Total Cash Flow vs. Free Cash Flow to the Firm in DCF

In the DCF analysis, why do we use annual Free Cash Flow to the Firm (which only partially accounts for Investing activities and omits financing activities) to find the Enterprise Value, rather than total annual Cash Flow (Operating+Investing+Financing)?

2 Comments
 
Most Helpful

You only want to account for items that impact cash on a recurring basis. Cash impacts from operations activities (net working capital) and CapEx (cash from investing) are usually the only items that can be projected on a forward basis.

You can include the impact on cash from financing activities if you know the firm you are valuing pays out a quarterly dividend, for example. However, in most cases, operating assets/liabilities (net working capital) and CapEx are the only items that occur every year and in which the company spends cash on replenishing.

 

Ab omnis tempore voluptas harum eligendi et. Nesciunt quia autem voluptates et debitis voluptates quia. Fuga tempore corporis magnam enim eum praesentium. Eveniet molestiae sed quam dolorem dolores ex pariatur. Commodi ratione est sit assumenda odio. Ipsa ullam odit blanditiis ad optio porro maiores deleniti.

Deleniti temporibus itaque ex quisquam et sit libero. Quasi est a sit excepturi ullam modi delectus qui. Vel eligendi quae iste enim repellendus beatae. Corporis sunt ex cumque vero voluptatem sit voluptatem est. Similique fugit porro nihil magni eos.

Career Advancement Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 08 97.8%
  • Goldman Sachs 02 97.3%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Evercore No 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.8%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.3%

Professional Growth Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.8%
  • JPMorgan No 97.3%

Total Avg Compensation

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (50) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (25) $178
  • Intern/Summer Associate (14) $159
  • 1st Year Analyst (84) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (75) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
5
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
6
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
7
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
8
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
9
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
10
Jamoldo's picture
Jamoldo
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”