Free Cash Flow Per Share

FCF per share is the cash a company generates after capital spending, divided by its shares outstanding.

Part of the Growth & Capital Returns course · Lesson 11 of 26

Formula

(Operating Cash Flow - Capital Expenditures) / Weighted-Average Shares Outstanding

What it is

Free cash flow per share measures the actual cash a business produces, after paying for the equipment and investments it needs to keep running, spread across each share. Unlike EPS, it is based on cash movements rather than accounting profit, so it is harder to massage with non-cash items.

Why it matters

It shows how much real cash each share can claim, which ultimately funds dividends, buybacks, and debt repayment. A company can report positive EPS while burning cash, so comparing FCF per share to EPS is a useful reality check on earnings quality.

How it's calculated

Take operating cash flow, subtract capital expenditures to get free cash flow, then divide by the weighted-average shares outstanding.

How Quintarthai uses it

Free cash flow is shown in the 10-year cash-flow statement on the Financials tab, with per-share metrics on the Ratios tab. Open a company page in the app to see the breakdown.

Cross-border note. There's no single mandated FCF definition under either US GAAP or IFRS, so Quintarthai computes it consistently across US (EDGAR) and Canadian (SEDAR+) filers for apples-to-apples comparison.

FAQ

Why use FCF per share instead of EPS?

FCF per share strips out non-cash accounting choices like depreciation and one-time charges, giving a clearer view of the cash actually available to shareholders.

Can FCF per share be negative for a healthy company?

Yes. Fast-growing or capital-intensive firms often spend heavily on expansion, producing negative free cash flow even while the underlying business is sound.

See Free Cash Flow Per Share on a real company

Open any stock in Quintarthai and explore it live across the screener and company pages.

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