What is free cash flow FCF?
James Craig
Published Feb 16, 2026
Free cash flow (FCF) represents the cash available for the company to repay creditors or pay dividends and interest to investors. FCF reconciles net income by adjusting for non-cash expenses, changes in working capital, and capital expenditures (CAPEX).
How is P FCF calculated?
The P/FCF ratio can be calculated by dividing the stock price with the amount of free cash flow per share. You can also divide the company’s market cap with the total free cash flow in the past 12 months.
What is a good p FCF?
Currently, the average Price to Cash Flow (P/CF) for the stocks in the S&P 500 is 14.05. But just like the P/E ratio, a value of less than 15 to 20 is generally considered good.
Is higher free cash flow better?
The presence of free cash flow indicates that a company has cash to expand, develop new products, buy back stock, pay dividends, or reduce its debt. High or rising free cash flow is often a sign of a healthy company that is thriving in its current environment.
Is a high P FCF ratio good?
In general, a stock with a high PEG ratio is considered expensive or overvalued, while a stock with a low PEG ratio is considered cheap or undervalued. The ratio of stock price divided by free cash flow per share (P/FCF) is often used to compare the value of companies.
What does P FCF mean in stocks?
Price to free cash flow
Price to free cash flow (P/FCF) is a valuation metric that compares the company’s current share price to its free cash flow per share. ttm (trailing twelve months) Price to free cash flow (P/FCF) is a measure that value investors find useful to analyze a company’s finances in relation to its current stock price.
What is an attractive FCF yield?
A higher free cash flow yield is ideal because it means a company has enough cash flow to satisfy all of its obligations. If the free cash flow yield is low, it means investors aren’t receiving a very good return on the money they’re investing in the company.
What does P FCF tell?
Price to free cash flow is an equity valuation metric that indicates a company’s ability to generate additional revenues. A lower value for price to free cash flow indicates that the company is undervalued and its stock is relatively cheap. A higher value for price to free cash flow indicates an overvalued company.
