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Cash Flow Statement

Intermediate
14 min

What is Cash Flow Statement?

The Cash Flow Statement tracks how cash moves in and out of a business, divided into operating, investing, and financing activities.

Key Components:

  • Shows actual cash movement
  • Operating, investing, financing
  • Reconciles net income to cash
  • Assesses liquidity

Why it matters

Liquidity

Can company pay bills

Investment Quality

Strong cash flow indicates health

Growth Planning

Plan for expansion

Dividends

Capacity to pay dividends

Key Concepts

Operating

Cash from daily operations

Example: Customer payments...

Investing

Buying/selling assets

Example: Equipment purchase...

Financing

Cash from investors/creditors

Example: Bank loans...

Free Cash Flow

Operating CF - CapEx

Example: Cash available for investors...

How to use

1

Start with net income

From P&L

2

Add non-cash expenses

Depreciation

3

Adjust working capital

AR, AP, inventory

4

Calculate Operating CF

Core cash flow

5

Add investing/financing

Other activities

Example

Goal: Calculate operating cash flow
Net Income: ₹100k
+ Depreciation: ₹20k
- Increase AR: ₹10k
+ Decrease Inventory: ₹5k
= Operating CF: ₹115k
Result: Operating cash flow ₹115,000

Pro Tips

  • Focus on Operating CF: Core business health
  • Compare to net income: Should be similar or higher
  • Watch negative trends: Possible problems

Practice

Calculate free cash flow given operating cash flow of ₹200,000 and capital expenditures of ₹50,000