MarketXLS

Cash At Beginning Of Period (Historical)

Returns the cash and cash equivalents balance at the start of a reporting period. This is the opening balance from which the period's cash flows are added or subtracted.

Understanding the Metric

This represents:

  • Cash in bank accounts
  • Highly liquid short-term investments
  • Other cash equivalents

Relationship:

Beginning Cash + Net Change in Cash = Ending Cash

This equals the prior period's ending cash balance.

Parameters

Parameter Description
Symbol Stock ticker (e.g., AAPL, MSFT)
Year Fiscal year or period code (lq, ly, lq-1, ly-1, lt, lt-1)
Quarter Optional: 1, 2, 3, or 4 (default: 1)
TTM Optional: "TTM" for trailing twelve months

Period Codes

Code Meaning
lq Last reported quarter
lq-1 Quarter before last
ly Last fiscal year
ly-1 Year before last
lt Last trailing twelve months
lt-1 Prior trailing twelve months

Syntax

=hf_Cash_at_beginning_of_period(Symbol, Year, [Quarter], [TTM])
Excel Desktop (Windows)

Parameters

symbolstringRequired

Stock ticker symbol

yearstringRequired

Fiscal year (e.g., 2023) or period code (lq, lq-1, ly, ly-1, lt, lt-1)

quarterstring

Calendar quarter (1-4)

TTMstring

Set to 'TTM' for trailing twelve months

Returns

number

Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period (in currency units)

Examples

=hf_Cash_at_beginning_of_period("AAPL", 2023, 4)
Q4 2023 beginning cash
=hf_Cash_at_beginning_of_period("MSFT", "ly")
Last fiscal year start
=hf_Cash_at_beginning_of_period("GOOGL", 2023, , "TTM")
TTM period start
=hf_Cash_at_beginning_of_period(A1, B1, C1)
Cell references
=hf_Cash_at_beginning_of_period("META", "lq")
Last quarter start

When to Use

  • Reconciling cash flow statements
  • Verifying period-over-period cash changes
  • Building cash flow waterfall charts
  • Understanding starting liquidity position
  • Financial modeling and forecasting

When NOT to Use

Scenario Use Instead
Need ending cash balance hf_Cash_at_end_of_period()
Need cash change amount hf_Net_change_in_cash_and_cash_equivalents()
Need current cash position Use current period's ending cash
Need total liquidity Include short-term investments

Common Issues & FAQ

Why doesn't beginning cash match last period's ending cash?

There could be restatements, acquisitions, or accounting changes. For annual reports, Q4 beginning cash may include adjustments.

Does this include restricted cash?

Reporting varies by company. Some include restricted cash in this balance, others report it separately. Check the company's cash flow statement footnotes.

What's the difference from cash on the balance sheet?

These should match. The cash flow statement shows beginning and ending balances and reconciles the change between them.

Related Formulas

More MarketXLS Historical Fundamentals formulas you can use in the same worksheet:

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