Working Capital (NWC)

Working capital, also known as net working capital (NWC), is the difference between a company’s current assets, such as cash, accounts receivable (customers’ unpaid bills) and inventories of raw materials and finished goods, and its current liabilities, such as accounts payable. Net operating working capital is a measure of a company’s liquidity and refers to the difference between operating current assets and operating current liabilities. In many cases these calculations are the same and are derived from company cash plus accounts receivable plus inventories, less accounts payable and less accrued expenses.