Also known as FCFE, Free Cash Flow to Equity is the amount of cash a company is ready to distribute to its shareholders in the form of stocks or dividends. To calculate the FCFE, the company typically computes all essential obligations, including capital expenditures, working capital, repayment of the borrowed money, reinvestment of profit, and other costs. Then, the company analyses how much cash is available to pay to the shareholders. FCFE is different from dividends. Generally, dividends are the cashflows that the company equally distributes to shareholders, whereas FCFE is the amount of cash that the company intends to provide to its equity shareholders.
With the help of FCFE, the company analyses its financial health. FCFE has gained popularity as a valuation method, which is an alternative to the dividend discount model. It is especially used when the company does not pay dividends to its equity shareholders. Read on to learn about Free Cash Flow to Equity in detail.
Importance of FCFE in Financial Analysis
Let’s understand how analysing the company’s FCFE can help you make an informed decision:
A Valuation Alternative: By using FCFE, analysts can estimate the value of a company. It tells the company’s ability to generate free cash flow to pay the equity holders.
Calculates Payouts Sustainability: FCFE is a free cash flow available to shareholders. It does not indicate the cash in the form of dividends or stock buybacks. Instead, analysts or investors compare it to the stock repurchases and actual dividend payments.
Assesses the Company’s Free Cash Flow: If the company’s dividend and share buyback reward to shareholders exceeds the free cash flow to the equity, it may signal potential trouble. It indicates that the company funds these payments through new securities, retained earnings, and debts. It may negatively affect the invested value of investors.
Efficiency of Capital Management: If the company pays out the free cash flow to equity in the form of dividends or share buybacks, this is considered efficient management of the capital. It encourages more investors to invest in the company’s shares.
How to Calculate FCFE?
Free cash flow to equity (FCFE) measures how much cash is left after all essential capital expenditures or Capex, working capital, debt, and reinvestment are paid. It measures the amount a company can pay its equity shareholders in the form of dividends or share buybacks.
In simple words, FCFE is a levered metric. It calculates cash flows after considering financial obligations. It shows funds available to equity investors rather than combining the total funds of lenders and equity shareholders.
Here’s an example to understand how the company can use the remaining cash flow to implement any of these steps:
Dividend Issuance: Payment of dividends to the shareholders
Share Buyback: By buying the shares back, the company decreases the outstanding value of shares. This way, it reduces dilution and improves per-share value.
Reinvestment: By using the cash flow for operational improvements, the company can enhance its share price.
This way, the FCFE always benefits equity shareholders.
Conversely, interest expenses and debt repayments only benefit lenders. If the company does not have debt in its capital structure, its FCFE can match the FCFF (free cash flow to the firm).
FCFE enables analysts to project in lever discounted cash flow models. It assists in deriving the market value of equity shares. Additionally, when projecting FCFE in a DCF model, the analyst should use the correct discount rate as the cost of equity. This will help align the cash flow with the discount rate.
Many companies use FCFF and DCF approaches together for functional purposes. However, financial institutions are the sole exception. Their main source of revenue is interest income, and their business model revolves around interest income, interest expense, and provision for losses.
FCFE Formula and Components
To compute a company’s FCFE, you should have access to the income statement of a particular year as well as the balance sheet. Let’s understand how to calculate FCFE using different formulas:
FCFE = Net Income + Depreciation & Amortisation + Changes in Working Capital + Capital Expenditure + Net Borrowings
Components
| Description
|
Net Income
| Source a company’s net income from its income statement
To calculate the net income, the analyst should deduct a company’s operational expenses, taxes, costs of products, interests, depreciation, and amortisation from its gross income.
|
Depreciation and Amortisation
|
|
Changes in Working Capital
| This essential component indicates cash inflow or outflow.
Working capital is not a part of the short-term debt.
You can understand it as the difference between a company’s receivables and payables. Accrued liabilities are also taken into account while computing working capital.
|
Capital Expenditure (Capex)
| Look into a company’s cash flow from investments to obtain the value of the capital expenditure.
To calculate Capex, the company considers the expenses for maintaining or purchasing fixed assets like land, equipment, etc. Further, funds spent for buying intangible assets, such as intellectual property, customer relationships, and brand names, are considered.
|
Net Borrowings
|
|
FCFE = FCFF+ Net Borrowings - [interest x (1-tax)]
Interpreting Positive and Negative FCFE
Positive FCFE
You should analyse the company’s FCFE to determine whether or not it is positive before investing in its equity shares. Hence, consider the following:
Suppose the funds spent on dividends or stock buybacks equal the free cash flow to equity. In that case, the company has sufficient funds to continue operating in the volatile market.
Imagine that the dividends paid to equity shareholders are lower than the free cash flow to equity. In this situation, the company uses its excess funds to increase the cash flow level. This strategy involves investing in market securities.
If you notice that the amount of FCFE is less than the cost of dividends and buyback shares, it indicates that debt, retained earnings, etc., is funding the company. Initially, you will not like this idea despite the low interest rate. However, if you see the bigger picture, you will find that it is a good strategy for a company. It allows the company to trade shares at discounted prices with the help of the share buyback option.
Negative FCFE
It is important to remember that FCFE can be negative under some circumstances. Knowing about those unique circumstances is crucial for every investor to make a well-informed decision. Check out the following pointers and stay aware of the company’s true financial health before investing:
A negative net income in the company’s income statement indicates a huge loss in business operations in a particular period. Hence, avoid investing in this situation, as the negative FCFE will not yield substantial profitable returns until the company’s financial condition is restored.
A change in working capital on account of the cash outflow triggers the risk of a negative FCFE.
If you notice the company’s sizable capital expenditures and other expenses, such as reinvestment and hiring, in a particular year, consider this a sign of a negative FCFE.
If you observe that the company has been reinvesting for some years and has had nothing recently, this results in a bad FCFE in reinvestment years and a positive in recent years.
If the company decides to repay its debts, this will increase the cash outflow. Consequently, it will negatively impact the FCFE.
FCFE vs. Free Cash Flow to Firm (FCFF)
The primary difference between FCFE and FCFF is that FCFF represents the amount of cash available to all a company's investors after considering taxes, depreciation, working capital, and investments for a particular year. It typically involves common stockholders, preferred stockholders, bondholders, and others on the investors’ list. It indicates the company’s stock value. A negative FCFF suggests that the said company has not generated enough revenue to manage its daily business operations, debt repayments, and reinvestment activities.
Conversely, the FCFE only represents the cash available for the company’s equity shareholders. This metric is calculated once all the expenses are paid off in a particular year. It denotes the company’s overall financial health. A negative FCFE denotes that the said company will have to take debt for dividends or share buyback.
Practical Examples of FCFE Calculation
Here is an example to help you better understand how to calculate FCFE using the balance sheet and income statement. The following table comprises essential information about company X sourced from its balance sheet and income statement for the years 2022 and 2023:
Particulars
| 2022 (in lakhs)
| 2023 (in lakhs)
|
Fixed assets
| 300
| 250
|
Current assets
| 200
| 250
|
Depreciation and Amortisation
| 15
| 10
|
Long term debt
| 30
| 20
|
Short term debt
| 15
| 20
|
Account payable
| 40
| 40
|
The company’s net income for the 2023 year is Rs.300,00,000.
Here -
Difference in current assets: 200-250 = -50
Difference in current liabilities: 40-40 = 0
Thus, change in working capital = -50-0= -50
The difference in long-term debt = 10
Difference in short-term debt = 05
Thus, net borrowings = 15
Hence, FCFE is ₹(30000000 + 1500000 – 5000000 – 5000000 + 150000)
The answer is ₹21650000.
It denotes the positive value of FCFE, which means that the company’s financial health is good.
Common Mistakes in FCFE Analysis and How to Avoid Them
Take a look at the following common mistakes you should avoid when calculating FCFE and effective measures to prevent them:
Overlooking All Components of Working Capital: Many times, analysts fail to take into account all the elements of the working capital (i.e., accounts payable, accounts receivable, and inventory). This may increase the working capital. To prevent this issue, they should consider all components individually.
Not Paying Attention to Net Borrowings: Including changes in debt when computing FCFE is essential. Otherwise, it may not give you accurate information regarding the cash available to equity shareholders.
Unrealistic Reinvestment: As the company’s revenue lowers, so do the reinvestments, such as Capex, net borrowings, etc., which start to decrease. However, the analyst should consider that the reinvestment value of the company should align with the peers.
Unrealistic Terminal Growth Value Assumption: The terminal growth value assumption is the rate at which the company is projected to grow in the upcoming years. One common error that financial analysts often make is that they evaluate the terminal growth value more than the actual numbers. They should align the growth rate with the GDP growth rate.
How FCFE Affects Shareholder Value and Investment Decisions
Keep in mind the following pointers to learn how FCFE affects equity shareholder’s decisions:
Attractive Dividends: Companies with high FCFE generally look attractive for equity investors seeking shares with consistent dividends.
Share Buybacks: Companies enhance their earnings per share through share buybacks, which boosts the share price and attracts potential investors.
Reinvestment Opportunities: By reinvesting profit in business operations, the companies showcase future opportunities for growth and sustainability.
Valuation Metric: Investors often use FCFE to analyse the company’s potential to generate cash flow in the coming years.
Debt Obligation: A high FCFE indicates a company’s ability to manage all debt obligations efficiently, building customer trust.
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