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 CAT's cash generation trending?

Accepted Answer

Review Caterpillar'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	Dec 2025	Dec 2024	Dec 2023	Dec 2022	Dec 2021	Dec 2020	Dec 2019	Dec 2018	Dec 2017
Operating Activities
Net Income	8.88	10.79	10.34	6.70	6.49	3.00	6.09	6.15	0.76
Depreciation & Amortization	2.26	2.15	2.14	2.22	2.35	2.43	2.58	2.77	2.88
Deferred Income Tax	0.47	-0.62	-0.59	-0.38	-0.38	-0.07	0.03	0.22	1.21
Stock Based Compensation	-0.02	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00
Change in Working Capital	-0.35	-0.86	0.15	-1.80	-0.65	-0.42	-2.93	-4.08	-0.19
Change in Accounts Receivable	-2.14	-0.16	-0.44	-0.22	-1.26	1.44	0.17	-1.62	-1.15
Change in Inventory	-1.48	-0.41	-0.36	-2.59	-2.59	-0.03	0.27	-1.58	-1.30
Change in Accounts Payable	1.18	-0.28	-0.75	0.80	2.04	0.10	-1.03	0.71	1.48
Change in Other Working Capital	0.74	0.56	1.63	0.21	1.16	-1.92	-2.35	-1.59	0.77
Other Operating Activities	0.74	0.56	-0.32	1.02	-0.62	1.38	1.14	1.50	1.05
Net Cash from Operating Activities	11.74	12.04	12.89	7.77	7.20	6.33	6.91	6.56	5.71
Investing Activities
Capital Expenditures	-4.29	-3.22	-3.09	-2.60	-2.47	-2.12	-2.67	-2.92	-2.34
Acquisitions	-0.05	-0.06	0.00	0.00	0.04	0.03	0.04	0.02	0.10
Purchases of Investments	-1.98	-1.53	-2.59	-3.17	-2.26	-0.75	-0.60	-0.90	-1.11
Sales/Maturities of Investments	2.49	3.16	1.89	2.38	0.79	0.35	0.53	0.44	0.93
Other Investing Activities	0.08	-0.80	0.10	0.84	0.82	0.03	-0.29	-1.13	0.55
Net Cash from Investing Activities	-4.71	-2.45	-5.87	-2.54	-3.08	-1.49	-1.93	-3.21	-0.97
Financing Activities
Debt Repayment	-8.08	-9.32	-7.66	-0.65	0.68	-0.61	1.41	1.84	-2.38
Common Stock Issued	-0.02	0.02	0.01	0.05	0.14	0.23	0.24	0.31	0.57
Common Stock Repurchased	-5.21	-7.70	-4.98	-4.23	-2.67	-1.13	-4.05	-3.80	0.00
Dividends Paid	-2.75	-2.65	-2.56	-2.44	-2.33	-2.24	-2.13	-1.95	-1.83
Other Financing Activities	-0.07	-0.04	-1.35	-0.01	0.00	0.00	0.00	-0.05	-0.01
Net Cash from Financing Activities	-3.90	-9.57	-6.93	-7.28	-4.19	-3.76	-4.54	-3.65	-3.66
Summary
Effect of Forex Changes on Cash	-0.04	-0.11	-0.11	-0.19	-0.03	-0.01	-0.04	-0.13	0.04
Net Change in Cash	3.13	0.02	-0.03	-2.25	-0.10	1.07	0.40	-0.43	1.12
Cash at Beginning of Period	6.90	6.99	7.01	9.26	9.37	8.29	7.89	8.32	7.20
Cash at End of Period	9.99	6.90	6.99	7.01	9.26	9.37	8.29	7.89	8.32
Free Cash Flow	7.45	8.82	9.79	5.17	4.73	4.21	4.24	3.64	3.37
Supplemental Disclosures
Interest Paid	1.84	1.74	1.44	0.96	0.92	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00
Income Taxes Paid	2.21	3.13	2.95	3.08	1.76	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00

Caterpillar (CAT) Cash Flow Statement

Caterpillar Cash Flow Statement Analysis

Frequently Asked Questions About Caterpillar Cash Flow

Free Cash Flow (FCF)

FCF Per Share

Cash Flow to Debt

Dividend Payout Ratio

EBITDA

Return on Invested Capital (ROIC)