Knowledge BaseIntrinsic value & DCF › Invested Capital
Intrinsic value & DCF

Invested Capital

The total money put into a business by lenders and shareholders that is funding its operations.

Part of the Intrinsic Value & DCF course · Lesson 5 of 15
Formula
Invested Capital = Total Debt + Total Equity - Non-operating Cash; or = Net Working Capital + Net Fixed Assets + Other Operating Assets

What it is

Invested capital is the sum of capital a company has raised and deployed to run its business — broadly, interest-bearing debt plus shareholders' equity, adjusted to focus on operating assets. It represents the base on which the company must earn a return. It is the denominator in return on invested capital (ROIC).

Why it matters

Comparing the profit a company generates (NOPAT) to its invested capital shows how efficiently it uses money — the essence of ROIC. A business that earns a high return on invested capital, well above its WACC, is creating value and often signals a durable competitive advantage.

How it's calculated

Two equivalent approaches. The financing view: total debt plus equity, minus non-operating cash and investments. The operating view: net working capital plus net property, plant and equipment plus other operating assets. Both should reconcile to roughly the same figure.

How Quintarthai uses it

Balance-sheet items behind invested capital — debt, equity, and cash — appear on each company's Financials tab, alongside the ROIC figures that use it.

Cross-border note. Lease accounting can shift the result: both US GAAP and IFRS now put most leases on the balance sheet, but classification differences mean a Canadian IFRS reporter and a US GAAP peer may present lease-related debt slightly differently. Check whether leases are included for an apples-to-apples comparison.

FAQ

Why subtract non-operating cash?
Excess cash sitting on the balance sheet is not being used to run the business, so including it would understate how efficiently the company turns operating capital into profit. Removing it gives a truer ROIC.
Related terms
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