What does free cash flow mean?

Free cash flow represents the cash generated by a company after accounting for cash outflows to support operations and maintain or expand its capital asset base. It serves as a critical indicator of a company's ability to fund organic growth, pay down debt, or return capital to shareholders without relying on external financing.

Ventas VTR Free cash flow

Discontinued — last reported Q4 '19

Free cash flow at other companies

Cabot CorporationCBT

$32M+3,100%

UnifirstUNF

$35.22M-6.5%

Warrior Met CoalHCC

-$91.86M-59.5%

Travel + LeisureTNL

$19M-81.0%

BioventusBVS

$8.36M+141%

Dave, Inc.DAVE

$82.01M+81.4%

Other financials

Income statement

See full

Revenue$1.7B+22.0%

Net income$59.0M+22.1%

EPS (diluted)$0.11+10.0%

Balance sheet

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Cash & equivalents$183.6M+0.7%

Total debt$12.7B-1.5%

Total equity$13.1B+14.4%

Total assets$27.7B+6.4%

Cash flow

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Operating cash flow$394.6M+22.9%

Valuation

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Market cap$42.51B+50.8%

Enterprise value$55.05B+34.5%

P/E156.2×-32.7×

P/S6.9×+1.4×

Profitability

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Net margin4.4%+1.5pp

FCF margin33.1%—

Returns & leverage

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Return on equity2.2%+0.8pp

Debt / equity1×-0.2×

Where this comes from

Calculated from Ventas’s reported figures.

$354.2Mnet cash from operating−$56.9Mcapital expenditures=$297.3M

The official record: Ventas’s 10-K, filed February 18, 2022, on SEC EDGAR. View the filing →

Questions, answered.

What does free cash flow mean?: Free cash flow represents the cash generated by a company after accounting for cash outflows to support operations and maintain or expand its capital asset base. It serves as a critical indicator of a company's ability to fund organic growth, pay down debt, or return capital to shareholders without relying on external financing.