What is Cash Flow from Investing Activities? (2024)

Using Investing Cash Flow for Growth and Capital

As you can see from this investing activities example, Company X generated a negative cash flow from investing activities for the year. However, as discussed earlier, this is not necessarily bad for the company since such situations are the prerogative of companies in their initial years that are going through a growth phase.

Evaluating the example, we learn that Company X invested heavily in PPE in totals of $30,000. This investment will help the company generate more capital in the future since PPE are purchased to improve and grow a businesses’ operations.

Furthermore, the company owner also invested in marketable securities by purchasing stocks and adding them to the company’s account. If chosen currently, marketable securities, such as stocks, grow in value over time. The company owner can sell these stocks in the future to generate more cash flow for the company. This is clearly seen in the example since the company generates $20,000 in positive cash flow through the sales of previously owned stocks.

The company investing in a patent is another good sign of growth. The company can use the patent to create a product that will help them generate more revenue and capital.

It’s fair to say that the cash flow statement is an integral part of the three financial statements. This is because the cash flow statement bridges the income statement and the balance sheet. As we discussed, theinvesting activities in the cash flow statement play an important role in evaluating the company’s performance by investors and other stakeholders. For these reasons, every small business should know how to generate and maintain a cash flow statement and list all the investment-related activities in the statement.

What is Cash Flow from Investing Activities? (2024)

FAQs

What is Cash Flow from Investing Activities? ›

Key Takeaways. Cash flow from investing activities is a section of the cash flow statement that shows the cash generated or spent relating to investment activities. Investing activities include purchases of physical assets, investments in securities, or the sale of securities or assets.

What is the cash flow from investing activities? ›

Cash flow from investing activities involves long-term uses of cash. The purchase or sale of a fixed asset like property, plant, or equipment would be an investing activity. Also, proceeds from the sale of a division or cash out as a result of a merger or acquisition would fall under investing activities.

What is an example of an investing activity on a statement of cash flows? ›

Investing activities can include:

Proceeds from the sale of other businesses (divestitures) Purchases of marketable securities (i.e., stocks, bonds, etc.) Proceeds from the sale of marketable securities.

How do you calculate cash flow from investing? ›

Investing Cash Flow is calculated by subtracting the cash outflows from the cash inflows related to investing activities during a given period.

What are the typical cash inflows from investing activities? ›

Cash Flow from Investing: Format and Line Items

Items reported on a cash flow statement for investing activities include purchases of long-term assets such as property, plant, and equipment (PP&E), investments in marketable securities such as stocks and bonds, as well as acquisitions of other businesses (M&A).

What do cash flows from investing activities always relate to? ›

Cash flows from investing activities always relate to either long-term debt or equity transactions and may involve increases or decreases in cash relating to these transactions. Which method calculates the interest expense that allocates the same amount ...

What does it mean when cash flow from investing activities is negative? ›

A negative investing cash flow ratio means that a company spends more of its operating cash flow on its investing activities than it receives from them. A positive investing cash flow ratio means that a company receives more of its operating cash flow from its investing activities than it spends on them.

What is an example of an investing activity on a statement of cash flows quizlet? ›

The receipt of loan repayments is an investing activity on the statement of cash flows.

Which of the following is not a cash flow from investing activity? ›

Answer and Explanation:

The marketable securities are considered as the cash equivalent because of very short maturity and high liquidity. And hence sale and purchase of marketable securities are considered as the cash and cash equivalents and are not considered as investing activities.

What is an example of a cash inflow from a financial activity? ›

Examples of common cash flow items stemming from a firm's financing activities are: Receiving cash from issuing stock or spending cash to repurchase shares. Receiving cash from issuing debt or paying down debt. Paying cash dividends to shareholders.

What is an example of a cash flow? ›

What is a cash flow example? Examples of cash flow include: receiving payments from customers for goods or services, paying employees' wages, investing in new equipment or property, taking out a loan, and receiving dividends from investments.

What are examples of operating activities? ›

Operating activities examples include:
  • Receipt of cash from sales.
  • Collection of accounts receivable.
  • Receipt or payment of interest.
  • Payment for materials and supplies.
  • Payment of salaries.
  • Payment of principal and interest for operating leases. ...
  • Payment of taxes, fines, and license costs.
Apr 11, 2023

How to interpret a cash flow statement? ›

A cash flow statement provides data regarding all cash inflows that a company receives from its ongoing operations and external investment sources. The cash flow statement includes cash made by the business through operations, investment, and financing—the sum of which is called net cash flow.

What is an example of a cash flow from an investing activity? ›

Cash inflows (proceeds) from investing activities include:

Cash receipts from collections of loans (except for program loans) and sales of other agencies' debt instruments. Cash receipts from sales of equity instruments and returns from investments in those instruments.

What is positive cash flow from investing activities? ›

Positive and Negative Cash Flow from Investing Activities

Purchasing stocks, bonds, securities, debentures, and other instruments – negative cash flow. Selling off or leasing out fixed assets, including plants and machinery – positive cash flow. Selling off securities within a brief time bracket – positive cash flow.

What do you mean by investing activities? ›

Investing activities are one of the main categories of net cash activities that businesses report on the cash flow statement. Investing activities in accounting refers to the purchase and sale of long-term assets and other business investments, within a specific reporting period.

What is the firm's cash flow from investing? ›

Cash flow from investing (CFI) or investing cash flow reports how much cash has been generated or spent from various investment-related activities in a specific period. Investing activities include purchases of speculative assets, investments in securities, or sales of securities or assets.

What is the net cash provided by investing activities? ›

Net cash provided by Investing activities measures the cash inflows and outflows related to investment activities during a given period, such as purchases and sales of fixed assets, investments in securities, and acquisitions.

What is a cash inflow from financing activities includes? ›

The items in cash inflow from financing activities usually include the following: Issuance of ordinary shares. Issuance of preference shares. Issuance of debentures and bonds.

How to interpret cash flow from financing activities? ›

If cash flow is positive, that means the business has engaged in more new debt or equity financing activities that bring cash in than it engaged in debt repayments. This is a great thing for cash on hand, as it may allow the business to expand, or stay alive during early-stage product development.

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