Working Capital Turnover Ratio?

Meaning of Working Capital Turnover

Working capital turnover measures the revenue generated from every investment made in the form of working capital. The working capital turnover ratio helps the company to acknowledge the relationship between the working capital invested in the company to fund the routine operations and the amount of sales generated through these operations.

How to Calculate Working Capital Turnover Ratio?

The formula for calculating the working capital turnover ratio is as follows:

Working Capital Turnover Ratio = Net Sales / Working Capital

In the above formula,
Working Capital = Current Assets – Current Liabilities

If the ratio is lower, it means that the company has higher accounts receivables and inventory assets to support its sales. This is not a good sign, as it signifies that there is an excessive amount of out-of-date inventory and higher bad debts.

On the other hand, if it is higher, the management is very competent and efficient because they can utilize the short-term assets and liabilities of the company in a better way to support its sales. A higher ratio is a sign that all the business operations are running smoothly and there is no need for additional funds in the business. But not always. Sometimes a higher ratio also has a lot of drawbacks. We will also learn about those drawbacks in the later part of this article.

Let us take an example to understand the concept with more clarity.

Example

Calculate the working capital turnover ratio of Samsung Ltd. and LG Ltd. based on the following data. Compare and find which company has a more favorable ratio.

Particulars	Samsung	LG
Net Sales (A)	172,215	63,982
Current Assets (B)	458,964	33,569
Current Liabilities (C)	242,439	27,149
Working Capital (D) =	216,525	6,420
Working Capital Turnover (A ÷ D)	0.79	9.96

Since we know that Samsung and LG are competitors; the working capital turnover ratio helps determine which company is better at utilizing working capital. We have learned that a higher ratio signifies higher efficiency of the management of the company. We can see in the above example that LG has a better working capital turnover ratio than Samsung. This means that LG has a competitive edge over Samsung.

Higher working capital is beneficial for the organization, but sometimes there are cons attached to it.

You can also use Working Capital Turnover Calculator

Advantages of Higher Working Capital Turnover Ratio

• It ensures the smooth functioning of the operations of the company.
• It eliminates the requirement for additional funds.
• It helps to ease business expansion.
• It gives a competitive edge over its peer.

Disadvantages of Higher Working Capital Turnover Ratio

• An exceptionally higher ratio may also reflect that the company has insufficient funds to support sales growth.
• Higher working capital turnover often leads to the insolvency of the business.

Conclusion

The working capital turnover ratio is significant for business organizations to compare their performance with competitors. It gives a meaningful idea to the company in determining the efficiency of utilizing the working capital. However, a higher ratio interpretation should be made carefully. The picture is not always bright when the ratio is higher. Sometimes, a higher ratio is a sign of insufficient working capital in the business. Therefore, the analyst should use this ratio after considering the various aspects of the business and the industry.

There is another metric called days working capital. It helps in determining how many days are required by a business to convert its working capital into cash.

Read Efficiency Ratios for its other types.

Show References

1. What is the working capital turnover ratio? | AccountingCoach [Source]
2. What is Working Capital? [Source]
3. What Is the Working Capital Turnover Ratio? [Source]