Balance Sheet: Assets
Quarterly Data
The balance sheet provides creditors, investors, and analysts with information on company resources (assets) and its sources of capital (its equity and liabilities). It normally also provides information about the future earnings capacity of a company assets as well as an indication of cash flows that may come from receivables and inventories.
Assets are resources controlled by the company as a result of past events and from which future economic benefits are expected to flow to the entity.
Assets: Selected Items
Current Assets: Selected Items
Based on: 10-Q (reporting date: 2020-05-31), 10-Q (reporting date: 2020-02-29), 10-Q (reporting date: 2019-11-30), 10-K (reporting date: 2019-08-31), 10-Q (reporting date: 2019-05-31), 10-Q (reporting date: 2019-02-28), 10-Q (reporting date: 2018-11-30), 10-K (reporting date: 2018-08-31), 10-Q (reporting date: 2018-05-31), 10-Q (reporting date: 2018-02-28), 10-Q (reporting date: 2017-11-30), 10-K (reporting date: 2017-08-31), 10-Q (reporting date: 2017-05-31), 10-Q (reporting date: 2017-02-28), 10-Q (reporting date: 2016-11-30), 10-K (reporting date: 2016-08-31), 10-Q (reporting date: 2016-05-31), 10-Q (reporting date: 2016-02-29), 10-Q (reporting date: 2015-11-30), 10-K (reporting date: 2015-08-31), 10-Q (reporting date: 2015-05-31), 10-Q (reporting date: 2015-02-28), 10-Q (reporting date: 2014-11-30), 10-K (reporting date: 2014-08-31), 10-Q (reporting date: 2014-05-31), 10-Q (reporting date: 2014-02-28), 10-Q (reporting date: 2013-11-30).
The overall asset structure exhibits a significant expansion in scale and a fundamental shift in composition between November 2013 and May 2020, characterized by a massive increase in intangible assets and a later structural adjustment in lease accounting.
- Strategic Asset Growth and Consolidation
- A primary inflection point is observed in February 2015, where total assets increase from approximately $48.6 billion to over $71 billion. This expansion is driven by a surge in goodwill, which rises from $2.3 billion to $17 billion, and the simultaneous recognition of net intangible assets totaling $12.2 billion. This pattern, coupled with a sharp temporary decline in equity method investments during the same period, indicates a transition from equity-accounted interests to the full consolidation of a major entity.
- Liquidity and Working Capital Trends
- Cash and cash equivalents demonstrate extreme volatility, peaking at $12.8 billion in November 2014 and remaining elevated through May 2017. However, a significant downward trend follows, with cash balances falling below $1 billion from August 2018 through May 2020. Working capital components, specifically net accounts receivable and inventories, both experienced structural step-ups in early 2015. Receivables increased from a range of $2.7–$3.5 billion to a range of $6–$7.8 billion, while inventories rose from approximately $6–$7 billion to a range of $8–$11 billion, reflecting a larger operational scale.
- Non-Current Asset Evolution
- Property, plant, and equipment remained relatively stable, fluctuating between $12 billion and $15 billion, with a gradual decline toward $13 billion by May 2020. Equity method investments, after the initial 2015 drop, recovered and stabilized between $6 billion and $7 billion from 2016 onward. A notable accounting shift is observed in November 2019 with the introduction of operating lease right-of-use assets valued at $21.6 billion, which contributed to a spike in total assets to $90.8 billion.
- Total Asset Trajectory
- The trajectory of total assets shows three distinct phases: a baseline period from 2013 to 2014 (approximately $36–$48 billion), a period of consolidated growth from 2015 to 2018 (approximately $66–$74 billion), and a final peak in late 2019 resulting from the capitalization of lease assets, reaching approximately $90 billion before moderating to $86.4 billion by May 2020.
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