Free Cash Flow (FCF) is a financial metric that measures the amount of cash a company generates after accounting for its capital expenditures (CAPEX) and other expenses necessary to maintain its current level of operations. It represents the cash that is available to be distributed to investors or reinvested back into the business.
To calculate FCF, you start with a company’s cash flow from operations (CFO) and subtract its capital expenditures. CFO includes all the cash that a company generates from its day-to-day operations, such as sales revenue, minus all the cash it spends to keep the business running, such as salaries and wages, rent, and utilities. Capital expenditures include all the cash a company spends on long-term assets like buildings, equipment, and machinery.
The formula for free cash flow is as follows:
Free Cash Flow = Cash Flow from Operations – Capital Expenditures
A positive FCF indicates that a company is generating more cash than it needs to maintain its current level of operations and invests in growth opportunities or return value to shareholders. A negative FCF, on the other hand, indicates that a company may need to raise additional capital or cut expenses to remain solvent.
Investors often use FCF to assess a company’s financial health, growth prospects, and ability to pay dividends or buy back shares. However, it’s important to note that FCF alone does not provide a complete picture of a company’s financial health, and it should be used in conjunction with other financial metrics and qualitative analysis.
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