Net Cash Flow From Operations (Historical)
Returns the historical net cash flow from operating activities (CFO). This is cash generated from the company's core business operations, starting from net income and adjusting for non-cash items and working capital changes.
Parameters
| Parameter | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Symbol | Yes | Stock ticker symbol (e.g., AAPL, MSFT) |
| Year | Yes | Fiscal year (2023) or period code (lq, ly) |
| Quarter | No | Quarter number 1-4 (default: 1) |
| TTM | No | Set to "TTM" for trailing twelve months |
Period Codes
| Code | Description |
|---|---|
lq |
Last reported quarter |
lq-1 |
One quarter ago |
ly |
Last fiscal year |
ly-1 |
Previous fiscal year |
lt |
Last twelve months (TTM) |
Notes
- Most important cash flow metric for fundamental analysis
- Starts with net income, adds back non-cash expenses
- Adjusts for working capital changes
- Positive CFO indicates healthy operations
Examples
=hf_Net_Cash_Flow_from_Operations("AAPL", 2023, 4)=hf_Net_Cash_Flow_from_Operations("MSFT", "ly")=hf_Net_Cash_Flow_from_Operations("GOOGL", 2023, , "TTM")=hf_Net_Cash_Flow_from_Operations(A1, B1, C1)When to Use
- Evaluating cash generation ability
- Computing free cash flow (CFO - CapEx)
- Quality of earnings analysis
- Cash flow coverage ratios
- Comparing profitability to cash generation
When NOT to Use
Common Issues & FAQ
Q: How do I calculate free cash flow?
A: Free Cash Flow = CFO - CapEx: =hf_Net_Cash_Flow_from_Operations("AAPL",2023) - ABS(hf_Capital_Expenditure("AAPL",2023))
Q: Why is CFO different from net income? A: CFO adjusts net income for non-cash items (depreciation, stock comp) and working capital changes. Large differences may indicate earnings quality issues.
Q: Is positive CFO always good? A: Generally yes, but context matters. Very high CFO from accounts payable increases may be temporary.
Get Access to 1 Billion Usable Market data points IN YOUR EXCEL SHEETS WITH EASY TO USE EXCEL FUNCTIONS
Get started today
▶
How does MarketXLS work?