What is a Cash Flow Analysis?

IronMount Corp and BronzeMetal Corp (both hypothetical companies) had identical cash positions at the beginning and end of 2007. Each company also reported a net income of $225,000 for 2007. Which company is displaying elements of cash flow stress? What factors cause you to reach this conclusion?

Let’s say Company ABC has just started a business and earned revenue of $100 this year. And as per the record, their expenses are $60. Now in general terms, you would say Company ABC has made a = $(100 – 60) = $40 profit. However, in the case of Company ABC, it’s seen that they have a revenue of $100 this year, but they have collected only $80 this year, and the remaining they will collect in the next year. In the case of expenses, they have only paid the US $50 this year and the remaining in the next year. So if we calculate the net cash inflow this year, it would be $(80 – 50) = $30.

So, even if Company ABC has made a profit of $40 this year, its net cash inflow is $30.

In Cash Flow Analysis, we will include the cash related to operations and expenses and incomes from investing and financing activities.

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Step by Step Cash Flow Statements Analysis

Cash Flow Analysis is divided into three parts – Cash flow from Operations, Cash flow from Investments, and Cash flow from financing. We discuss each of these by one.

#1 – Cash flow from Operations

Cash flow from the operation means accounting for cash inflows generated from the normal business operations and their corresponding cash outflows.

There are two ways to calculate cash flow from operations – 1) the Direct and 2) the Indirect method.

The indirect method is used in most cases.

Here we will look at only the indirect method for computing cash flow from Operations.

Computation of Cash Flow from Operations:

  • Before you start thinking about cash flow statement analysis, look at the income statement first. Now start with net income.You need to add back non-cash expenses like depreciation, amortization, etc. The reason behind adding back non-cash expensesExpensesNon-cash expenses are those expenses recorded in the firm’s income statement for the period under consideration; such costs are not paid or dealt with in cash by the firm. It involves expenses such as depreciation.read more is they are not actually expensed in cash (but in the record).It is the same with any sale of assets. If there is any loss on the sale of assets, we need to add it back, and if there is any gain on the sale of assets, we need to deduct it.And then, we need to take into account any changes in non-current assetsNon-current AssetsNon-current assets are long-term assets bought to use in the business, and their benefits are likely to accrue for many years. These Assets reveal information about the company’s investing activities and can be tangible or intangible. Examples include property, plant, equipment, land & building, bonds and stocks, patents, trademark.read more.Finally, we need to include changes in current assets and current liabilities (in current liabilities, we shouldn’t include dividend payableDividend PayableDividend payable is that portion of accumulated profits that is declared to be paid as dividend by the company’s board of directors. Until the dividend declared is paid to the concerned shareholders, the amount is recorded as a dividend payable in the head current liability.read more & notes payable.

Learn Cash Flow from Operations in detail – Cash Flow from OperationsCash Flow From OperationsCash flow from Operations is the first of the three parts of the cash flow statement that shows the cash inflows and outflows from core operating business in an accounting year. Operating Activities includes cash received from Sales, cash expenses paid for direct costs as well as payment is done for funding working capital.read more

Colgate’s Cash Flow from Operation Example

source: Colgate SEC Filings

  • Even though Colgate’s Net Income in 2015 was $1,548 million, its cash flow from Operations seems to be in line with the past. If you look closely at the 2015 Cash Flow from operations, there is a charge for Venezuela’s accounting change that has contributed $1,084 million in 2015. It was absent in 2013 and 2014. If you remove this charge, Colgate’s Cash Flow From Operations will not look too exciting.

#2 – Cash Flow from Investment Activities

Other than operations, the company also invests in assets that can provide them with greater returns. Cash Inflow from investing activities would include purchasing long-term assets or securities or selling them (except cash) and providing and taking loans. We need to find out how many cashless (loss or gain) activities are done during the period so we can take them into account while ascertaining the net cash inflow.

Though there is not much to be talked about here, two things should be taken into account.

  • First, we need to add back losses (if any) while selling long-term assets or marketable securitiesMarketable SecuritiesMarketable securities are liquid assets that can be converted into cash quickly and are classified as current assets on a company’s balance sheet. Commercial Paper, Treasury notes, and other money market instruments are included in it.read more. These losses should be added back as there is no cash outflow for the losses.Second, we need to deduct profits (if any) while selling long-term assets or marketable securities. These profits should be deducted because there is no cash inflow for the company’s profits.

Learn Cash Flow from Investments in detail – Cash flow from InvestmentsCash Flow From InvestmentsCash flow from investing activities refer to the money acquired or spent on the purchase or disposal of the fixed assets (both tangible and intangible) for the business purpose. For instance, the purchase of land and joint venture investment is cash outflow, while equipment sale is a cash inflow.read more

Colgate’s Cash Flow from Investment Example

  • Colgate’s Cash Flow Analysis from Investing Activities was at -685 million in 2015 and -859 million in 2014.Colgate’s core capital outlay was -691 million in 2015 as compared to -757 million in 2014.In 2015, Colgate got proceeds of $599 million from the sale of marketable securities and investments.Additionally, Colgate received $221 million from selling the South Pacific laundry detergent business.

#3 – Cash Flow from Financing Activities

  • First, if there is any buying back or issuing stocks, it will come under financing activities in cash flow analysis.Borrowing and repaying loans on a short term or long term issuing notes and bonds, etc.) will also be included under financing activitiesFinancing ActivitiesThe various transactions that involve the movement of funds between the company and its investors, owners, or creditors in order to achieve long-term growth are referred to as financing activities. Such activities can be analyzed in the financial section of the company’s cash flow statement.read more.We also need to include dividends paid (if any). However, we need to ensure that we don’t include accounts payableAccounts PayableAccounts payable is the amount due by a business to its suppliers or vendors for the purchase of products or services. It is categorized as current liabilities on the balance sheet and must be satisfied within an accounting period.read more or accrued liabilities (because they would be taken into account in net cash flow from operating activities).

Colgate’s Cash Flow from Financing Example

  • Colgate’s Financing activities have been pretty stable for 2015, 2014, and 2013.Colgate’s principal repayment on debt was -9,181 million in 2015, and its issuances stood at $9,602 million.Colgate has a stable dividend policyDividend PolicyDividend policy is the policy that the company adopts for paying out the dividends to the company’s shareholders, which includes the percentage of the amount at which the dividend is to be paid out to the stockholders and how frequent the company pays the dividend amount.read more. They paid -1,493 million in 2015 and -1446 million in 2014.As a part of its share buyback programShare Buyback ProgramShare buyback refers to the repurchase of the company’s own outstanding shares from the open market using the accumulated funds of the company to decrease the outstanding shares in the company’s balance sheet. This is done either to increase the value of the existing shares or to prevent various shareholders from controlling the company.read more, Colgate regularly buys back shares. In 2015, Colgate purchased $1551 million worth of shares.

Learn Cash Flow from Financing Activities in detail – Cash Flow from Financing ActivitiesCash Flow From Financing ActivitiesCash flow from financing activities refers to inflow and the outflow of cash from the financing activities like change in capital from securities like equity or preference shares, issuing debt, debentures or repayment of a debt, payment of dividend or interest on securities.read more

Cash Flow Analysis Example – IronMount vs. BronzeMetal

Let’s go back to the earlier cash flow analysis example that we started with – IronMount Corp and BronzeMetal Corp had identical cash positions at the beginning and end of 2007. Each company also reported a net income of $225,000 for 2007.

Perform its Cash Flow Analysis.

IronMount and Bronze Medal, both companies, have the same end-of-the-year cash of $365,900. Additionally, changes in cash during the year are the same at $315,900. Which company is displaying elements of cash flow stress?

  • We note that Cash Flow from Operations is negative for IronMount at -21,450. Gain on equipment sales is deducted as this is not an operating cash flow.  IronMount sale of equipment adds 307,350, contributing to the cash increase.On the other hand, when we look at BronzeMetal, we note that its cash flow from operations is strong at $374,250 and seems to be doing great in its business. They are not relying on the one-time sale of equipment to generate cash flows.With this, we conclude that IronMount is showing signs of stress due to low core operating incomeCore Operating IncomeOperating Income, also known as EBIT or Recurring Profit, is an important yardstick of profit measurement and reflects the operating performance of the business. It doesn’t take into consideration non-operating gains or losses suffered by businesses, the impact of financial leverage, and tax factors. It is calculated as the difference between Gross Profit and Operating Expenses of the business.read more and its reliance on other one-time items to generate cash.

Cash Flow Analysis Example – Alphabet (Google)

source: ycharts

  • Cash Flow From Operations – Google’s Cash Flow from Operations is generated from advertising revenues from Google properties and Google Network Members’ properties. Additionally, Google generates cash through sales of apps, in-app purchases and digital content, hardware products, licensing arrangements, and service fees received for Google Cloud offerings. Google’s Cash flow from operation shows an increasing trend primarily due to an increase in Net Income. Google’s Net Income was $14.14 billion in 2014, $16.35 billion in 2015, and $19.48 billion in 2016.Cash Flow From Investing Activities – Google’s investing activities primarily include purchasing marketable securities, cash collateral paid related to securities lending, and spending related to acquisitions.Cash Flow from Financing Activities – Cash Flow from Financing is driven by proceeds from the issuance of debt, debt repayments, repurchases of capital stockCapital StockThe capital stock is the total amount of share capital (including equity capital and preference capital) that has been issued by a company. It is a way of raising funds by the company to meet its various business goals.read more, and net payments related to stock-based award activitiesStock-based Award ActivitiesStock-based compensation also called share-based compensation refers to the rewards given by the company to its employees by way of giving them the equity ownership rights in the company with the motive of aligning the interest of the management, shareholders and the employees of the company.read more. Google’s Cash Flows from Financing activities are decreasing each year due to increased shares repurchased. In 2016, Google repurchased shares worth $3.304 billion compared to $2.422 billion in 2015.

Cash Flow Analysis Example – Box Inc

Limitations

Even if cash flow analysis is one of the best tools for investors to find out whether a company is doing well, cash flow analysis also has a few disadvantages. We will have a look at them one by one.

  • One of the most significant things about cash flow analysis is that it doesn’t consider any growth in the cash flow statement. The cash flow statement always shows what happened in the past. But past information may not be able to portray the right information about a company for investors interested in investing in the company. For example, if the company has invested a large amount of cash into R&D and would generate a huge amount of cash through its ground-breaking idea, these should come in the cash flow statement (but they don’t get included in the cash flow).Another disadvantage of the cash flow statement is this – it can’t be easily interpreted. For example, it’s difficult to understand from a cash flow statement whether a company is paying off its debt or investing more in assets. If you ask any investor to interpret the cash flow statementCash Flow StatementA Statement of Cash Flow is an accounting document that tracks the incoming and outgoing cash and cash equivalents from a business.read more, he wouldn’t be able to understand much without the help of the income statement and the other information about transactions that occurred throughout the period.A Cash Flow Statement is inappropriate if you want to understand the firm’s profitability because, in the cash flow statement, non-cash items are not considered. Thus, all the profits are deducted, and all the losses are added back to get the actual cash inflow or outflow.The Cash Flow Statement is articulated based on the cash basis of accounting and completely ignores the accrual concept of accounting.

Summary

Conclusion

To understand a company and its financial affairs, you need to look at all three statements and all the ratios. Only cash flow analysis would not be able to give you the right picture of a company. Look for net cash inflow, but also ensure you have checked how profitable the company has been over the years.

Also, cash flow analysis is not an easy thing to calculate. If you want to calculate cash flow analysis, you need to understand more than the basic level of finance. And you also need to understand financial terms, how they are captured in the statements, and how they reflect the income statementIncome StatementThe income statement is one of the company’s financial reports that summarizes all of the company’s revenues and expenses over time in order to determine the company’s profit or loss and measure its business activity over time based on user requirements.read more. Thus, if you want to do a cash flow analysis, first know how to see the income statement and understand what to include and what to exclude in the cash flow statement.

Cash Flow Analysis Video

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