Working Capital Ratios by Sector

Data Used: Value Line database, of 6177 firms

Date of Analysis: Data used is as of January 2013

can be obtained by clicking here

on which companies are included in each industry


Industry Name Number of Firms Accounts Receivable/Sales Inventory/Sales Accounts Payable/Sales Cash/Sales Non-cash Working Capital/Sales Working capital/ Sales
Advertising 32 49.32% 1.25% 57.07% 18.49% -15.76% 2.74%
Aerospace/Defense 66 10.91% 22.15% 12.94% 12.47% 3.70% 16.17%
Air Transport 36 6.58% 1.37% 4.66% 12.86% -9.83% 3.02%
Apparel 54 10.92% 17.51% 7.14% 8.23% 17.43% 25.66%
Auto Parts 54 15.09% 9.57% 13.70% 7.90% 6.54% 14.45%
Automotive 12 24.62% 9.92% 12.95% 16.39% 18.26% 34.65%
Bank 416 NA NA NA NA NA NA
Bank (Midwest) 68 NA NA NA NA NA NA
Beverage 35 12.10% 10.34% 20.94% 14.63% 2.45% 17.08%
Biotechnology 214 17.55% 12.85% 6.24% 126.09% 3.04% 129.13%
Building Materials 43 11.62% 11.03% 9.32% 10.15% 7.14% 17.29%
Cable TV 20 7.84% 0.72% 9.53% 8.87% -8.83% 0.03%
Chemical (Basic) 18 11.21% 14.06% 12.10% 11.70% 11.03% 22.73%
Chemical (Diversified) 33 14.65% 13.72% 10.31% 12.49% 14.01% 26.50%
Chemical (Specialty) 70 15.17% 11.66% 8.61% 8.16% 14.24% 22.40%
Coal 20 10.08% 8.18% 10.25% 11.01% 4.02% 15.03%
Computer Software 191 20.19% 0.97% 4.57% 66.26% -11.79% 54.47%
Computers/Peripherals 81 14.51% 3.95% 12.35% 14.96% -1.42% 13.53%
Diversified Co. 113 65.40% 12.91% 10.48% 31.43% 51.59% 83.02%
Drug 223 20.11% 12.03% 10.80% 27.46% 8.77% 36.23%
E-Commerce 64 17.28% 0.76% 6.32% 51.46% -12.77% 38.69%
Educational Services 33 6.04% 0.55% 2.75% 23.57% -5.34% 18.23%
Electric Util. (Central) 20 10.30% 8.66% 8.59% 2.35% 7.13% 9.48%
Electric Utility (East) 17 10.75% 7.15% 9.03% 5.13% 4.96% 10.09%
Electric Utility (West) 15 9.96% 4.27% 9.75% 4.33% -0.65% 3.68%
Electrical Equipment 64 16.45% 12.30% 9.80% 18.29% 12.38% 30.68%
Electronics 123 14.99% 12.15% 12.59% 8.88% 11.11% 19.99%
Engineering & Const 30 15.53% 4.11% 8.49% 9.97% 3.85% 13.82%
Entertainment 76 18.92% 5.02% 13.14% 14.41% 3.72% 18.13%
Entertainment Tech 42 10.81% 4.54% 8.42% 57.32% -17.58% 39.74%
Environmental 84 15.34% 2.31% 6.89% 4.70% 1.65% 6.34%
Financial Svcs. (Div.) 256 33.01% 1.30% 17.43% 116.02% 18.08% 134.10%
Food Processing 119 8.07% 10.97% 8.53% 4.73% 7.33% 12.06%
Foreign Electronics 10 17.88% 13.33% 12.18% 14.84% 2.96% 17.80%
Funeral Services 6 10.60% 5.70% 9.81% 5.57% 4.18% 9.75%
Furn/Home Furnishings 32 11.69% 13.01% 9.01% 6.64% 12.73% 19.38%
Healthcare Information 20 23.95% 0.56% 3.10% 40.29% 5.18% 45.47%
Heavy Truck & Equip 23 23.32% 17.42% 12.36% 11.26% 21.10% 32.36%
Homebuilding 22 3.15% 106.70% 7.62% 39.00% 86.48% 125.48%
Hotel/Gaming 57 10.22% 4.14% 4.10% 16.73% -1.68% 15.05%
Household Products 27 9.58% 9.74% 9.10% 5.78% 4.70% 10.48%
Human Resources 25 17.18% 0.06% 4.70% 4.81% 5.00% 9.81%
Industrial Services 136 18.57% 3.77% 8.14% 10.03% 9.23% 19.26%
Information Services 28 18.55% 0.00% 11.41% 11.41% -0.35% 11.05%
Insurance (Life) 32 NA NA NA NA NA NA
Insurance (Prop/Cas.) 62 NA NA NA NA NA NA
Internet 194 9.23% 3.82% 11.58% 56.80% -6.87% 49.93%
Investment Companies 31 57.52% 0.00% 22.33% 13.26% -1.09% 12.17%
IT Services 63 16.26% 0.42% 3.87% 20.61% 1.72% 22.33%
Machinery 94 16.36% 15.66% 9.29% 9.95% 16.92% 26.87%
Maritime 51 10.40% 2.50% 5.27% 16.98% 3.06% 20.05%
Med Supp Invasive 87 18.40% 14.54% 7.93% 21.56% 19.76% 41.32%
Med Supp Non-Invasive 143 8.99% 8.39% 10.71% 11.93% 3.10% 15.04%
Medical Services 118 7.65% 0.88% 9.62% 8.93% -1.19% 7.74%
Metal Fabricating 25 17.17% 13.59% 5.67% 17.35% 19.09% 36.44%
Metals & Mining (Div.) 77 9.92% 11.44% 12.92% 17.58% 3.48% 21.06%
Natural Gas (Div.) 31 16.11% 2.54% 21.14% 13.16% -3.66% 9.51%
Natural Gas Utility 27 9.39% 4.70% 6.45% 2.55% 4.92% 7.46%
Newspaper 14 12.04% 0.87% 5.76% 9.87% -1.89% 7.98%
Office Equip/Supplies 22 14.07% 8.81% 10.49% 6.91% 6.55% 13.46%
Oil/Gas Distribution 12 12.46% 3.64% 14.45% 4.35% -0.80% 3.55%
Oilfield Svcs/Equip. 81 23.04% 12.41% 11.46% 13.68% 17.66% 31.34%
Packaging & Container 27 13.40% 11.89% 10.92% 5.79% 8.77% 14.56%
Paper/Forest Products 32 12.53% 11.00% 8.67% 9.40% 11.04% 20.44%
Petroleum (Integrated) 26 11.16% 6.03% 12.74% 5.26% 1.96% 7.22%
Petroleum (Producing) 176 9.29% 3.35% 8.68% 4.98% -0.57% 4.41%
Pharmacy Services 18 4.98% 8.73% 4.75% 3.54% 4.18% 7.72%
Pipeline MLPs 53 9.07% 3.08% 6.73% 1.27% 0.06% 1.33%
Power 101 17.09% 8.22% 10.94% 12.88% 6.55% 19.44%
Precious Metals 83 5.93% 13.96% 10.27% 31.33% 7.69% 39.01%
Precision Instrument 82 17.58% 14.50% 7.19% 24.19% 16.67% 40.87%
Property Management 31 34.46% 2.40% 37.81% 28.47% -1.45% 27.02%
Public/Private Equity 12 21.06% 3.08% 18.72% 72.67% -12.46% 60.21%
Publishing 29 22.19% 7.10% 9.88% 6.91% 9.84% 16.76%
R.E.I.T. 127 5.65% 0.00% 15.78% 95.40% -10.12% 85.28%
Railroad 12 8.82% 3.23% 7.34% 5.69% -1.44% 4.24%
Recreation 51 8.48% 5.87% 4.31% 10.43% -1.34% 9.09%
Reinsurance 11 NA NA NA NA NA NA
Restaurant 65 3.19% 2.49% 3.84% 8.70% -5.00% 3.70%
Retail (Hardlines) 79 8.29% 14.54% 9.26% 9.65% 7.26% 16.91%
Retail (Softlines) 42 0.84% 13.01% 6.31% 11.18% 3.43% 14.61%
Retail Automotive 19 9.48% 17.59% 9.80% 2.39% 13.70% 16.10%
Retail Building Supply 10 2.13% 15.48% 7.58% 2.64% 5.22% 7.85%
Retail Store 38 2.16% 10.92% 8.14% 2.99% 0.77% 3.76%
Retail/Wholesale Food 30 3.42% 5.69% 6.40% 2.50% 1.16% 3.66%
Securities Brokerage 27 151.87% 554.59% 351.12% 249.29% 54.70% 303.98%
Semiconductor 142 10.97% 11.94% 7.41% 36.49% 6.28% 42.77%
Semiconductor Equip 10 16.06% 15.10% 12.66% 40.45% 12.78% 53.23%
Shoe 17 11.94% 15.46% 6.94% 13.94% 17.31% 31.24%
Steel 33 11.37% 19.86% 9.51% 7.05% 16.40% 23.45%
Telecom. Equipment 105 17.25% 7.75% 10.14% 54.67% -1.72% 52.95%
Telecom. Services 76 10.96% 1.53% 14.67% 18.67% -11.41% 7.25%
Telecom. Utility 23 12.74% 1.51% 13.18% 6.06% -6.11% -0.05%
Thrift 170 NA NA NA NA NA NA
Tobacco 11 6.83% 12.22% 6.15% 7.62% -1.90% 5.72%
Toiletries/Cosmetics 14 8.34% 11.95% 6.29% 10.01% 7.99% 18.00%
Trucking 34 11.07% 0.82% 5.50% 4.44% 4.88% 9.32%
Water Utility 11 12.50% 3.69% 10.99% 2.37% 13.87% 16.24%
Wireless Networking 58 15.00% 6.80% 6.21% 17.11% 8.99% 26.10%
Total Market 6177 15.22% 12.01% 12.99% 19.60% 5.88% 25.48%


Last Updated in January 2013
By Aswath Damodaran