Question 1

What is a cash flow statement?

Accepted Answer

A cash flow statement tracks the actual cash moving in and out of a company during a period. It's divided into three sections: operating activities (core business), investing activities (assets and investments), and financing activities (debt and equity). Unlike the income statement, it shows real cash rather than accounting profits.

Question 2

What is operating cash flow?

Accepted Answer

Operating cash flow is the cash generated from a company's core business operations. It adjusts net income for non-cash items like depreciation and changes in working capital. Strong operating cash flow indicates the business can fund operations without external financing.

Question 3

What is free cash flow (FCF)?

Accepted Answer

Free cash flow is operating cash flow minus capital expenditures. It represents the cash available for dividends, share buybacks, debt repayment, or reinvestment. FCF is considered one of the most important metrics for evaluating a company's financial health.

Question 4

What are capital expenditures?

Accepted Answer

Capital expenditures (CapEx) are funds spent on acquiring or maintaining physical assets like property, equipment, and technology. CapEx appears in the investing activities section and is subtracted from operating cash flow to calculate free cash flow.

Question 5

How is BMO's cash generation trending?

Accepted Answer

Review Bank of Montreal's operating cash flow and free cash flow figures in the quarterly and annual data above. Consistent growth in operating cash flow relative to net income indicates high-quality earnings.

Breakdown	FY 2025	FY 2024	FY 2023	FY 2022	FY 2021	FY 2020	FY 2019	FY 2018	FY 2017
Period Ending	Oct 2025	Oct 2024	Oct 2023	Oct 2022	Oct 2021	Oct 2020	Oct 2019	Oct 2018	Oct 2017
Operating Activities
Net Income	8.71	7.32	4.43	13.54	7.75	5.10	5.76	5.45	5.35
Depreciation & Amortization	2.18	2.11	2.10	1.48	1.57	1.62	1.21	1.13	1.10
Deferred Income Tax	0.01	0.15	-0.71	0.48	0.18	0.11	0.48	0.83	0.16
Stock Based Compensation	0.00	0.00	0.60	0.76	0.00	0.37	0.69	0.68	0.85
Change in Working Capital	-4.01	16.09	1.85	-10.60	34.52	41.29	21.23	10.08	-18.52
Change in Accounts Receivable	0.00	0.26	1.95	-1.17	0.08	0.18	-0.30	-0.37	-0.13
Change in Inventory	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	-12.32	-26.93	-39.95	0.00	0.00
Change in Accounts Payable	0.00	0.00	0.00	1.31	-0.37	-0.35	0.31	0.34	0.00
Change in Other Working Capital	-4.01	15.83	-0.10	0.10	47.14	68.40	61.17	10.11	-18.39
Other Operating Activities	3.33	3.35	1.32	0.10	-30.60	2.35	-0.07	-34.39	13.98
Net Cash from Operating Activities	10.24	26.70	9.59	4.96	44.05	50.84	29.30	17.91	2.91
Investing Activities
Capital Expenditures	-0.72	-1.56	-1.68	-0.78	-0.98	-1.03	-1.13	-0.89	-0.79
Acquisitions	0.00	0.00	-15.10	1.23	0.06	-0.19	1.13	-0.37	-0.03
Purchases of Investments	-78.69	-86.98	-50.15	-96.60	-49.62	-86.66	-63.50	-46.75	-51.92
Sales/Maturities of Investments	80.17	63.50	44.09	64.03	50.10	56.88	44.72	38.32	51.82
Other Investing Activities	0.85	0.52	1.68	3.32	0.14	-0.98	-0.80	-1.65	-2.25
Net Cash from Investing Activities	0.61	-24.53	-21.16	-29.47	-0.30	-31.97	-19.58	-11.33	-3.16
Financing Activities
Debt Repayment	-2.52	-13.43	-12.28	-6.97	-1.26	0.27	0.40	4.38	20.53
Common Stock Issued	0.16	2.44	3.35	3.11	0.16	0.00	0.05	0.48	1.04
Common Stock Repurchased	-3.40	-1.25	0.00	-1.52	-1.05	-0.08	-0.09	-1.29	-0.94
Dividends Paid	-5.03	-3.84	-2.70	-2.60	-2.98	-2.48	-2.75	-2.58	-2.01
Other Financing Activities	-0.95	-12.07	2.07	6.93	51.20	-8.02	-0.23	34.23	-16.62
Net Cash from Financing Activities	-8.67	-15.09	0.27	15.98	47.12	-10.30	-2.61	36.88	2.00
Summary
Effect of Forex Changes on Cash	0.21	0.08	1.77	2.74	-2.78	0.05	-0.45	0.23	-0.80
Net Change in Cash	2.39	-12.84	-9.53	-5.80	35.85	8.61	6.66	9.54	0.95
Cash at Beginning of Period	65.10	77.93	87.47	93.26	57.41	48.80	42.14	32.60	31.65
Cash at End of Period	67.48	65.10	77.93	87.47	93.26	57.41	48.80	42.14	32.60
Free Cash Flow	10.24	26.70	9.59	4.18	43.07	49.80	28.18	17.03	2.12
Supplemental Disclosures
Interest Paid	43.14	45.09	33.75	9.56	5.86	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00
Income Taxes Paid	2.83	2.45	2.59	2.37	2.17	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00

Bank of Montreal (BMO) Cash Flow Statement

Bank of Montreal Cash Flow Statement Analysis

Frequently Asked Questions About Bank of Montreal Cash Flow

Free Cash Flow (FCF)

FCF Per Share

Cash Flow to Debt

Dividend Payout Ratio

EBITDA

Return on Invested Capital (ROIC)