Total Assets is the sum of current and long-term assets owned by a company. It is equal to Total Liabilities & Shareholders' Equity. More assets mean that the company could have a large market share in its industry and competitors will have a difficult time gaining entry.
When determining a company's Durable Competitive Advantage look at the Total Assets to see if it is large. More is better.
Equation
Check if Total Assets is a very large number:
Examples
In the year 2010, Coca-Cola's (KO) Total Assets is $57.8 Billion. That means competitors will find it difficult to enter into the beverage business and dominate because raising $57.8 Billion dollars is almost impossible.
Company: Coca-Cola
Total Assets = $57.8 Billion > $50 Billion
In the year 2010, Johnson and Johnson's (JNJ) Total Assets is $102.9 Billion. Competitors will find it difficult to enter the health products business because raising $102.9 Billion is difficult and will take a very long time.
Company: Johnson and Johnson
Total Assets = $102.9 Billion > $50 Billion
In the year 2010, Wal-Mart's (WMT) Total Assets is $180.6 Billion. They are the largest discount retailer. Nobody has that kind of money to efficiently compete with Wal-Mart.
Company: Wal-Mart
Total Assets = $180.6 Billion > $50 Billion