Do you want higher or lower free cash flow? (2024)

Do you want higher or lower free cash flow?

A higher free cash flow margin suggests that the company is effectively controlling its costs and is efficient in its operations. It's a sign of a healthy, well-run business with the potential for growth and profitability.

Is a higher or lower free cash flow better?

A lower free cash flow yield is worse because that means there is less cash available.

Is a higher or lower FCF better?

Free cash flow is arguably the most important financial indicator of a company's stock value. A positive FCFF value indicates that the firm has cash remaining after expenses. A negative value indicates that the firm has not generated enough revenue to cover its costs and investment activities.

Should price to free cash flow be high or low?

In short, the lower the price to free cash flow, the more a company's stock is considered to be a better bargain or value. As with any equity evaluation metric, it is most useful to compare a company's P/FCF to that of similar companies in the same industry.

Is high or low cash flow better?

Positive cash flow indicates that a company's liquid assets are increasing. This enables it to settle debts, reinvest in its business, return money to shareholders, pay expenses, and provide a buffer against future financial challenges. Negative cash flow indicates that a company's liquid assets are decreasing.

What is a good FCF percentage?

A “good” free cash flow conversion rate would typically be consistently around or above 100%, as it indicates efficient working capital management. If the FCF conversion rate of a company is in excess of 100%, that implies operational efficiency.

Why is low free cash flow bad?

A company with consistently low or negative FCF might be forced into costly rounds of fundraising in an effort to remain solvent. If a company has enough FCF to maintain its current operations but not enough FCF to invest in growing its business, that company might eventually fall behind its competitors.

Is high FCF good?

An abundant amount of FCF also shows that a company is generating more cash than it needs. Companies can also use their FCF to expand business operations or pursue other investments. So, when measuring a company's growth potential, FCF could serve as a better metric than earnings.

What is free cash flow for dummies?

You figure free cash flow by subtracting money spent for capital expenditures, which is money to purchase or improve assets, and money paid out in dividends from net cash provided by operating activities.

What does free cash flow to price tell you?

Introduction. The price to free cash flow is a metric used to evaluate and compare a firm's market price of a single share with its per-share price of free cash flow (FCF).

What happens if cash flow is too high?

If an event occurs that results in excess cash flows as defined in the credit agreement, the company must make a payment to the lender. The payment could be made a percentage of the excess flow, which is usually dependent on what event generated the excess cash flow.

What does higher cash flow mean?

Positive cash flow means a company has more money moving into it than out of it. Negative cash flow indicates a company has more money moving out of it than into it.

Is a decrease in cash flow good or bad?

Yes, a profitable company can have negative cash flow. Negative cash flow is not necessarily a bad thing, as long as it's not chronic or long-term. A single quarter of negative cash flow may mean an unusual expense or a delay in receipts for that period. Or, it could mean an investment in the company's future growth.

Is a negative FCF bad?

What Does Negative Free Cash Flow Mean? When there is no cash left over after meeting operating, capital, and adjusting for non-cash expenses, a company has negative free cash flow. This means that the company has no excess cash on hand in a given period, which could be a sign of poor financial health.

What stock has the best free cash flow?

What is Apple's free cash flow?

106.9B USD. Based on the financial report for Dec 30, 2023, Apple Inc's Free Cash Flow amounts to 106.9B USD.

Is free cash flow just profit?

Indication: Cash flow shows how much money moves in and out of your business, while profit illustrates how much money is left over after you've paid all your expenses.

Is free cash flow or profit?

Is free cash flow the same as profit? Free cash flow (FCF) is a measure of a business's profitability, but is not equivalent to overall net income. Net income is the amount of profit that a company has reported over a certain time period.

Why is free cash flow better than net income?

It shows how much cash was generated by the company during the period. Since it measures actual cash generation, it's much harder to manipulate than Net Income. Remember: Net Income is an opinion. Free Cash Flow is a fact.

Why do investors like free cash flow?

Free cash flow can be used to expand operations, bring on additional employees or invest in additional assets, and it can be put toward acquisitions or paid out in dividends to shareholders.

What is a healthy cash flow?

A healthy cash flow ratio is a higher ratio of cash inflows to cash outflows. There are various ratios to assess cash flow health, but one commonly used ratio is the operating cash flow ratio—cash flow from operations, divided by current liabilities.

What does healthy cash flow look like?

While it's perfectly fine to get some financial backing from business loans, a healthy cash flow ratio should be relatively low on financing cash. In the simplest terms, a healthy cash flow ratio occurs when you make more money than you spend.

What is a good cash flow?

If a business's cash acquired exceeds its cash spent, it has a positive cash flow. In other words, positive cash flow means more cash is coming in than going out, which is essential for a business to sustain long-term growth.

How much cash flow is enough?

When it comes to cash-flow management, one general rule of thumb suggests enough to cover three to six months' worth of operating expenses. However, true cash management success could require understanding when it might be beneficial to invest some cash elsewhere as well.

How do you know if cash flow is good?

Stable Cash Flow From Operating Activities (CFO)

Start by keeping track of your cash flow from operating activities over some time. If it's steady over the years, then it's a good sign. Look at the core business if the line's erratic with significant spikes and dips.