Non-Operating Cash Flow: What it is, How it Works (2024)

What Is Non-Operating Cash Flow?

Non-operating cash flow is a key metric in fundamental analysis that is comprised of cash inflows (that a company takes in) and cash outflows (that a company pays out), which are not related to a company's operating activities.Instead, these sources and uses of cash are associated with a company's investing or financing activities. Non-operating cash flow shows up in a company's cash flow statement.

Non-operating cash flow is important because it can help analysts, investors, and companies themselves to measure how effectively a firm manages its free cash flow (FCF), how successful it is in investing its revenue or earnings, or to determine other essential indicators, such as a company's cost of capital.

Key Takeaways

  • Non-operating cash flow is comprised of cash inflows and outflows that are not related to a company's day-to-day business operations.
  • This key fundamental metric can help analysts to determine how effectively a firm manages its free cash flow or successfully invests its revenue or earnings.
  • Non-operating cash flow appears in a company's cash flow statement in either the cash-flow-from-investing or cash-flow-from-financing section.

Understanding Non-Operating Cash Flow

Non-operating cash flow is comprised of the cash a company takes in and pays out that comes from sources other than its day-to-day operations. Examples of non-operating cash flow can include taking out a loan, issuing new stock, and a self-tender defense, among many others. Items listed under non-operating cash flow are usually non-recurring.

Non-operating cash flow appears on a company's cash flow statement and is usually broken into two sections: cash flow from investing and cash flow from financing.

Cash Flow From Investing

This section usually contains a company's capital expenditures (CapEx), increases and decreases in investments, cash paid for acquisitions, and cash proceeds from the sale of assets.

Cash Flow From Financing

This section usually contains proceeds from and payments made on short-term borrowing and long-term debt; and proceeds from equity issuance, repurchase of common stock, or dividend payments.

Non-Operating Cash Flow in Action

Non-operating cash flow can demonstrate how a company uses its FCF—essentially, operating cash flow less CapEx—or how it finances its investing activities if it does not have any (or sufficient) free cash flow.

For example, suppose a company has generated operating cash flow of $6 billion in its fiscal year and has made capital expenditures of $1 billion. It is left with substantial FCF of $5 billion. The company can then choose to use the $5 billion to make an acquisition (cash outflow). This would appear in the cash-flow-from-investing section. The company also could issue $2 billion of common stock (cash inflow) and pay $2 billion in dividends (cash outflow). Both of these would appear in the cash-flow-from-financing section.

Suppose, though, that the company's FCF is only $2 billion, and the company was already committed to acquiring another company for $1 billion (cash outflow). This would appear in the cash-flow-from-investing section. If the company also committed to paying $2 billion in dividends (cash outflow), it could borrow an additional $1 billion in long-term debt (cash inflow). Both of these would show up in the cash-flow-from-financing section.

Non-Operating Cash Flow: What it is, How it Works (2024)

FAQs

Non-Operating Cash Flow: What it is, How it Works? ›

Non-operating cash flow is comprised of cash inflows and outflows that are not related to a company's day-to-day business operations. This key fundamental metric can help analysts to determine how effectively a firm manages its free cash flow or successfully invests its revenue or earnings.

What is non-operating cash flow? ›

Investment activities produce one form of nonoperating cash flow. When a firm purchases assets such as equipment, securities or real estate, this reduces available cash and is therefore an outflow. Inflows of cash occur when a company sells any of these assets.

How does cash flow system work? ›

Cash flow refers to money that goes in and out. Companies with a positive cash flow have more money coming in, while a negative cash flow indicates higher spending. Net cash flow equals the total cash inflows minus the total cash outflows. U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

What is an example of a non-operating income? ›

Investment income, gains or losses from foreign exchange, as well as sales of assets, writedown of assets, interest income are all examples of non-operating income items. Some of the non-operating income items are recurring, for example, dividend income, and interest income.

What is non-cash flow? ›

Non-cash items are referred to as those entries on a cash flow statement or income statement that do not involve actual cash transactions. In other words, these are expenses that are listed in an income statement that do not involve cash payment.

What are non-cash operating activities? ›

These non-cash activities may include depreciation and amortization, as well as obsolescence. Property, plant and equipment resides on the balance sheet. These items are taken on the income statement in small increments called depreciation or amortization.

Which of these is an example of a non-operating activity? ›

Examples of non-operating activities include: Relocating the business. Expenses caused by weather damage. Acquiring another firm.

What is a cash flow statement in simple words? ›

A cash flow statement is a financial statement that shows how cash entered and exited a company during an accounting period. Cash coming in and out of a business is referred to as cash flows, and accountants use these statements to record, track, and report these transactions.

What is cash flow for dummies? ›

Cash flow is the movement of cash into or out of a business, project, or financial product. It is usually measured during a specified, finite period of time, and can be used to measure rates of return, actual liquidity, real profits, and to evaluate the quality of investments.

What are considered non-operating expenses? ›

A non-operating expense is a cost that isn't directly related to core business operations. Examples of non-operating expenses are interest payments on debt, restructuring costs, inventory write-offs and payments to settle lawsuits.

What is a non operating company? ›

Holding non-operating company: this is most common holding company type, where the company owns all or most of the shares of another corporation (subsidiary), and such holding company does not have any operations or other revenue streams. In the chart below such company will be “Company A”.

What is a non operating loss? ›

In a company's accounting system, non-operating expenses are applied against non-operating income. When expenses exceed income in this category, the company has a non-operating loss. For some businesses, financial investments can be a source of non-operating losses.

What is an example of a non operating cash flow? ›

Non-operating cash flow is comprised of the cash a company takes in and pays out that comes from sources other than its day-to-day operations. Examples of non-operating cash flow can include taking out a loan, issuing new stock, and a self-tender defense, among many others.

How does cash flow work? ›

Cash flow refers to the net balance of cash moving into and out of a business at a specific point in time. Cash is constantly moving into and out of a business. For example, when a retailer purchases inventory, money flows out of the business toward its suppliers.

What does it mean when a company has no cash flow? ›

When there is no cash left over after meeting operating, capital, and adjusting for non-cash expenses, a company has negative free cash flow. This means that the company has no excess cash on hand in a given period, which could be a sign of poor financial health.

What is the difference between operating and non-operating activities? ›

Under IFRS, operating activities include all transactions and other events that are not defined as investing or financing activities. Non-operating items include revenue and expense items that are generated during the regular course of business operations.

What does non-operating mean? ›

: not functional or operational : nonoperational.

What are examples of non-operating assets? ›

Assets that aren't used to make money are called non-operating assets and could include things like land that isn't being used, vacant buildings, unused or outdated machinery and idle equipment.

What is the difference between operating and non-operating revenue? ›

Operating Revenues are the regular income for any business, whereas Non-Operating Revenue is not a regular income. It is earned from the Core Activities of the business. In contrast, the Non-Operating Revenue is earned from the Non-Operating activities of the business.

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