Working Capital
The short-term money a company has tied up in running its business, measured as current assets minus current liabilities.
What it is
Working capital is the difference between a company's current assets (such as cash, receivables, and inventory) and its current liabilities (such as payables and short-term debt). It represents the cash a business needs to fund its day-to-day operations. Positive working capital means current assets exceed near-term obligations; negative working capital means the opposite.
Why it matters
Working capital indicates whether a company can meet its short-term bills and how efficiently it manages inventory and collections. Changes in working capital flow directly into operating cash flow — a rising investment in receivables or inventory ties up cash, while stretching payables frees it. Negative working capital is not always a warning sign; some efficient retailers run it deliberately because customers pay before suppliers do.
How it's calculated
Subtract current liabilities from current assets, both taken from the balance sheet. Analysts often track the period-over-period change because that change is what affects cash flow.
How Quintarthai uses it
Working-capital metrics have their own group in the Ratios tab on each stock's company page, alongside the balance-sheet figures that drive them.