Capital Turnover

Capital Turnover

Capital Turnover

Capital turnover is a measure that shows how good a company is at using its capital to make sales; a higher number means the company is more efficient, while a lower number could mean it's not making the most out of its money.

Capital turnover is a measure that shows how good a company is at using its capital to make sales; a higher number means the company is more efficient, while a lower number could mean it's not making the most out of its money.

Capital turnover is a measure that shows how good a company is at using its capital to make sales; a higher number means the company is more efficient, while a lower number could mean it's not making the most out of its money.


Capital turnover is a way to see how well a company is using its money to make more money through sales. It's like a scorecard that tells you if the company is really good at turning its investment into revenue. A high score means the company is efficiently using its resources to generate sales, while a low score could mean the company needs to do a better job at using its money to bring in sales.


Understanding the Capital Turnover

Haugen, R. A., & Baker, N. L. (1996). Commonality in the determinants of expected stock returns. Journal of financial economics, 41(3), 401–439. (Page 45)

What is Capital Turnover?

Capital turnover is a financial metric that helps us understand how efficiently a company is using its capital to generate sales. Think of it like a car's gas mileage: a car that can travel more miles per gallon is using its fuel more efficiently. Similarly, a company with a higher capital turnover ratio is using its invested money more efficiently to generate revenue.

How is it Calculated?

The formula to calculate capital turnover is relatively straightforward. You take the company's total sales and divide it by the average capital invested in the business over a year. The average capital is usually the sum of the total assets the company had at the start of the year and at the end, divided by two. This gives us a ratio, or a 'score,' that indicates how well the company is doing at converting its investment into sales.

Why is it Important?

This metric is crucial because it shows how effectively a company is at using its resources. Companies that have high capital turnover are generally seen as efficient because they generate more revenue with less investment. This often means that the company is well-managed and could be a safer bet for investors or stakeholders. On the flip side, a low capital turnover could indicate inefficiency, suggesting the company has room for improvement in how it uses its capital to generate sales.

Implications for Investors and Stakeholders

For investors, a higher capital turnover ratio could signify a more attractive investment, as it often points to better management and a more sustainable business model. For stakeholders like employees or suppliers, a high ratio could mean the company is financially stable, which generally means a more secure relationship in the long term.

In summary, capital turnover is a helpful indicator of a company's operational efficiency. A higher ratio is generally better and suggests the company is well-equipped to generate sales without needing excessive investment. It's a valuable metric to consider when assessing a company's financial health.

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Short-Term Reversal

Asset Growth

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Earnings Variability

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Maximum Daily Return

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Cash Flow Volatility

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Operating Accruals

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Accruals

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Cash-based Operating Profits-to-lagged Book Assets

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Inventory Growth

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Labor Force Efficiency

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Profit Growth

Highest 5 days of return scaled by volatility

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Short-Term Reversal

Tax Expense Surprise

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Return Volatility

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Pitroski F-score

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Ohlson O-score

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Share Turnover

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Market Beta

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Dimson Beta

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Amihud Measure

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Price Momentum

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Capital Turnover

Capital turnover is a measure that shows how good a company is at using its capital to make sales; a higher number means the company is more efficient, while a lower number could mean it's not making the most out of its money.

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Gross Profit Change

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Quality minus Junk: Growth

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Kaplan-Zingales Index

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Seasonality

R&D-to-Market

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Net Stock Issues

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Value