Financial Reporting Quality: Aggregate Accruals
Earnings can be decomposed into cash and accrual components. The accrual component (aggregate accruals) has been found to have less persistence than the cash component, and therefore (1) earnings with higher accrual component are less persistent than earnings with smaller accrual component, all else equal; and (2) the cash component of earnings should receive a higher weighting evaluating company performance.
Balance-Sheet-Based Accruals Ratio
Cisco Systems Inc., balance sheet computation of aggregate accruals
US$ in millions
| Jul 25, 2026 | Jul 26, 2025 | Jul 27, 2024 | Jul 29, 2023 | Jul 30, 2022 | Jul 31, 2021 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operating Assets | |||||||
| Total assets | 129,637) | 122,291) | 124,413) | 101,852) | 94,002) | 97,497) | |
| Less: Cash and cash equivalents | 7,218) | 8,346) | 7,508) | 10,123) | 7,079) | 9,175) | |
| Less: Investments | 8,700) | 7,764) | 10,346) | 16,023) | 12,188) | 15,343) | |
| Operating assets | 113,719) | 106,181) | 106,559) | 75,706) | 74,735) | 72,979) | |
| Operating Liabilities | |||||||
| Total liabilities | 79,352) | 75,448) | 78,956) | 57,499) | 54,229) | 56,222) | |
| Less: Short-term debt | 10,161) | 5,232) | 11,341) | 1,733) | 1,099) | 2,508) | |
| Less: Long-term debt, excluding current portion | 19,372) | 22,861) | 19,621) | 6,658) | 8,416) | 9,018) | |
| Operating liabilities | 49,819) | 47,355) | 47,994) | 49,108) | 44,714) | 44,696) | |
| Net operating assets1 | 63,900) | 58,826) | 58,565) | 26,598) | 30,021) | 28,283) | |
| Balance-sheet-based aggregate accruals2 | 5,074) | 261) | 31,967) | (3,423) | 1,738) | —) | |
| Financial Ratio | |||||||
| Balance-sheet-based accruals ratio3 | 8.27% | 0.44% | 75.07% | -12.09% | 5.96% | — | |
| Benchmarks | |||||||
| Balance-Sheet-Based Accruals Ratio, Competitors4 | |||||||
| Apple Inc. | — | 17.98% | -12.64% | -9.04% | -2.12% | 36.09% | |
| Arista Networks Inc. | — | -3.85% | -26.64% | 17.14% | 106.22% | — | |
| Dell Technologies Inc. | -11.02% | 18.00% | -9.55% | 12.16% | -89.81% | — | |
| Lumentum Holdings Inc. | 22.34% | 9.52% | 17.76% | 56.73% | -0.44% | — | |
| Super Micro Computer Inc. | 90.50% | -0.59% | 105.84% | 3.74% | 58.35% | — | |
| Balance-Sheet-Based Accruals Ratio, Sector | |||||||
| Technology Hardware & Equipment | 0.00% | 11.87% | 12.03% | -6.32% | -13.26% | — | |
| Balance-Sheet-Based Accruals Ratio, Industry | |||||||
| Information Technology | 0.00% | 14.20% | 20.88% | 8.81% | 19.09% | — | |
Based on: 10-K (reporting date: 2026-07-25), 10-K (reporting date: 2025-07-26), 10-K (reporting date: 2024-07-27), 10-K (reporting date: 2023-07-29), 10-K (reporting date: 2022-07-30), 10-K (reporting date: 2021-07-31).
1 2026 Calculation
Net operating assets = Operating assets – Operating liabilities
= 113,719 – 49,819 = 63,900
2 2026 Calculation
Balance-sheet-based aggregate accruals = Net operating assets2026 – Net operating assets2025
= 63,900 – 58,826 = 5,074
3 2026 Calculation
Balance-sheet-based accruals ratio = 100 × Balance-sheet-based aggregate accruals ÷ Avg. net operating assets
= 100 × 5,074 ÷ [(63,900 + 58,826) ÷ 2] = 8.27%
4 Click competitor name to see calculations.
The analysis of financial reporting quality reveals significant volatility in balance-sheet-based accruals and the corresponding accruals ratio over the five-year period ending July 25, 2026.
- Net Operating Assets
- Net operating assets experienced a moderate decline from US$ 30,021 million in 2022 to US$ 26,598 million in 2023, followed by a substantial increase to US$ 58,565 million in 2024. This represents a more than twofold increase within a single fiscal year. Growth continued at a more measured pace thereafter, reaching US$ 63,900 million by July 2026.
- Balance-Sheet-Based Aggregate Accruals
- Aggregate accruals exhibited extreme fluctuations throughout the period. After starting at US$ 1,738 million in 2022, the value shifted to a negative US$ 3,423 million in 2023. A sharp peak occurred in July 2024, with accruals surging to US$ 31,967 million. This was followed by a precipitous drop to US$ 261 million in 2025 and a subsequent rise to US$ 5,074 million in 2026.
- Balance-Sheet-Based Accruals Ratio
- The accruals ratio mirrored the volatility of the aggregate accruals. The ratio transitioned from 5.96% in 2022 to -12.09% in 2023, before spiking to an anomalous 75.07% in 2024. This extreme peak indicates a period of significant divergence between accounting earnings and cash flows. The ratio subsequently normalized to 0.44% in 2025 and settled at 8.27% in 2026.
The observed patterns indicate that the fiscal year ending July 27, 2024, served as a major outlier, characterized by a simultaneous surge in both net operating assets and aggregate accruals. This event substantially inflated the accruals ratio before the metric returned to more stable and conventional levels in the final two years of the analyzed period.
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Cash-Flow-Statement-Based Accruals Ratio
Cisco Systems Inc., cash flow statement computation of aggregate accruals
US$ in millions
| Jul 25, 2026 | Jul 26, 2025 | Jul 27, 2024 | Jul 29, 2023 | Jul 30, 2022 | Jul 31, 2021 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net income | 13,267) | 10,180) | 10,320) | 12,613) | 11,812) | 10,591) | |
| Less: Net cash provided by operating activities | 14,177) | 14,193) | 10,880) | 19,886) | 13,226) | 15,454) | |
| Less: Net cash (used in) provided by investing activities | (3,484) | 1,733) | (20,478) | (5,107) | 1,553) | (5,285) | |
| Cash-flow-statement-based aggregate accruals | 2,574) | (5,746) | 19,918) | (2,166) | (2,967) | 422) | |
| Financial Ratio | |||||||
| Cash-flow-statement-based accruals ratio1 | 4.19% | -9.79% | 46.78% | -7.65% | -10.18% | — | |
| Benchmarks | |||||||
| Cash-Flow-Statement-Based Accruals Ratio, Competitors2 | |||||||
| Apple Inc. | — | -13.44% | -25.90% | -14.62% | 0.00% | 4.86% | |
| Arista Networks Inc. | — | 163.65% | 82.06% | 36.37% | 52.90% | — | |
| Dell Technologies Inc. | -17.24% | 12.75% | -15.65% | 11.23% | -20.97% | — | |
| Lumentum Holdings Inc. | -216.55% | -0.60% | -19.33% | 33.53% | -2.83% | — | |
| Super Micro Computer Inc. | 85.99% | -7.24% | 99.04% | 0.89% | 56.84% | — | |
| Cash-Flow-Statement-Based Accruals Ratio, Sector | |||||||
| Technology Hardware & Equipment | 0.00% | -8.09% | -3.01% | -9.60% | -4.09% | — | |
| Cash-Flow-Statement-Based Accruals Ratio, Industry | |||||||
| Information Technology | 0.00% | 5.89% | 5.99% | 1.37% | 3.25% | — | |
Based on: 10-K (reporting date: 2026-07-25), 10-K (reporting date: 2025-07-26), 10-K (reporting date: 2024-07-27), 10-K (reporting date: 2023-07-29), 10-K (reporting date: 2022-07-30), 10-K (reporting date: 2021-07-31).
1 2026 Calculation
Cash-flow-statement-based accruals ratio = 100 × Cash-flow-statement-based aggregate accruals ÷ Avg. net operating assets
= 100 × 2,574 ÷ [(63,900 + 58,826) ÷ 2] = 4.19%
2 Click competitor name to see calculations.
The analysis of aggregate accruals and net operating assets reveals a period of significant volatility, characterized by a substantial divergence between cash flows and accrual-based reporting during the 2024 fiscal year. While the company exhibited conservative accrual patterns in the surrounding years, the mid-period spike represents a notable shift in financial reporting quality metrics.
- Net Operating Assets Expansion
- Net operating assets remained relatively stable between 2022 and 2023, before experiencing a dramatic increase in 2024, rising from 26,598 million to 58,565 million. This expanded asset base was maintained through 2026, reaching 63,900 million, indicating a significant and permanent increase in the scale of the operational balance sheet.
- Aggregate Accruals Volatility
- Cash-flow-statement-based aggregate accruals were negative in 2022, 2023, and 2025, suggesting that cash flows exceeded accrual earnings during these periods. A sharp anomaly occurred in 2024, where accruals surged to 19,918 million. This trend reversed abruptly in 2025, with accruals returning to a negative value of -5,746 million, before ending at 2,574 million in 2026.
- Accruals Ratio Dynamics
- The accruals ratio fluctuated significantly, moving from -10.18% in 2022 to a peak of 46.78% in 2024. This high positive ratio in 2024 indicates a period where reported earnings were heavily supported by non-cash accruals rather than cash flow, typically signaling lower earnings quality for that specific period. The subsequent correction to -9.79% in 2025 suggests a return to a conservative reporting profile, followed by a moderation to 4.19% in 2026.
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