FA Module 6 Free Cash Flow - Practice Problems DF
FA Module 6 Free Cash Flow - Practice Problems DF
FA Module 6 Free Cash Flow - Practice Problems DF
A firm has the following figures for its GAAP financial statements:
cash flow from operations + interest paid × (1 – the tax rate) – fixed capital investments =
330 + 40 × (1 – 20%) – 120 = 242.
Answer: The non-cash charges were already added to net income to derive the operating cash flow.
Answer: The working capital expenditures were already subtracted from net income to derive the operating
cash flow.
Answer: Shareholder dividends are part of the free cash flow to the firm.
cash flow from operations – fixed capital investments + net borrowing (or – net debt repayment) =
330 – 120 + (70 – 60) = 220
Exercise 6.2: Free cash flow to the firm
Choice #1 is required by GAAP: interest paid is an operating cash flow; interest and dividends received are
operating cash flows; and shareholder dividends paid are a financing cash flow.
Choices #2, #3, and #4 are optional under IFRS: interest paid is an operating or a financing cash flow; interest
and dividends received are operating or investing cash flows; and shareholder dividends paid are an operating
or financing cash flow.
Note: The practice problem gives the operating cash flow = 300, but the operating cash flow differs for the four
choices. The total cash flow of the firm differs for the four choices.
A. What is the free cash flow to the firm under Choice #1 above?
B. What is the free cash flow to the firm under Choice #2 above?
C. What is the free cash flow to the firm under Choice #3 above?
D. What is the free cash flow to the firm under Choice #4 above?
Question: Why does free cash flow to the firm depend on the classification choices for the cash flow
statement?
Answer: The free cash flow to the firm (FCFF) does not depend on the classification choices. But the formula
we use for FCFF begins with operating cash flow, which depends on the classification choices. We adjust the
formula for the optional IFRS choices.
Intuition: The free cash flow to the firm is the amount available to creditors and investors after the firm pays
for fixed capital investments.
Answer: For the interest paid of 40, the firm paid (after-tax) only 40 × (1 – 20%) = 32. The remaining 8 is a
tax offset to net income.
Part B: If interest paid is classified as a financing cash flow (instead of an operating cash flow), we do not add
interest paid × (1 – tax rate) to the operating cash flow, since it was never removed: FCFF = 300 – 200 = 100
Question: The full 40 of interest paid was classified as a financing cash flow, not just 32.
Answer: If interest paid of 40 is classified under IFRS as a financing cash flow, then the tax offset of 8 is also
classified as a financing cash flow.
Part C: If interest income received of 20 and dividend income received of 10 are classified as investing cash
flows, we must add them to the operating cash flow in the formula for FCFF:
Part D: If shareholder dividends paid of 25 are classified as operating cash flows and were subtracted in the
reported operating cash flow of 300, we must add them to the operating cash flow in the formula for FCFF:
Part A: Free cash flow to equity (FCFE) = operating cash flow – fixed capital investments + net borrowing =
Part B: The free cash flow to equity = operating cash flow – fixed capital investments – debt repayment =
= 300 – 200 – 30 = 70