Current Assets

Current Assets Definition

Current assets are expected to be consumed, sold, or converted into cash either in one year or in the operating cycle, whichever is longer. They are usually presented in order of liquidity on the balance sheet and include cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivables, inventory, prepaid, and other short-term assets.

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Source: Current Assets (wallstreetmojo.com)

Current Assets Definition

List of Current Assets

It includes the following –

Cash and Cash Equivalents
Marketable Securities
Account Receivables
Inventory/Stock
Prepaid Expenses
Non-Trade Receivables
Other Current Assets

Let us discuss these in detail –

#1 – Cash and Cash Equivalents

Companies need cash to run their day to day operations. Cash usually includes checking accountsCash Usually Includes Checking Accounts A checking account is a bank account that allows multiple deposits and withdrawals. Additionally, it provides superior liquidity.read more, coins and paper moneyPaper Money Paper money is a country's currency in banknotes that have a specific value and pay for goods and services. Paper money holds a country's government backing while the central bank controls the note's printing and circulation.read more, undeposited receipts, and money orders.

The excess cash is normally invested in low riskInvested In Low Risk Low-risk investments are the financial instruments with minimal uncertainties or chances of loss to the investors. Although such investments are safe, they fail to offer high returns to the investors. read more and highly liquid instruments to generate additional income. It is called cash equivalentsCash Equivalents Cash equivalents are highly liquid investments with a maturity period of three months or less that are available with no restrictions to be used for immediate need or use. These are short-term investments that are easy to sell in the public market..read more. Cash Equivalents may include commercial paper, money market mutual funds, bank certificate of depositsCertificate Of Deposits A certificate of deposit (CD) is an investment instrument mostly issued by banks, requiring investors to lock in funds for a fixed term to earn high returns. CDs essentially require investors to set aside their savings and leave them untouched for a fixed period.read more, and treasury securities.

Look at Microsoft 2007 Balance Sheet Assets – What is the % of cash & short-term investments as a % of “Total Assets.”

As we note from above, MacDonald’s percentage of cash and short-term investmentsCash And Short-term Investments Cash and Cash Equivalents are assets that are short-term and highly liquid investments that can be readily converted into cash and have a low risk of price fluctuation. Cash and paper money, US Treasury bills, undeposited receipts, and Money Market funds are its examples. They are normally found as a line item on the top of the balance sheet asset. read more to Total Assets was 58.28% in 2007 and 69.7% in 2006.

#2 – Marketable Securities

microsoft-breakup-of-marketable-securities

Marketable securitiesMarketable Securities Marketable securities are liquid assets that can be converted into cash quickly and are classified as current assets on a company's balance sheet. Commercial Paper, Treasury notes, and other money market instruments are included in it.read more are securities that are heavily traded on public exchanges. The buyers for these securities are readily available. Hence they are short-term assets. Marketable securities are of two types – Equity and debt securities.

#3 – Accounts Receivables

The credit given to the customer is known as Accounts ReceivablesAccounts Receivables Accounts receivables is the money owed to a business by clients for which the business has given services or delivered a product but has not yet collected payment. They are categorized as current assets on the balance sheet as the payments expected within a year. read more. It means that the company has rendered services or delivered the product to the customer. However, it has not collected the cash fully yet.

In Colgate, we note the following –

2014 – Net receivables is $1,552 mn, allowance is $54 mn; This implies Gross Accounts Receivables are $1,552 + $54 = $1,606 mn
2013 – Net receivables is $1,636 mn, allowance is $67 mn; This implies Gross Accounts Receivables are $1,636 + $67 = $1,703 mn

#4 – Inventory

Inventory means the goods and the material that is in stock. There are three Types of InventoryTypes Of Inventory Direct material inventory, work in progress inventory, and finished goods inventory are the three types of inventories. The raw material is direct material inventory, work in progress inventory is partially completed inventory, and finished goods inventory is stock that has completed all stages of production.read more – Raw material inventory, work in progress inventory, and finished goods inventory.

source: Colgate SEC Filings

We note that Colgate’s raw material inventoryRaw Material Inventory Raw materials inventory is the cost of products in the inventory of the company which has not been used for finished products and work in progress inventory. Raw material inventory is part of inventory cost which is reported under current assets on the balance sheet.read more was $266 million, Work in progress inventory was $42 million, and Finished Goods inventory was $863 million in 2016.

#5 – Prepaid expenses

These are exactly what they sound like. Suppose a company pays a $10 million insurance premium on the that will provide coverage for the entire month. In that case, the company will record a $10 million prepaid expense to account for the insurance expense it will show in the month that it already paid for.

Current Assets Example - Prepaid expense

source: Google SEC filings

We note above that Google’s Prepaid revenue share, expenses, and other assets have increased from $3,412 million in December 2014 to $37,20 million in March 2015.

#6 – Non-trade Receivables

Non-trade receivables are the receivables paid by employees, vendors, or other entities/persons for non-trade activities. Employees can owe loans or salary advances to the Company; vendors can owe the Company some prepaid deposits, tax authorities owe tax refunds, [wsm-tooltip header="Insurance Claims" description="An insurance claim refers to the demand by the policyholder to the insurance provider for compensating losses incurred due to an event covered by the policy. The company either validates or denies the claim based on their assessment and nature of the incurred losses." url="https://www.wallstreetmojo.com/insurance-claim/"]insurance claimsLast Day Of The Month In Excel The EOMONTH function can be used to find the last day of the month. This function's functionality is not limited to knowing the current month's last day; we may also choose to know the previous and next month's last days.read more by insurance companies are all examples of non-trade receivables. If these claims by the Company are to be matured or paid within one year, they are entered as non-trade receivables under current assets.

#7 – Other Current Assets

Other current assetsOther Current Assets Other current assets refer to the category of assets which record all the uncommon and insignificant assets readily convertible into cash and doesn't fit in any common current assets categories like cash & cash equivalents, inventory, trade receivables, etc.read more include any other assets held by the Company, which can be converted to cash in one year but cannot be classified under the above categories. Details of other assets held by the Company are generally provided in the notes to the financial statementsThe Financial Statements Financial statements are written reports prepared by a company's management to present the company's financial affairs over a given period (quarter, six monthly or yearly). These statements, which include the Balance Sheet, Income Statement, Cash Flows, and Shareholders Equity Statement, must be prepared in accordance with prescribed and standardized accounting standards to ensure uniformity in reporting at all levels.read more.

List of Current Assets Video

Current Assets Example

Consider the consolidated balance sheet of Apple.com for the year ended September 2018

Source: Apple Inc.

The company’s total current assets increased by 2.09% from $ 128,645 Mn to $ 131,339 Mn in 2017 and 2018, respectively.

We note the following about Apple’s Short Term Assets

The cash and cash equivalents in the case of Apple Inc. increased from $ 20,289 Mn to $ 25,913 Mn from 2017 to 2018, respectively.
The investment in marketable securities for Apple Inc. decreased from $ 53,892 Mn to $ 40,388 Mn from 2017 to 2018, respectively.
The net account receivables for Apple Inc. increased from $ 17,874 Mn to $ 23,186 Mn from 2017 to 2018, respectively.
Inventories for Apple Inc. decreased from $ 4,855 Mn in 2017 to $ 3,956 Mn in 2018.
Apple Inc. did not have any prepaid expenses.
Apple. Inc. has vendor non-trade receivables of $ 17,799 Mn in 2017, which increased to $ 25,809 Mn in 2018.
Apple Inc.’s other current assets decreased from $ 13,936 Mn in 2017 to $ 12,087 Mn in 2018.

Conclusion

Current Assets can be defined as a firm’s ability to convert the value of all assets into cash within a year. It can range from businesses like retail, Pharmaceuticals, or oil, depending upon its nature. If a company has cash, short-term investments, and cash equivalents, it will generate better returns by using such Assets.

Even the value of a firm, the financial health of a firm is determined by a company’s current assets. Using such Assets makes it a great way to evaluate a firm’s ability to provide funding to its operations.

Current Assets