Tuesday 27 December 2011

What free cash flow tells you

What free cash flow (FCF) tells us that earnings don't?

Let us have a look at Company ABC.

From 1995 through 1997, the company posted $100,000, $5.9 million, and $12.3 million in earnings.  Nice growth, right?

The company's FCF, by contrast, was negative $7.0 million, negative $28.0 million, and negative $57.4 million.  FCFs also grew - but in the opposite direction as earnings.

That's not necessarily bad.

FCF is equal to the cash a company generates minus the amount it invests.

Company ABC is investing a lot, which is why its FCFs are negative.



How much is a lot (of capital expenditure)?

A quick way to tell how quickly a company tears through money is to compare its capital spending with its long-term assets (mostly, its plant and equipment).  

While not perfect, the comparison at least gives us an idea of how aggressively a company is spending.  

Company ABC's capital spending as a percentage of its long-term assets has been as high as 43%.  That's a prolific spender.

At the opposite end of the spectrum would be company like Company XYZ, which cruises along spending an amount equal to about 5% of its long-term assets.

When you see a percentage as high as 30% or 40%, chances are you're dealing with a young company just getting on its feet.


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