What does free cash flow margin mean?

How much real, spendable cash each sales dollar generates after reinvestment.

How do you interpret free cash flow margin?

A high and rising FCF margin is the hallmark of a cash-generative business. Persistent gaps between net margin and FCF margin warrant a look at working capital or capital intensity.

How does free cash flow margin compare across companies?

Strong cross-company quality signal; capital-light compounders post structurally higher FCF margins than asset-heavy peers.

American Electric Power AEP Free cash flow margin

Discontinued — last reported Q1 '21

Free cash flow margin at other companies

Nextra EnergyNEE

10.5%-8.7pp

PPLPPL

-17.4%—

OGE EnergyOGE

-3.1%-11.7pp

FirstEnergyFE

-11.2%—

ExelonEXC

-9.4%+8.8pp

Duke EnergyDUK

-1.8%—

Other financials

Income statement

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Revenue$6.0B+10.2%

Gross profit$3.9B+8.1%

Operating income$1.4B+5.9%

Net income$903.0M+12.6%

EPS (diluted)$1.60+6.7%

Balance sheet

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Cash & equivalents$339.0M+16.1%

Total debt$49.7B—

Total equity$31.8B+16.2%

Total assets$117.78B—

Cash flow

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Operating cash flow$1.5B+4.8%

CapEx$965.0M—

Free cash flow$554.0M-61.8%

Valuation

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Market cap$69.48B+22.1%

Enterprise value$118.86B—

P/E21.9×+1.4×

P/S3.1×-0.1×

Profitability

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Operating margin19.2%-1.0pp

Net margin13.1%-1.5pp

Returns & leverage

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Return on equity10.6%-0.6pp

Debt / equity1.6×—

Current ratio0.5×—

Where this comes from

Calculated from American Electric Power’s reported figures.

free cash flow/total revenue=19.4%

Based on trailing twelve months.

The official record: American Electric Power’s 10-Q, filed April 28, 2022, on SEC EDGAR. View the filing →

Questions, answered.

What does free cash flow margin mean?: How much real, spendable cash each sales dollar generates after reinvestment.
How do you interpret free cash flow margin?: A high and rising FCF margin is the hallmark of a cash-generative business. Persistent gaps between net margin and FCF margin warrant a look at working capital or capital intensity.
How does free cash flow margin compare across companies?: Strong cross-company quality signal; capital-light compounders post structurally higher FCF margins than asset-heavy peers.