Step 5 of 5 in How to read financial statementsCourse outline →
Free cash flow
Operating cash flow less capital expenditure — the money that can actually be handed to shareholders.
Formula
Capital expenditure is subtracted from operating cash flow. Many companies build their dividend policy on exactly this figure.
How to read the number
This is the only cash a company can allocate without borrowing or eating into the business itself.
When the metric lies
Where it is used
The metric is calculated across every security in the catalogue and appears on the instrument card, in the multiples table and in the screener.
Also known as: free cash flow, fcf