What is a good working capital percentage of sales?
Isabella Turner
Updated on December 27, 2025
Any point between 1.2 and 2.0 is considered a good working capital ratio. If the ratio is less than 1.0, it is known as negative working capital and indicates liquidity problems. A ratio above 2.0 may indicate that the company is not effectively using its assets to generate the maximum level of revenue possible.
What is working capital to sales ratio?
The working capital turnover ratio measures how well a company is utilizing its working capital to support a given level of sales. Working capital is current assets minus current liabilities.
How do you calculate working capital dollars?
Working capital is calculated by using the current ratio, which is current assets divided by current liabilities. A ratio above 1 means current assets exceed liabilities, and, generally, the higher the ratio, the better.
What does working capital to sales mean?
Also known as net sales to working capital, working capital turnover measures the relationship between the funds used to finance a company’s operations and the revenues a company generates to continue operations and turn a profit.
How do you interpret working capital turnover?
The working capital turnover ratio measures how efficiently a business uses its working capital to produce sales. A higher ratio indicates greater efficiency. In general, a high ratio can help your company’s operations run more smoothly and limit the need for additional funding.
Why is cash not included in working capital?
This is because cash, especially in large amounts, is invested by firms in treasury bills, short term government securities or commercial paper. Unlike inventory, accounts receivable and other current assets, cash then earns a fair return and should not be included in measures of working capital.
Does Profit affect working capital?
The relation between working capital and profitability is positive when firms hold low levels of working capital and becomes negative for higher levels of working capital. This allows us to confirm not only the greater profitability effect but also the greater risk effect for firms with low levels of working capital.
Is salary a working capital?
Which Items Are Included in Working Capital Costs? Most companies have at least two types of accounts in the current liabilities section of their balance sheets: accounts payable and salary/wages payable.
Is cash excluded from working capital?
While it is often appropriate to exclude non-cash working capital items, such as deferred tax assets and liabilities or depreciation, from the definition of working capital, cash is one item that we believe should rarely be excluded from the definition.
How do you manage cash flow and working capital?
5 Tips for improving working capital
- Choose the right KPIs to measure and set target performance metrics.
- Reduce inventory and increase inventory turnover.
- Convert to electronic payables and receivables.
- Share financial information and engage employees.
- Receive adequate financing.