Cash Flow Statement
Quarterly Data
The cash flow statement provides information about a company cash receipts and cash payments during an accounting period, showing how these cash flows link the ending cash balance to the beginning balance shown on the company balance sheet.
The cash flow statement consists of three parts: cash flows provided by (used in) operating activities, cash flows provided by (used in) investing activities, and cash flows provided by (used in) financing activities.
Based on: 10-Q (reporting date: 2020-06-27), 10-Q (reporting date: 2020-03-28), 10-K (reporting date: 2019-12-28), 10-Q (reporting date: 2019-09-28), 10-Q (reporting date: 2019-06-29), 10-Q (reporting date: 2019-03-30), 10-K (reporting date: 2018-12-29), 10-Q (reporting date: 2018-09-29), 10-Q (reporting date: 2018-06-30), 10-Q (reporting date: 2018-03-31), 10-K (reporting date: 2017-12-30), 10-Q (reporting date: 2017-09-30), 10-Q (reporting date: 2017-07-01), 10-Q (reporting date: 2017-04-01), 10-K (reporting date: 2016-12-31), 10-Q (reporting date: 2016-10-02), 10-Q (reporting date: 2016-07-03), 10-Q (reporting date: 2016-04-03), 10-K (reporting date: 2015-12-31), 10-Q (reporting date: 2015-09-27), 10-Q (reporting date: 2015-06-28), S-4/A (reporting date: 2015-03-29).
The cash flow profile is characterized by significant volatility in net income, largely driven by substantial non-cash adjustments, while operating cash flows demonstrate a more stable, albeit fluctuating, capacity to generate liquidity. A recurring theme is the impact of massive impairment charges on reported earnings, which creates a sharp divergence between accounting profit and actual cash generation.
- Operating Cash Flow and Earnings Quality
- Net income exhibits extreme variance, featuring a substantial gain in December 2017 followed by a massive loss of $12.628 billion in December 2018. However, net cash provided by operating activities remains positive in most quarters, indicating that the core business continues to generate cash despite accounting losses. A notable period of weakness occurred in early 2017, with a negative operating cash flow of $615 million in April, followed by a recovery and a peak of $2.004 billion in June 2020.
- Non-Cash Adjustments and Impairments
- The divergence between net income and operating cash flow is primarily attributed to goodwill and intangible asset impairment losses. The most significant event occurred in December 2018, with an impairment charge of $15.485 billion. Another substantial impairment of $2.873 billion was recorded in June 2020. These charges, combined with fluctuating deferred income tax provisions, serve as the primary drivers for the volatility in the net income line.
- Investing Activities and Capital Expenditure
- Investing activities were dominated by a large-scale acquisition in September 2015, resulting in a net cash outflow of $9.551 billion. Capital expenditures show a gradual downward trend over the analyzed period, declining from quarterly peaks of $411 million in late 2016 to $127 million by June 2020. This suggests a transition toward a more conservative capital spending strategy or a shift in investment priorities.
- Financing Strategy and Dividend Policy
- Financing activities reflect aggressive debt management and a shift in shareholder distributions. There is a consistent pattern of issuing and repaying long-term debt and commercial paper to manage liquidity. A critical shift in capital allocation is evident in the common stock dividends; payments remained relatively stable between $667 million and $1.461 billion per quarter until March 2019, at which point they were reduced to a consistent level of approximately $488 million to $489 million per quarter.
- Working Capital Management
- Changes in current assets and liabilities have had a fluctuating impact on liquidity. Trade receivables and inventories show significant volatility, with large outflows in 2017 and 2018 being offset by positive adjustments in other quarters. The most recent data from June 2020 shows a significant positive contribution from changes in current assets and liabilities, adding $944 million to the operating cash flow.
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