Free cash flow takeaway
A quick read on the company's cash generation and what it means for investors.
Revenue was lower than both the prior quarter and the same quarter one year ago, while operating cash flow and free cash flow were deeply negative, reversing a positive free cash flow position from a year earlier. Free cash flow margin weakened substantially compared to both comparison periods.
- Revenue generated insufficient cash to cover capital expenditure, resulting in a large negative free cash flow and a deeply negative free cash flow margin. The operating cash flow was far below the revenue level, indicating a low cash conversion rate from revenue to cash.
- Compared to the immediately preceding quarter, revenue and operating cash flow both decreased, and free cash flow became more negative. Versus the same quarter one year earlier, revenue was lower while operating cash flow and free cash flow shifted from positive to negative, with free cash flow margin declining sharply.
FCF snapshot
Quarterly and TTM cash-flow metrics with the minimum valuation context.
TTM free cash flow
-$80.0B
Trailing twelve-month free cash flow.
Quarter free cash flow
-$55.5B
Free cash flow in the selected fiscal quarter.
Operating cash flow
-$54.1B
Cash generated by operations before capital spending.
CapEx
$1.5B
Capital spending and related asset purchases.
FCF margin
-285.8%
The share of revenue converted into free cash flow.
Cash flow trend
A short quarterly history shows whether FCF is scaling with revenue or only spiking for one period.
| Period | Revenue | Operating CF | CapEx | FCF | FCF margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-09-30 | $18.5B | -$2.0B | $1.2B | -$3.2B | -17.2% |
| 2022-12-31 | $18.0B | $12.8B | $2.0B | $10.8B | 60.2% |
| 2023-03-31 | $21.4B | -$30.5B | $1.6B | -$32.1B | -149.8% |
| 2023-06-30 | $19.4B | -$54.1B | $1.5B | -$55.5B | -285.8% |
Cash conversion quality
Checks that separate high-quality free cash flow from accounting noise or working-capital timing.
| FCF / net income | -1905.7% | Shows whether accounting earnings convert into cash. |
| CapEx / revenue | 7.7% | Lower capital intensity usually supports FCF margin. |
| Net cash | n/a | Cash and equivalents minus total debt. |
Recent events shaping cash flow
Near-term business events that help explain the free cash flow result.
Operating Cash Flow Decline
Operating cash flow was negative and significantly lower than both the prior quarter and the year-ago quarter. This drove free cash flow deeply negative despite a moderate capital expenditure level.
The pronounced drop in operating cash flow reversed the positive free cash flow seen a year earlier and widened the negative free cash flow relative to the prior quarter.
What the cash flow says
How to interpret the company's free cash flow beyond the headline number.
Revenue generated insufficient cash to cover capital expenditure, resulting in a large negative free cash flow and a deeply negative free cash flow margin. The operating cash flow was far below the revenue level, indicating a low cash conversion rate from revenue to cash.
Compared to the immediately preceding quarter, revenue and operating cash flow both decreased, and free cash flow became more negative. Versus the same quarter one year earlier, revenue was lower while operating cash flow and free cash flow shifted from positive to negative, with free cash flow margin declining sharply.
Monitor the evolution of operating cash flow, as its large negative value was the primary factor behind the free cash flow weakness this quarter.