CASH FLOW STATEMENT

The Cash Flow Statement organizes and reports your business the cash generated and used in the following categories:

Operating activities. Converts the items reported on the income statement from the accrual basis of accounting to cash.
Investing activities. Reports the purchase and sale of long-term investments and property, plant and equipment.
Financing activities. Reports the issuance and repurchase of the company's own bonds and stock and the payment of dividends.
Supplemental information. Reports the exchange of significant items that did not involve cash and reports the amount of income taxes paid and interest paid.

Because the income statement is generally prepared under the accrual basis of accounting, the revenues reported may not have been collected. Similarly, the expenses reported on the income statement might not have been paid. You could review the balance sheet changes to determine the facts, but the cash flow statement already has integrated all that information. As a result, business people and investors utilize this important financial statement.

Here are a few ways the statement of cash flows is used:

The cash from operating activities is compared to the company's net income. If the cash from operating activities is consistently greater than the net income, the company's net income or earnings are said to be of a "high quality". If the cash from operating activities is less than net income, a red flag is raised as to why the reported net income is not turning into cash.

Some investors believe that "cash is king". The cash flow statement identifies the cash that is flowing in and out of the company. If a company is consistently generating more cash than it is using, the company will be able to increase its dividend, buy back some of its stock, reduce debt, or acquire another company. All of these are perceived to be good for stockholder value.

Some financial models are based upon cash flow.