the liquidity measures such as working capital ratio and quick ratio.
What Does the Change in Net Working Capital Indicate?
The operating cash flow is calculated with net working capital changes, which is always recorded on the cash flow statements. Your business’s increasing or decreasing value of assets can be checked for with the changes happening to the net working capital.