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: 2020-03-31), 10-K (reporting date: 2019-12-31), 10-Q (reporting date: 2019-09-30), 10-Q (reporting date: 2019-06-30), 10-Q (reporting date: 2019-03-31), 10-K (reporting date: 2018-12-31), 10-Q (reporting date: 2018-09-30), 10-Q (reporting date: 2018-06-30), 10-Q (reporting date: 2018-03-31), 10-K (reporting date: 2017-12-31), 10-Q (reporting date: 2017-09-30), 10-Q (reporting date: 2017-06-30), 10-Q (reporting date: 2017-03-31), 10-K (reporting date: 2016-12-31), 10-Q (reporting date: 2016-09-30), 10-Q (reporting date: 2016-06-30), 10-Q (reporting date: 2016-03-31), 10-K (reporting date: 2015-12-31), 10-Q (reporting date: 2015-09-30), 10-Q (reporting date: 2015-06-30), 10-Q (reporting date: 2015-03-31).
Total assets exhibited a consistent downward trajectory over the analyzed period, declining from 86,164 million USD in March 2015 to 73,530 million USD by March 2020. This overall contraction is primarily driven by a reduction in non-current assets, which fell from 82,875 million USD to 70,434 million USD during the same timeframe.
- Liquidity and Current Asset Volatility
- Current assets remained relatively stable for most of the period, typically fluctuating between 2,400 million USD and 3,300 million USD, with a notable exception in late 2018. A significant spike in cash and cash equivalents occurred in September 2018 (3,459 million USD) and December 2018 (3,280 million USD), which temporarily inflated total current assets to 5,766 million USD and 5,722 million USD respectively. Following this period, cash levels returned to a baseline range of 185 million USD to 360 million USD. Additionally, the emergence of 925 million USD in marketable securities in December 2019 suggests a strategic shift in short-term capital management toward the end of the period.
- Fixed Asset and Intangible Erosion
- Property, plant, and equipment, net, showed a gradual decline from 40,289 million USD in March 2015 to 36,041 million USD in March 2020. This downward trend is mirrored in the intangible asset accounts; goodwill decreased from 24,907 million USD to 20,851 million USD, and other intangibles, net, declined from 3,762 million USD to 2,616 million USD. These patterns indicate a steady reduction in the book value of long-term operational assets, likely due to depreciation, amortization, or impairment charges.
- Deferred Tax Asset Contraction
- One of the most significant drivers of the decline in total assets was the sharp reduction in non-current deferred income taxes. This item plummeted from 5,545 million USD in March 2015 to 845 million USD by March 2020. This represents a substantial decrease in the valuation of future tax benefits, contributing heavily to the overall shrinkage of the balance sheet.
- Investment Stability
- In contrast to the general decline in assets, the investments account showed a general upward trend, growing from 6,011 million USD in March 2015 to 7,886 million USD in March 2020. This suggests a reallocation of capital from physical infrastructure and tax assets toward financial investments.
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