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.
Based on: 10-Q (reporting date: 2020-03-31), 10-Q (reporting date: 2019-12-31), 10-K (reporting date: 2019-09-30), 10-Q (reporting date: 2019-06-30), 10-Q (reporting date: 2019-03-31), 10-Q (reporting date: 2018-12-31), 10-K (reporting date: 2018-09-30), 10-Q (reporting date: 2018-06-30), 10-Q (reporting date: 2018-03-31), 10-Q (reporting date: 2017-12-31), 10-K (reporting date: 2017-09-30), 10-Q (reporting date: 2017-06-30), 10-Q (reporting date: 2017-03-31), 10-Q (reporting date: 2016-12-31), 10-K (reporting date: 2016-09-30), 10-Q (reporting date: 2016-06-30), 10-Q (reporting date: 2016-03-31), 10-Q (reporting date: 2015-12-31), 10-K (reporting date: 2015-09-30), 10-Q (reporting date: 2015-06-30), 10-Q (reporting date: 2015-03-31), 10-Q (reporting date: 2014-12-31), 10-K (reporting date: 2014-09-30), 10-Q (reporting date: 2014-06-30), 10-Q (reporting date: 2014-03-31), 10-Q (reporting date: 2013-12-31).
The total asset base exhibited a general contraction between late 2013 and early 2017, followed by a period of gradual recovery through March 2020. Total assets peaked at 25,115 million USD in June 2014 before experiencing a significant decline to a minimum of 17,277 million USD by March 2017. Subsequent years showed a steady upward trend, with total assets returning to 21,711 million USD by the end of the period.
- Current Asset Trends
- Current assets decreased from approximately 10,000 million USD in 2013 to a low of 6,619 million USD in September 2018. This decline was primarily driven by a long-term reduction in receivables, which fell from 4,429 million USD in December 2013 to 2,641 million USD in March 2020. Cash and equivalents showed significant volatility, peaking at 5,039 million USD in March 2017 before dropping sharply to 1,093 million USD in September 2018, and eventually recovering to 2,583 million USD by March 2020. Inventories remained relatively stable around the 2,000 million USD mark, despite a temporary dip to 1,208 million USD in September 2016.
- Noncurrent Asset Dynamics
- Noncurrent assets were characterized by a sharp structural shift occurring in late 2016. Goodwill and other intangible assets saw a precipitous decline in September 2016, with goodwill falling from 6,667 million USD to 3,909 million USD and intangibles dropping from 1,411 million USD to 902 million USD. This suggests a major divestiture or impairment event. Following this contraction, these values recovered steadily, with goodwill rising back to 6,520 million USD and intangibles reaching 2,498 million USD by March 2020. Property, plant, and equipment remained the most stable noncurrent component, generally fluctuating between 2,800 million USD and 3,600 million USD.
- Asset Composition and Liquidity
- The proportion of liquid assets relative to total assets shifted over time. The sharp increase in cash in early 2017, coupled with the reduction in total assets, indicates a period of high liquidity during the structural reorganization of the balance sheet. The subsequent redistribution of assets suggests a strategic reallocation of capital into intangible assets and goodwill between 2017 and 2020, offsetting the continued decline in receivables.
The overall financial trajectory indicates a transition from a larger, more receivables-heavy asset base to a leaner structure that subsequently grew through the accumulation of intangible assets and the restoration of cash reserves. The volatility observed between 2016 and 2018 marks a distinct pivot in the company's asset management strategy.
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