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Understanding the Balance Sheet Statement (Part      2)



The Assets side of Balance Sheet


In the previous chapter we looked at the liability side of the balance sheet in detail. We will now proceed to understand the 2nd half of the balance sheet i.e the Asset side of the balance sheet. The Asset side shows us all the assets the company owns (in different forms) right from its inception. Assets in simple terms are the resources held by a company, which help in generating the revenues. Here is the snapshot of the Assets side of the balance sheet:
As you can see the Asset side has two main sections i.e Non-current assets and Current assets. Both these sections have several line items (with associated notes) included within. We will look into each one of these line items.

Non-current assets (Fixed Assets)


Similar to what we learnt in the previous chapter, non-current assets talks about the assets that the company owns, the economic benefit of which is enjoyed over a long period (beyond 365 days). Remember an asset owned by a company is expected to give the company an economic benefit over its useful life.

If you notice within the non-current assets there is a subsection called “Fixed Assets” with many line items under it. Fixed assets are assets (both tangible and intangible) that the company owns which cannot be converted to cash easily or which cannot be liquidated easily. Typical examples of fixed assets are land, plant and machinery, vehicles, building etc. Intangible assets are also considered fixed assets because they benefit companies over a long period of time. If you see, all the line items within fixed assets have a common note, numbered 10, which we will explore in great detail shortly.

Here is the snapshot of fixed assets of Amara Raja Batteries Limited:

The first line item ‘Tangible Assets’ is valued at Rs.619.8Crs. Tangible assets consists of assets which has a physical form. In other words these assets can be seen or touched. This usually includes plant and machinery, vehicles, buildings, fixtures etc.


Likewise the next line item reports the value of Intangible assets valued at Rs.3.2 Crs. Intangible assets are assets which have an economic value, but do not have a physical nature. This usually includes patents, copyrights, trademarks, designs etc.


Remember when we discussed the P&L statement we discussed depreciation. Depreciation is a way of spreading the cost of acquiring the asset over its useful life. The value of the assets deplete over time, as the assets lose their productive capacity due to obsolescence and physical wear and tear. This value is called the Depreciation expense, which is shown in the Profit and Loss account and the Balance Sheet.


All the assets should be depreciated over its useful life. Keeping this in perspective, when the company acquires an asset it is called the ‘Gross Block’. Depreciation should be deducted from the Gross block, after which we can arrive at the ‘Net Block’.


Net Block = Gross Block –Accumulated Depreciation


Note, the term ‘Accumulated’ is used to indicate all the depreciation value since the incorporation of the company.


When we read tangible assets at Rs.619.8 Crs and Intangible assets at Rs.3.2 Crs, do remember the company is reporting its Net block, which is Net of Accumulated depreciation. Have a look at the Note 10, which is associated with fixed assets.


At the top of the note you can see the Gross Block, Depreciation/amortization, and Net block being highlighted. I have also highlighted two net block numbers which tallies with what was mentioned in the balance sheet.

Let us look at a few more interesting aspects on this note. Notice under Tangible assets you can see the list of all the assets the company owns.



For example, the company has listed ‘Buildings’ as one of its tangible asset. I have highlighted this part:-







As of 31st March 2013 (FY13) ARBL reported the value of the building at Rs.93.4 Crs. During the FY14 the company added Rs.85.8Crs worth of building, this amount is classified as ‘additions during the year’. Further they also wound up 0.668 Crs worth of building; this amount is classified as ‘deductions during the year’. Hence the current year value of the building would be:

Previous year’s value of building + addition during this year – deduction during the year

93.4 + 85.8 – 0.668

= 178.5Crs

You can notice this number being highlighted in blue in the above image. Do remember this is the gross block of the building. From the gross block one needs to deduct the accumulated depreciation to arrive at the ‘Net Block’. In the snapshot below, I have highlighted the depreciation section belonging to the ‘Building’.

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