Ntpc Ltd
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F&O
Cash Flow
Cash Flow Breakdown
Figures in ₹ CroreOperatingInvestingFinancing
How to read this: the three bars show where cash moved each year. Operating is cash from the core business (you generally want this positive and growing). Investing is usually negative — money spent on assets or acquisitions. Financing shows money raised from, or returned to, lenders and shareholders. Bars above the line are cash in; bars below are cash out.
Operating vs Free Cash Flow
Figures in ₹ CroreOperating Cash FlowFree Cash Flow
How to read this: operating cash flow is the cash the core business produced. Free cash flow is what is left after the spending needed to maintain and grow the business. The closer free cash flow sits to operating cash flow, the less the company has to plough back just to keep running — leaving more for dividends, debt repayment, or reinvestment.
| Period | Cash from Operating Activity | Cash from Investing Activity | Cash from Financing Activity | Net Cash Flow | Free Cash Flow | CFO/OP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2015 | 14,889 | -15,977 | -1,474 | -2,563 | -4,431 | 97 |
| FY2016 | 24,125 | -19,162 | -3,899 | 1,064 | 3,110 | 137 |
| FY2017 | 20,167 | -24,480 | 3,138 | -1,176 | -4,161 | 106 |
| FY2018 | 19,670 | -20,678 | 1,028 | 19 | 912 | 79 |
| FY2019 | 18,686 | -24,063 | 4,927 | -451 | -2,842 | 98 |
| FY2020 | 24,583 | -30,322 | 6,004 | 266 | 6,521 | 89 |
| FY2021 | 32,444 | -21,034 | -11,049 | 360 | 9,162 | 104 |
| FY2022 | 41,788 | -22,891 | -19,172 | -274 | 17,457 | 109 |
| FY2023 | 47,152 | -26,145 | -21,217 | -210 | 22,432 | 108 |
| FY2024 | 40,099 | -31,456 | -8,246 | 398 | 9,358 | 85 |
| FY2025 | 50,488 | -45,852 | -4,073 | 563 | 9,431 | 101 |
| FY2026 | 50,902 | -37,578 | -11,328 | 1,995 | 6,895 | 98 |
Figures in ₹ Crore (consolidated where available). Educational data only.
Understanding these terms
Plain-English explanations of each figure in the table above, and what a beginner typically looks at. These are educational descriptions only, not advice.
- Cash from Operating Activity
- The actual cash the core business generated during the period, after adjusting profit for non-cash items and working-capital changes.How a beginner reads it: A beginner values this because it is harder to dress up than reported profit. Over several years, a beginner likes to see operating cash flow broadly tracking net profit — a persistent gap is worth understanding.
- Cash from Investing Activity
- Cash spent on or received from investments — buying or selling assets, businesses, or securities. Often negative for a growing company.How a beginner reads it: A beginner reads a negative figure here as money going into expansion (new plant, acquisitions), which is normal for a growing business. The question is whether that spending eventually lifts operating cash flow.
- Cash from Financing Activity
- Cash raised from or returned to lenders and shareholders — new loans, repayments, share issues, buybacks, and dividends.How a beginner reads it: A beginner uses this to see how the company funds itself. Consistently raising cash here while operations burn cash is a different picture from a company returning cash to shareholders.
- Net Cash Flow
- The overall change in the company's cash during the period — operating, investing, and financing flows added together.How a beginner reads it: A beginner treats this as the net movement in the cash balance. A single year's figure says little on its own; the mix of the three underlying flows matters more than the total.
- Free Cash Flow
- The cash left from operations after the spending needed to maintain and grow the asset base (capital expenditure). Cash the company could use for dividends, debt repayment, or reinvestment.How a beginner reads it: A beginner sees free cash flow as a sign of financial breathing room. A business that consistently produces free cash has more options than one that is always reinvesting just to stand still.
- CFO/OP
- Cash From Operations divided by Operating Profit — how much of reported operating profit actually showed up as operating cash.How a beginner reads it: A beginner uses this as a quality check: a ratio near or above 1 over time suggests profits are converting into real cash. A persistently low ratio invites a closer look at why.