Formula to Calculate Net Cash Flow of a Company

The net Cash flow formula calculates the net cash flow in the company during the period. It is calculated by adding the net Cash flow from operating activities, net Cash flow from investing activities, and net Cash flow from financing activities. The same can also be calculated by subtracting the company’s cash payments from the cash receipts.

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  • The net Cash Flow formula is a very useful equation as it allows the firm or the company to know the amount of cash generated, whether it’s positive or negative. Also, the firm can bifurcate the same into three major activities. Operating activity is the key as the firm generates its revenue from operating activities. Healthy cash flow from operating activityCash Flow From Operating ActivityCash flow from Operations is the first of the three parts of the cash flow statement that shows the cash inflows and outflows from core operating business in an accounting year. Operating Activities includes cash received from Sales, cash expenses paid for direct costs as well as payment is done for funding working capital.read more is a good sign that business is performing well.The second activity is the cash flow from investing activityCash Flow From Investing ActivityCash flow from investing activities refer to the money acquired or spent on the purchase or disposal of the fixed assets (both tangible and intangible) for the business purpose. For instance, the purchase of land and joint venture investment is cash outflow, while equipment sale is a cash inflow.read more. This would in most cases be negative as the firm invests their major cash flow either in plant and machinery or in another product as an investment. The cash inflow here would be dividends received etc.The last activity is the cash flow from financingCash Flow From FinancingCash flow from financing activities refers to inflow and the outflow of cash from the financing activities like change in capital from securities like equity or preference shares, issuing debt, debentures or repayment of a debt, payment of dividend or interest on securities.read more activity; in this, the firm would know how it has raised its funds, whether internally, i.e., by issuing sharesIssuing SharesShares Issued refers to the number of shares distributed by a company to its shareholders, who range from the general public and insiders to institutional investors. They are recorded as owner’s equity on the Company’s balance sheet.read more or by raising externally that is, by a loan.

Examples

Example #1

Company XYZ has been operating in the manufacturing business for ages. The accountant of company WYZ wants to calculate net cash flow for the year ended. The company reported $34 million as the opening cash balance. It was further reported that the firm earned $100 million from operating activities, $-50 million from investing activities, and $30 million from financing activitiesFinancing ActivitiesThe various transactions that involve the movement of funds between the company and its investors, owners, or creditors in order to achieve long-term growth are referred to as financing activities. Such activities can be analyzed in the financial section of the company’s cash flow statement.read more.

Based on the above information, you must calculate the firm’s closing cash balance.

Solution:

Use the below data given for the calculation of net cash flow.

  • Net Cash Flow from Operating Activities: 100000000Net Cash Flow from Investing Activities: -50000000Net Cash Flow from Financing Activities: 30000000

Calculation of net cash flow can be done as follows:

This is a simple example of calculating cash flow. We can use the above equation to calculate the same.

Net Cash Flow = $100 million – $50 million + $30 million

Net Cash FlowNet Cash FlowNet cash flow refers to the difference in cash inflows and outflows, generated or lost over the period, from all business activities combined. In simple terms, it is the net impact of the organization’s cash inflow and cash outflow for a particular period, say monthly, quarterly, annually, as may be required.read more will be –

Net Cash Flow = $80 million

The Net cash flow for the firm is $80 million.

The opening cash balance of the firm is $34 million, and if we add net cash flow, which is $80 million, we will get the closing balance as $114 million.

Example #2

Mr. M is the sole proprietor of M & M Associates. The firm’s turnover is less than $2.5 million, and hence as per tax rules, they are not required to maintain books of accounts and can directly show 50% as net profit. However, Mr. M wants to know how much cash flowCash FlowCash Flow is the amount of cash or cash equivalent generated & consumed by a Company over a given period. It proves to be a prerequisite for analyzing the business’s strength, profitability, & scope for betterment. read more occurred during the year as he wants to borrow a loan from a bank for future requirements.

Below is the summary which the accountant prepared for loan appraisal.

The firm is looking to have 80,000 cash in hand, which will be met by loan and cash in hand. First, you must calculate the amount of loan that M&M Associates will require.

We are given a summary of financial informationFinancial InformationFinancial Information refers to the summarized data of monetary transactions that is helpful to investors in understanding company’s profitability, their assets, and growth prospects. Financial Data about individuals like past Months Bank Statement, Tax return receipts helps banks to understand customer’s credit quality, repayment capacity etc.read more. To calculate the loan amount, we will first calculate the available cash in hand, and for the same, we need to calculate the net cash flow.

Calculation of total cash inflows will be –

Calculation of total cash outflows will be –

Net Cash Flows = 55,000 – 23,000

The Net Cash FlowNet Cash FlowNet cash flow refers to the difference in cash inflows and outflows, generated or lost over the period, from all business activities combined. In simple terms, it is the net impact of the organization’s cash inflow and cash outflow for a particular period, say monthly, quarterly, annually, as may be required.read more will be –

Net Cash Flow = 32000

Hence, the loan amount required will be 80,000 – 32000, which is 48,000.

Example #3

Dynamic Label Inc. has been preparing the cash flow statementPreparing The Cash Flow StatementA Statement of Cash Flow is an accounting document that tracks the incoming and outgoing cash and cash equivalents from a business.read more to know which activity gave them positive cash flow and which activity gave them negative cash flow. They have gathered the below information from the cash account, and now they want to segregate the cash flow into operating, financing, and investing activities.

You are required to calculate the net cash flow using a direct method.

We will first categorize the sources and applications of funds in the three activities which are OperatingActivities Which Are OperatingOperating activities generate the majority of the company’s cash flows since they are directly linked to the company’s core business activities such as sales, distribution, and production.read more, financing, and investing.

Now we will add the cash flow and deduct the cash outflow, and arrive at the respective cash flow from that activity below:

Net Cash Flow = -21722 + 22213 + 24534

Net Cash Flow will be –

Net Cash Flow = 25025

Net Cash Flow Calculator

You can use this net cash flow calculator.

Relevance and Uses

Net cash flow, as mentioned earlier, is an important concept and is the fuel that shall aid firms in developing new products, buy-back its stockBuy-back Its StockShare buyback refers to the repurchase of the company’s own outstanding shares from the open market using the accumulated funds of the company to decrease the outstanding shares in the company’s balance sheet. This is done either to increase the value of the existing shares or to prevent various shareholders from controlling the company.read more, expanding plans, paying dividends to shareholders, or repaying their loans or debt. It is what allows the firms to perform their daily routine business smoothly. This is why some people value the net cash flow even more than any other finance measure, including EPS earnings per shareEarnings Per ShareEarnings Per Share (EPS) is a key financial metric that investors use to assess a company’s performance and profitability before investing. It is calculated by dividing total earnings or total net income by the total number of outstanding shares. The higher the earnings per share (EPS), the more profitable the company is.read more. The big drivers of the net cash flows are Revenues or sales and expenses.

This has been a guide to Net Cash Flow Formula. Here, we discuss calculating net cash flow with practical examples and a downloadable excel template. You can learn more about financing from the following articles –

  • Net CashNegative Cash FlowFormula of Operating Cash Flow