S&P 500 Year-over-Year Accounts Receivable Growth

Live value temporarily unavailable.

Source: Company filings (aggregated)

Data updated daily

What it measures

The S&P 500 receivables growth rate measures the year-over-year percentage change in aggregate accounts receivable for index constituents. A reading of +7% means S&P 500 companies collectively had 7% more outstanding receivables versus the equivalent period one year earlier.

Why it matters

Receivables growing faster than revenues is a well-established warning signal for earnings quality — it means revenue is being recognized before cash is collected, inflating reported profits without corresponding cash inflows. Sustained receivables growth that outpaces revenue growth leads to deteriorating days-sales-outstanding (DSO) and eventually cash flow misses. Conversely, receivables growing in line with revenues indicates clean, cash-backed revenue. At the index level, receivables trends also reflect terms-of-trade dynamics: in downturns, large companies often extend credit to maintain volume, worsening their own working capital.

How it is calculated

Receivables Growth (YoY) = (Σ Receivables_t − Σ Receivables_t−4Q) ÷ Σ Receivables_t−4Q × 100

LENSE computes the S&P 500 receivables growth rate as the year-over-year change in aggregate accounts receivable — the sum across current index constituents — not an average of individual company rates. Accounts receivable per constituent are sourced from as-reported quarter-end balance sheets. Constituents with negative prior-period receivables are excluded. Index constituency is resolved point-in-time using point-in-time index constituency.

Recent (monthly)

Recent data unavailable.

Data source: Company filings (aggregated). Computed and published by LENSE Analytics.