Free Cash Flow Yield: Definition, Formula, and How to Calculate (2024)

What Is Free Cash Flow Yield?

Free cash flow yield is a financial solvency ratio that compares the free cash flow per share a company is expected to earn against its market value per share. The ratio is calculated by taking the free cash flow per share divided by the current share price. Free cash flow yield is similar in nature to the earnings yield metric, which is usually meant to measure GAAP (generally accepted accounting principles) earnings per share divided by share price.

The Formula for Free Cash Flow Yield is:

FreeCashFlowYield=FreeCashFlowperShareMarketPriceperShareFree\ Cash\ Flow\ Yield=\frac{Free\ Cash\ Flow\ per\ Share}{Market\ Price\ per\ Share}FreeCashFlowYield=MarketPriceperShareFreeCashFlowperShare

1:38

Free Cash Flow Yield: A Fundamental Indicator

What Does theFree Cash Flow YieldReveal?

Generally, the lower the ratio, the less attractive a company is as an investment, because it means investors are putting money into the company but not receiving a very good return in exchange. A high free cash flow yield result means a company is generating enough cash to easily satisfy its debt and other obligations, including dividend payouts.

Some investors regard free cash flow, which excludes capital expenditures but considers other ongoing costs a business incurs to keep itself running, as a more accurate representation of the returns shareholders receive from owning a business. They prefer to use free cash flow yield as a valuation metric over an earnings yield.

In addition to sustaining ongoing operations, cash flow from operations is also a funding source for a company's long-term capital investments. Before tapping into any outside financing, a company first uses its operating cash flow to meet capital expenditure requirements. Anything left is referred to as free cash flow and becomes available to equity holders.

For investors preferring cash flow yield as a valuation metric over valuation multiples, the free cash flow yield would be a more accurate representation of investment returns, compared to yields based on cash flow not fully returnable or accounting earnings.

Key Takeaways

  • A higher free cash flow yield is ideal because it means a company has enough cash flow to satisfy all of its obligations.
  • If the free cash flow yield is low, it means investors aren't receiving a very good return on the money they're investing in the company.
  • The free cash flow yield gives investors an idea of how financially capable a company is at having quick access to cash in case of unexpected debts or other obligations, or how much cash would be available if the company had to be liquidated.

The Difference Between Cash Flow and Earnings

Free cash flow derives from operating cash flow, which is the net result of actual cash received and paid during a company's operations. Using cash flow to measure operating results is different from accounting-based earnings reporting. Earnings track every element of revenue and expense, regardless of cash involvements.

While earnings in principle summarize a company's total net income on account, cash flow concerns a company's ability to sustain its ongoing operations. The more cash a company amasses from operations, the easier it is to continue carrying out its business and to ultimately generate more earnings. The ability to yield cash flow can be a better indication of a company's longer-term valuation.

Cash Flow Yield Versus a Valuation Multiple

Investors may evaluate a company's worth by comparing its cash flows (business return) with its equity value. Cash flow can be a proper return representation, and market price a close proxy of equity value. Investors may judge a company's worth based on the percentage of its cash flow over the equity's market price, which is referred to as cash flow yield.

Alternatively, investors may look at a company's worth using a valuation multiple calculated as its equity's market price over the amount of cash flow. Evaluating an investment using cash flow yield can be more intuitive than a valuation multiple, as cash flow yield directly shows the cash returned as a percentage of the investment.

Free Cash Flow Yield: Definition, Formula, and How to Calculate (2024)

FAQs

How do you calculate cash yield? ›

Understanding Cash-on-Cash Yield

For example, if an apartment priced at $200,000 generates monthly rental income of $1,000, the cash-on-cash yield on an annualized basis would be: 6% ($1,000 * 12 / $200,000 = 0.06).

How is total FCF calculated? ›

What is the Free Cash Flow (FCF) Formula?
  1. FCF = Cash from Operations – CapEx.
  2. CFO = Net Income + non-cash expenses – increase in non-cash net working capital.
  3. Adjustments = depreciation + amortization + stock-based compensation + impairment charges + gains/losses on investments.
27 Nov 2022

How do you calculate free cash flow growth? ›

Assuming that these levels will be sustained in the future, the growth rates in FCFE and FCFF will be as follows: Expected growth rate in FCFE = b (ROC + D/E (ROC -i (1-t))) = 0.91 (12.82% + 0.3659 (12.82% - 7.7% (1-0.36)) = 14.29% ExpectedGrowth rate in FCFF = b (ROC) = 0.91 * 12.82% = 11.67% The growth rate in free ...

When free cash flow is calculated? ›

There are three ways to calculate free cash flow: using operating cash flow, using sales revenue, and using net operating profits. Using operating cash flow is the most common and the most simple. It is calculated by subtracting capital expenditures from operating cash flow.

What is yield and its formula? ›

Yield is calculated as: Yield = Net Realized Return / Principal Amount. For example, the gains and return on stock investments can come in two forms. First, it can be in terms of price rise, where an investor purchases a stock at $100 per share and after a year they sell it for $120.

What is yield and how it is calculated? ›

Yield = Net Realized Return / Principal Amount. For instance, the profits and return on investments in stocks might appear in two distinct ways. First, it may be measured in terms of price appreciation, such as when an investor purchases a stock at $100 per share and then, after a year, sells it for $120 per share.

Why is FCF yield important? ›

Free cash flow yield is important for any business, large or small, because it acts as a good metric for cash flow in comparison to the company's size. Cash flow is always an important metric for a company, as it shows – primarily to investors – its operating performance.

How do you calculate FCF in Excel? ›

Calculating Free Cash Flow in Excel

Enter "Total Cash Flow From Operating Activities" into cell A3, "Capital Expenditures" into cell A4, and "Free Cash Flow" into cell A5. Then, enter "=80670000000" into cell B3 and "=7310000000" into cell B4. To calculate Apple's FCF, enter the formula "=B3-B4" into cell B5.

What is free cash flow defined as? ›

Free cash flow (FCF) is the money a company has left from revenue after paying all its financial obligations—defined as operating expenses plus capital expenditures—during a specific period, such as a fiscal quarter.

What is free cash flow example? ›

Example #2

Suppose a company with a net income of $2,000, capital expenditure of $600, non-cash expense of $300, and an increase in working capital of $250. The below-given template is the data for calculating the free cash flow equation. Free Cash Flow, i.e., FCF of a company, is $1,450.00.

What is the best definition of yield? ›

: to surrender or relinquish to the physical control of another : hand over possession of. : to give (oneself) up to an inclination, temptation, or habit. : to relinquish one's possession of (something, such as a position of advantage or point of superiority) yield precedence.

What is yield give one example? ›

Yield varies between investment period and return period. For instance, if you buy a stock for Rs 50 and its current price and annual dividend is Rs 53 and Rs 2, respectively, the 'cost yield' will be 4% (Rs 2/Rs 50) and the 'current yield' will be 3.77% (Rs 2/Rs 53).

What is yield formula in Excel? ›

To calculate the current yield of a bond in Microsoft Excel, enter the bond value, the coupon rate, and the bond price into adjacent cells (e.g., A1 through A3). In cell A4, enter the formula "= A1 * A2 / A3" to render the current yield of the bond.

Is FCF yield multiple? ›

FCF yield metrics are similar to valuation multiples in that the cash flow metric (numerator) is standardized to show a per-unit basis of the valuation (denominator).

Can you have a negative FCF yield? ›

A negative free cash flow number indicates the company is not able to generate sufficient cash to support the business. However, many small businesses do not have positive free cash flow as they are investing heavily to grow their venture rapidly.

What is considered good free cash flow yield? ›

Free Cash Flow Yield determines if the stock price provides good value for the amount of free cash flow being generated. In general, especially when researching dividend stocks, yields above 4% would be acceptable for further research. Yields above 7% would be considered of high rank.

Is FCF and FCF the same? ›

Operating cash flow measures cash generated by a company's business operations. Free cash flow is the cash that a company generates from its business operations after subtracting capital expenditures.

How do you calculate FCF from net profit? ›

FCFF = Net Income + Depreciation & Amortization – CapEx – ΔWorking Capital + Interest Expense (1 – t)
  1. FCFF – Free Cash Flow to the Firm.
  2. CapEx – Capital Expenditure.
  3. ΔWorking Capital – Net change in the Working Capital.
  4. t – Tax rate.
27 Feb 2022

What is another name for free cash flow? ›

Free Cash Flow to the Firm (FCFF), also referred to as “unlevered” Free Cash Flow to Equity, also knows as “levered”

What is a good cash yield? ›

There is a consensus amongst investors that a cash on cash return between 8 to 12 percent indicates a worthwhile investment. Others argue that in some markets, even 5 to 7 percent is acceptable.

What is cash yield vs IRR? ›

Cash yield is different from IRR because cash yields pay out in greater amounts in the latter years of an investment term. For instance, a one-year investment period would have the same IRR and cash yield.

What is 20% cash on cash return? ›

Property purchased for $50,000 down with $10,000 annual cash flow after debt service: $10,000 / $50,000 = 20% cash-on-cash return.

What is a strong free cash flow yield? ›

A high unlevered free cash flow yield means a company has a lot of cash available to reinvest in its business or pay out to equity holders. The formula for unlevered free cash flow yield includes earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA), as well as capital expenditures (CAPEX).

What is good free cash flow yield? ›

Free Cash Flow Yield determines if the stock price provides good value for the amount of free cash flow being generated. In general, especially when researching dividend stocks, yields above 4% would be acceptable for further research. Yields above 7% would be considered of high rank.

Is a higher free cash flow yield better? ›

A higher free cash flow yield is ideal because it means a company has enough cash flow to satisfy all of its obligations. If the free cash flow yield is low, it means investors aren't receiving a very good return on the money they're investing in the company.

Is yield equal to IRR? ›

The biggest difference between IRR and yield to maturity is that the latter is talking about investments that have already been made. Yield to maturity, or YTM, is used to calculate an investment's (usually a bond or other fixed income security) yield based on its current market price.

Is IRR calculated on free cash flow? ›

The IRR uses cash flows (not profits) and more specifically, relevant cash flows for a project. To perform the calculation, we need to take the cash flows of a project and calculate the discount factor that would produce a NPV of zero.

Is IRR the same as cash flow? ›

IRR is a discount rate that makes the net present value (NPV) of all cash flows equal to zero in a discounted cash flow analysis. IRR calculations rely on the same formula as NPV does. Keep in mind that IRR is not the actual dollar value of the project.

Is 8% cash on cash return good? ›

While 8-12% can be a nice round number, different kinds of investments offer different rates of return, and the rate will, of course, also depend on you as an investor. If you purchase a property in an all-cash deal, that bottom number in the equation will be much higher.

What's a good cap rate? ›

Generally, a high capitalization rate will indicate a higher level of risk, while a lower capitalization rate indicates lower returns but lower risk. That said, many analysts consider a "good" cap rate to be around 5% to 10%, while a 4% cap rate indicates lower risk but a longer timeline to recoup an investment.

How do you calculate IRR? ›

Here are the steps you can follow to calculate an investment's IRR:
  1. Break the cash flow. ...
  2. Determine the standard cash flow. ...
  3. Divide each period's cash flow. ...
  4. Identify an initial investment number. ...
  5. Subtract other company's expenses. ...
  6. Solve for the net present value (NPV) ...
  7. Experiment with IRRs and cash flow.
19 Apr 2022

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