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Valuation & multiples

Free Cash Flow Yield FCF Yield

A company's free cash flow as a percentage of its market value, the inverse of P/FCF.

Part of the Valuation 101 course · Lesson 13 of 14
Formula
Free Cash Flow / Market Capitalization × 100

What it is

Free cash flow yield expresses the cash a company generates after capital spending as a percentage of its market value. It is the reciprocal of the price-to-free-cash-flow ratio. A higher yield means you get more cash generation for each dollar invested.

Why it matters

It is a favored value gauge because cash flow is harder to manipulate than reported earnings and shows what is genuinely available for dividends, buybacks, and debt reduction. Pitfalls: free cash flow is lumpy for capital-intensive firms, can turn negative during heavy investment, and a high yield may reflect a market that doubts future cash generation.

How it's calculated

Divide trailing-twelve-month free cash flow (operating cash flow minus capital expenditures) by market capitalization, then multiply by 100. Some analysts use enterprise value in the denominator instead.

How Quintarthai uses it

The operating cash flow and capital expenditures behind this metric are shown in the Financials and Ratios tabs of a stock's company page, where cash-based valuation can be assessed.

Cross-border note. IFRS flexibility on classifying interest and dividends within operating cash flow can shift reported free cash flow for some Canadian issuers relative to US GAAP peers, affecting the yield.

FAQ

Why do investors like free cash flow yield?
Because it is based on actual cash rather than accounting earnings, many see it as a cleaner, harder-to-game measure of value and of a company's capacity to return capital.
Should the denominator be market cap or enterprise value?
Both are used; market cap measures the yield to equity holders, while enterprise value measures the yield to all capital providers including lenders, so it is important to know which version is shown.
Related terms
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