Working Capital (WC) is the capital tied up in a company’s day-to-day operations — the difference between current assets (inventory, receivables, cash) and current liabilities (payables, short-term debt). Positive WC means the company can fund its short-term obligations from current assets.
Formula: Working Capital = Current Assets − Current Liabilities.
INR example: A FMCG company has ₹5,000 cr current assets and ₹3,200 cr current liabilities. WC = ₹1,800 cr. WC turnover ratio = Revenue ÷ WC — if revenue is ₹20,000 cr, turnover = 11x, meaning the company recycles its WC 11 times a year. Higher is better (capital-efficient).
When to use: For evaluating operational efficiency, liquidity, and red flags. Rapidly bloating working capital relative to revenue often signals deteriorating receivables quality, channel stuffing, or inventory pile-up — classic accounting-fraud or stress signals.
SEBI note: Disclosed in quarterly Balance Sheet (LODR Reg 33). Cross-check working-capital trend with operating cash flow — if OCF lags net profit growth, WC is absorbing the profit (low-quality earnings).
Related terms: OCF, Free Cash Flow, D/E Ratio.