CO
COHR
Mar 31, 2023
Quarter ended Mar 31, 2023 · FY2023 Q3

Coherent Corp. stock research

Coherent (COHR) Free Cash Flow — Quarter Ended Mar 31, 2023

In the current quarter, free cash flow turned positive compared to a year ago, though it declined from the prior quarter as operating cash flow decreased more than capital expenditure. Revenue was lower than the previous quarter but higher than the same quarter last year.

Free cash flow takeaway

A quick read on the company's cash generation and what it means for investors.

In the current quarter, free cash flow turned positive compared to a year ago, though it declined from the prior quarter as operating cash flow decreased more than capital expenditure. Revenue was lower than the previous quarter but higher than the same quarter last year.

  • Operating cash flow as a portion of revenue weakened from the prior quarter, while capital expenditure also declined. The resulting free cash flow margin was positive, a notable improvement from the negative margin in the same quarter one year earlier.
  • Compared with the immediately preceding quarter, free cash flow and free cash flow margin were lower, driven by a reduction in operating cash flow despite lower capital expenditure. Versus the same quarter one year earlier, free cash flow turned positive and the margin improved from negative to positive.

FCF snapshot

Quarterly and TTM cash-flow metrics with the minimum valuation context.

TTM free cash flow

$128.5M

Trailing twelve-month free cash flow.

Quarter free cash flow

$55.3M

Free cash flow in the selected fiscal quarter.

Operating cash flow

$152.4M

Cash generated by operations before capital spending.

CapEx

$97.1M

Capital spending and related asset purchases.

FCF margin

4.5%

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.

PeriodRevenueOperating CFCapExFCFFCF margin
2022-06-30$887.0M$137.3M$118.3M$19.0M2.1%
2022-09-30$1.3B$79.6M$139.0M-$59.4M-4.4%
2022-12-31$1.4B$220.5M$106.9M$113.6M8.3%
2023-03-31$1.2B$152.4M$97.1M$55.3M4.5%

Cash conversion quality

Checks that separate high-quality free cash flow from accounting noise or working-capital timing.

FCF / net income2171.2%Shows whether accounting earnings convert into cash.
CapEx / revenue7.8%Lower capital intensity usually supports FCF margin.
Net cash-$3.5BCash and equivalents minus total debt.

Recent events shaping cash flow

Near-term business events that help explain the free cash flow result.

Watch

Operating Cash Flow Change

Operating cash flow decreased versus the prior quarter, significantly reducing free cash flow even as capital expenditure also fell. This was the strongest observable driver of the sequential weakening.

The decline in operating cash flow more than offset the benefit of lower capital expenditure, leading to a lower free cash flow.

What the cash flow says

How to interpret the company's free cash flow beyond the headline number.

Operating cash flow as a portion of revenue weakened from the prior quarter, while capital expenditure also declined. The resulting free cash flow margin was positive, a notable improvement from the negative margin in the same quarter one year earlier.

Compared with the immediately preceding quarter, free cash flow and free cash flow margin were lower, driven by a reduction in operating cash flow despite lower capital expenditure. Versus the same quarter one year earlier, free cash flow turned positive and the margin improved from negative to positive.

Monitor whether operating cash flow can sustain or improve from the current quarter level, as it was the primary driver of the sequential decline in free cash flow.

COHR Free Cash Flow — Quarter Ended Mar 31, 2023