Accounts Receivable (Historical) Formula in Excel

Gain deeper insight into a company's short-term financial health using the Accounts Receivable (Historical) formula in Excel with MarketXLS. This function helps you track the amounts owed to the company over different fiscal years and quarters, a crucial component on the balance sheet.

Understanding Accounts Receivable (Historical)

• Purpose and Use Cases
  The accounts receivable metric shows the total amount a company’s customers owe for goods or services delivered but not yet paid for. Track it historically to evaluate a company’s short-term liquidity trends and credit management efficiency.

• Key Benefits

  • Helps in analyzing a company’s cash flow management.
  • Useful for identifying payment cycle efficiency.
  • Ties directly into fundamental analysis and forecasting.

• When to Use
  Use this function during quarterly or annual evaluations to assess changes in accounts receivable. It is especially useful in forensic accounting or in analyzing cash flow projections.

Syntax and Parameters

Below is the complete syntax to use the formula in Excel:

=hf_Accounts_Receivable(Symbol, Year, [Quarter], [TTM])

Return Value
The function returns a numeric value representing the historical accounts receivable amount for the specified period. If the symbol or licensing is invalid, it returns "NA".

?? Note: If you request data for a date or period where data is not available, the function will return "NA".

Examples and Usage

Below are some practical examples demonstrating various ways to call the function:

• By specifying a regular symbol and year:

  =hf_Accounts_Receivable("MSFT", 2022)

  Returns the accounts receivable for Microsoft in 2022.

• Including quarter data:

  =hf_Accounts_Receivable("MSFT", 2022, 2)

  Returns the accounts receivable for the 2nd quarter of 2022.

• Using trailing twelve months (TTM):

  =hf_Accounts_Receivable("MSFT", 2022, 3, "TTM")

  Retrieves the rolling 12-month figure from the 3rd quarter of 2022.

• Fetching last-quarter data (using "lq"):

  =hf_Accounts_Receivable("MSFT", "lq")

  Returns the most recently available quarter's accounts receivable.

? Pro Tip: You can use Excel date functions or direct date strings for more dynamic references. For example:
• Using a cell reference for the date:

=hf_Accounts_Receivable(A1, 2023)

• Direct date string:

=hf_Accounts_Receivable("MSFT", "2023-07-31")

• Combined with Excel date functions:

=hf_Accounts_Receivable("MSFT", TEXT(A1,"yyyy-mm-dd"))

Common Questions

1. What if the symbol is invalid?

   • The function returns "NA" if the ticker or product you entered is not recognized.

2. Can I use this function for data older than several years?

   • Yes, as long as MarketXLS has historical fundamental data for that period; otherwise, you will see "NA".

3. Does the function handle large datasets quickly?

   • MarketXLS optimizes calculations, but performance may vary depending on your network speeds and the volume of historical requests.

4. Why might I get different values than a company’s published statements?

   • Data providers may use slightly different accounting cutoff dates. Cross-verify with official filings for precise alignment.

5. Is trailing twelve months (TTM) data always up to the latest quarter?

   • Yes, TTM aggregates the latest four quarters when available.

?? Note: Ensure that your MarketXLS subscription supports historical fundamentals. Otherwise, the function will return "NA" due to license limitations.

• Troubleshooting Tips

  • Double-check the parameter order and ensure you are using the correct symbol format (e.g., "MSFT", "^SPX").
  • Confirm your network connection and MarketXLS license validity.

• Best Practices

  • Combine with other MarketXLS historical functions for a holistic financial analysis.
  • Use it alongside ratios like current ratio or quick ratio for deeper liquidity insights.