Free cash flow takeaway
A quick read on the company's cash generation and what it means for investors.
Free cash flow turned positive this quarter, though the margin remained thin. Operating cash flow was lower than the prior quarter but improved from a year ago.
- Revenue was higher than both the prior quarter and the same quarter last year. Operating cash flow, however, was lower than the prior quarter, while capital expenditure was slightly higher, resulting in a free cash flow margin that weakened sequentially but improved from a year ago.
- Compared to the immediately preceding quarter, free cash flow and margin were lower. Compared to the same quarter one year earlier, free cash flow and margin were higher, as the prior year had negative free cash flow.
FCF snapshot
Quarterly and TTM cash-flow metrics with the minimum valuation context.
TTM free cash flow
$6.7B
Trailing twelve-month free cash flow.
Quarter free cash flow
$197.0M
Free cash flow in the selected fiscal quarter.
Operating cash flow
$2.5B
Cash generated by operations before capital spending.
CapEx
$2.3B
Capital spending and related asset purchases.
FCF margin
0.4%
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-03-31 | $41.5B | $2.8B | $1.8B | $1.0B | 2.5% |
| 2023-06-30 | $45.0B | $5.0B | $1.9B | $3.1B | 6.9% |
| 2023-09-30 | $43.8B | $4.6B | $2.2B | $2.4B | 5.4% |
| 2023-12-31 | $46.0B | $2.5B | $2.3B | $197.0M | 0.4% |
Cash conversion quality
Checks that separate high-quality free cash flow from accounting noise or working-capital timing.
| FCF / net income | -37.7% | Shows whether accounting earnings convert into cash. |
| CapEx / revenue | 5.0% | 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 lower than the prior quarter despite higher revenue, which was the strongest observable driver of the sequential weakening in free cash flow.
The lower operating cash flow directly reduced free cash flow compared to the prior quarter.
What the cash flow says
How to interpret the company's free cash flow beyond the headline number.
Revenue was higher than both the prior quarter and the same quarter last year. Operating cash flow, however, was lower than the prior quarter, while capital expenditure was slightly higher, resulting in a free cash flow margin that weakened sequentially but improved from a year ago.
Compared to the immediately preceding quarter, free cash flow and margin were lower. Compared to the same quarter one year earlier, free cash flow and margin were higher, as the prior year had negative free cash flow.
Monitor the relationship between operating cash flow and capital expenditure, as a relatively small change in either could significantly affect free cash flow.