Explain why very profitable firms sometimes have negative free cash flows. | Homework.Study.com (2024)

Business Accounting Cash flow

Question:

Explain why very profitable firms sometimes have negative free cash flows.

Free Cash Flow:

Free cash flow is the remaining cash flow in the business after accounting for all operating expenses, dividend payments, and capital expenditures. Free cash flow will support the firm's operation to grow and achieve the shareholder's wealth maximization.

Answer and Explanation:1

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Free cash flow:

Free cash flow = Net income + Depreciation - Change in working capital - Change in capital expenditure.

If a business expenses more...

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Learn about types of cash flow. Study the cash flow definition in business, discover cash flow examples, and examine how to use the total cash flow formulae.

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Explain why very profitable firms sometimes have negative free cash flows. | Homework.Study.com (2024)

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Explain why very profitable firms sometimes have negative free cash flows. | Homework.Study.com? ›

Answer and Explanation:

Why would a very profitable firm sometimes have a negative cash flows? ›

A business could make net profit while having negative cash flow. Earning revenue does not necessarily mean that the company has received cash immediately. The actual movement of cash may happen later. For instance, a company sold goods and accrued profit on the income statement but did not receive the money yet.

Why might a profitable business have cash flow problems? ›

Even profitable businesses can experience issues with cash flow, and in fact, businesses that are growing very quickly are particularly susceptible to this issue. That's because they can spend heavily to fund their continued growth without having the revenues to sustain such a high level of spending.

Why do startups have negative cash flow? ›

There are an infinite number of factors that could contribute to a negative cash flow, the most common are: High operating expenses - these are costs associated the operating activities of a startup: rent, equipment, marketing, payroll, insurance, step costs, and funds allocated for research and development.

Can a company have negative free cash flow on Quizlet? ›

Yes. Negative free cash flow is not necessarily bad. Most rapidly growing companies have negative free cash flows because the fixed assets and working capital needed to support rapid growth generally exceed cash flows from existing operations.

What factor can negatively affect cash flows? ›

If sales are slow or delayed, cash flow may be negatively affected. 2. Expenses: The amount and timing of expenses can also impact cash flow. If expenses are high or unexpected, cash flow may be reduced.

What causes negative cash flow from financing activities? ›

Transactions That Cause Negative Cash Flow from Financing Activities. Negative CFF numbers can mean the company is servicing debt, but can also mean the company is retiring debt or making dividend payments and stock repurchases, which investors might be glad to see.

What is negative cash flow? ›

Negative cash flow is when more money is flowing out of a business than into the business during a specific period. Positive cash flow is simply the opposite — more money is flowing in than flowing out.

Why might a profitable business lack cash? ›

If customers delay payments or default on their invoices, the company may be profitable on paper but lack the cash inflow it needs to operate. Inventory Management: If a company has a lot of its cash tied up in inventory that it can't sell quickly, it might run short of cash for other operating needs.

What are the five main causes of cash flow problems? ›

5 Biggest Causes of Cash Flow Problems
  • Avoiding Emergency Funds. Businesses — like individuals — need to be prepared for the unexpected. ...
  • Not Creating a Budget. ...
  • Receiving Late Customer Payments. ...
  • Uncontrolled Growth. ...
  • Not Paying Yourself a Salary.
May 3, 2023

Why would companies have negative operating cash cycle? ›

A negative cash conversion cycle means that inventory is sold before you have to pay for it. Or, in other words, your vendors are financing your business operations. A negative cash conversion cycle is a desirable situation for many businesses.

When a company has a negative cash flow from operating activities? ›

A negative figure in cash flow from operating activities indicates that the organisation has not been operating profitably and is short of cash to repay its creditors and to find the financing of its asset replacement/business expansion. Q.

Why do small businesses fail cash flow? ›

Poor inventory causes a slew of expensive problems that can directly impact cash flow. They include: Ordering new items you don't actually need, simply because you couldn't find them. Expired items that should have been sold (even at a discount) before they became worthless.

Why would a company have negative FCF? ›

If a company's sales are struggling, they may choose to extend more generous payment terms to their clients, ultimately leading to a negative adjustment to FCF. Alternatively, perhaps a company's suppliers are not willing to extend credit as generously and now require faster payment.

How can a company have positive earnings and negative free cash flow? ›

Hence, examples of situations when a company might have positive EPS but negative FCF include: The company is investing heavily in fixed assets such as machinery. The company has a temporary build up of working capital, e.g. inventory is increasing or Accounts Payable is decreasing.

What would affect the free cash flow of a company? ›

The most common items that impact the formula (on a simple balance sheet) are accounts receivable, inventory, and accounts payable.

How can cash flow be positive but not profitable? ›

If a company sells an asset or a portion of the company to raise capital, the proceeds from the sale would be an addition to cash for the period. As a result, a company could have a net loss while recording positive cash flow from the sale of the asset if the asset's value exceeded the loss for the period.

Why a company with very high net profits can still be in cash flow problems? ›

In accrual accounting, transactions are recorded when revenue is generated or expenses are incurred not when necessarily cash is received or paid. Hence, if a company is generating good net income does not mean that the company has a good cash balance.

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