What are some investing activities reported on the statement of cash flows?

A company lists any investments made with cash on its cash flow statement. This section represents the amount of cash used or generated from investment-related activities in a specific period.

Items reported on a cash flow statement for investing activities include purchases of long-term assets such as property, plant and equipment (PP&E), investments in marketable securities such as stocks and bonds, as well as acquisitions of other businesses.

Other items to include are a sale of a division, proceeds from the sale of PP&E, and proceeds from the sale of marketable securities and other businesses.

Some companies will have items not mentioned above, so it’s important to look at the balance sheet of a company to determine the line items.

What are some investing activities reported on the statement of cash flows?

The Coca-Cola Company – Cash Flow from Investing Activities Extract

Key Learning Products

  • Cash flow from investing activities represent the amount of cash used or generated from investment-related activities (purchase of PP&E etc.)
  • A positive cash flow indicates the company is divesting, a negative number indicates the company is investing heavily in its asset base to help generate growth in revenue
  • The net cash flow includes the sum of all investing related activities for the accounting period

Formula

Cash Flow from Investing Activities = (Purchase)/Sale of Long-Term Assets (Capex) + (Purchase)/Sale of Other Businesses (M&A) + (Purchase)/Sale of Marketable Securities

Example

Company XYZ had the following transactions for year-ending 20X7:

What are some investing activities reported on the statement of cash flows?

The above example would reflect in the investing activities of a cash flow statement as:

What are some investing activities reported on the statement of cash flows?

Points to Note

  • Purchases of the crane, a division of another company and marketable securities are an outflow of cash and must be recorded using a negative sign
  • Sales of the manufacturing machine and marketable securities is an inflow of cash

What Not to Include in Investing Activities

  • Debt, equity or other forms of financing
  • Interest payments or dividends
  • Income or expenses related to regular business operations
  • Depreciation and amortization expenses on non-current assets

Why is Cash Flow from Investing Activities Important?

Although a company may report a negative cash flow in investing activities, it doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s going to have a negative impact on the business.

In the short-term, the company has faced a negative impact on cash flow due to the purchase of property, plant and equipment, but in the long-term the assets could help generate growth in a company’s revenue.

In summary, investing activities provide an insight into how effectively the company is keeping its asset base up to date, and investing for future growth.

The objective of IAS 7 is to require the presentation of information about the historical changes in cash and cash equivalents of an entity by means of a statement of cash flows, which classifies cash flows during the period according to operating, investing, and financing activities.

Fundamental principle in IAS 7

All entities that prepare financial statements in conformity with IFRSs are required to present a statement of cash flows. [IAS 7.1]

The statement of cash flows analyses changes in cash and cash equivalents during a period. Cash and cash equivalents comprise cash on hand and demand deposits, together with short-term, highly liquid investments that are readily convertible to a known amount of cash, and that are subject to an insignificant risk of changes in value. Guidance notes indicate that an investment normally meets the definition of a cash equivalent when it has a maturity of three months or less from the date of acquisition. Equity investments are normally excluded, unless they are in substance a cash equivalent (e.g. preferred shares acquired within three months of their specified redemption date). Bank overdrafts which are repayable on demand and which form an integral part of an entity's cash management are also included as a component of cash and cash equivalents. [IAS 7.7-8]

Investing activities refer to any transactions that directly affect long-term assets. This can include the purchase of a building, the sale of equipment, or investing in stocks. Once completed, these activities are then reported on a company’s cash flow statement. Anytime that the purchase of a long-term asset occurs, it reduces company cash flow from assets, while the sale of a long-term asset increases cash flow.

All cash flow statements contain the following sections:

  • Cash flow from operating activities
  • Cash flow from investing activities
  • Cash flow from financing activities
What are some investing activities reported on the statement of cash flows?

A cash flow statement displays operating, investing, and financing activities in three separate sections, reporting the cumulative total at the end. Image source: Author

Unlike other financial statements, the cash flow statement is only concerned with cash going into and out of a business. The statement is most frequently used by both business owners and investors to measure how well cash is being managed from day-to-day operations, from any investing activities, as well as financing activities.

While a cash flow statement measures and reports on cash flow across a company, it can also pinpoint the specific area(s) where cash flow may be an issue.

For example, if you look at the cash flow statement above, you’ll see that cash from operations is a substantial number, while both the investing cash flow and financial activities cash flow are negative.

If this business were to combine all three sections, it would be difficult to determine how well the core operations were performing or if operating cash flow was positive or negative. This format helps determine how each part of the company is doing, allowing business owners and managers to directly address any cash flow issues.

Cash flow from investing activities deals with the acquisition or disposal of any long-term assets. Because these activities directly affect cash flow, they are always included in the cash flow from investing activities section of your company’s cash flow statement.

Along with being part of your cash flow statement, your adjusted asset totals are also reported on the non-current part of a balance sheet. In addition, the total income reported on your company’s income statement will also impact your cash flow statement.

Overview: What are investing activities?

Investing activities are the acquisition or disposal of long-term assets. This can include the purchase of a company vehicle, the sale of a building, or the purchase of marketable securities. Because these items involve the long-term use of cash, they are reported in the investing section of the cash flow statement.

How to calculate the cash flow from investing activities

Calculating cash flow from investing activities is completed automatically if you’re using accounting software to manage and record your financial activities. If you’re not, you’ll need to add up the proceeds from the sales of long-term assets or the money received from the sale of stocks, bonds, or other marketable securities.

Then you’ll subtract the cost of purchasing any long-term assets such as equipment or securities. These totals would then be reported on your company cash flow statement.

Examples of investing activities

Investing activities involve transactions that use cash in the long term. Because the cash purchase is used long term, standard accounting practice allows businesses to consider the purchase of assets as an investment.

For example, David owns a small factory that manufactures key components used in airplanes. Because orders have increased so much, David decides to sell the current plant and purchase a much larger one. All of these transactions take place in 2020 and will be reflected in the company’s cash flow statement for the period.

1. Purchase of a plant

David was lucky enough to quickly locate a plant to purchase that will adequately house his business. He purchased the building in March 2020 at a cost of $1.2 million.

2. Sale of equipment

Much of David’s current equipment has been in use since he started the business 10 years ago. Rather than move the old equipment, David decides to sell some of it and purchase new, updated equipment. Over a two-month period, David sold power presses, laser cutters, welding machines, industrial cutters, and a rivet machine, receiving a total of $50,000 from the sale in April.

3. Purchase of equipment

Now that David has moved into his new manufacturing plant, he needs to purchase new equipment to replace much of what he sold. The total cost of the new equipment is $145,000.

4. Sale of building

In May, David sold his existing building for $750,000, which is considerably more than he expected to receive.

5. Purchase of marketable securities

Because David received an influx of cash from the sale of the old plant that he didn’t expect, he decides to invest some of that money by purchasing stock, which can be easily liquidated if necessary. After some research, David purchased some tech stocks in September for $40,000.

6. Investment in a second business

David’s brother decides to open a hardware store and asks David to be his partner. While David declines a full partnership role in his brother’s business, he agreed to a 25% partnership, writing his brother a check in October for $75,000 to cover his investment.

When David runs his cash flow statement at the end of the year, the following items will be displayed in the investing activities section of the statement.

Investing Activities for 2020Purchased plant($1,200,000)Sale of equipment50,000Purchase of equipment(145,000)Sale of building750,000Purchase of stocks(40,000)Investment in a second business(75,000)Net Cash in investing activities(660,000)

While a negative cash flow number might send up red flags if it was in the operating section of the cash flow statement, a negative cash flow number in investing activities shows that David is investing in his company. And by keeping cash flow investment activities separate, investors will also be able to see that the core business operations represented in the operating activities section are fine.

Items not to include when calculating cash flow from investing activities

When calculating cash flow from investing, it’s just as important to understand what shouldn’t be included in your calculations.

  • Regular income and expense transactions
  • Interest payments
  • Dividends
  • Depreciation of capital assets
  • Debt or equity financing

Because these transactions impact other areas of the cash flow statement, including them in the investing activities section will result in an understatement or overstatement of cash flow.

Final thoughts on cash flow from investing activities

Whether you’re doing accounting for a small business or an international enterprise, cash flow from investing activities is important for a variety of reasons. For example, if you spend a lot of money on purchasing long-term assets such as David’s company did in the example above, these purchases could hurt your total cash flow if they were not separated from operating and financing activities.

While a negative cash flow in operating activities may be cause for alarm, in most cases negative cash flow in investing activities may temporarily reduce cash flow. However, it is almost always seen as a worthy investment in your business in the short term while helping to grow your business over the long term.

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What goes in investing activities on cash flow statement?

Cash flow from investing activities is a section of the cash flow statement that shows the cash generated or spent relating to investment activities. Investing activities include purchases of physical assets, investments in securities, or the sale of securities or assets.

What are some investing activities reported on the statement of cash flows quizlet?

Typical investing activities on the statement of cash flows include the purchase and sale of long-term assets (eg, equipment). Only the cash components of these transactions are included on the statement. The cash inflows and outflows are always reported separately and not netted.

What are examples of investing activities?

Investing activities include purchases of long-term assets (such as property, plant, and equipment), acquisitions of other businesses, and investments in marketable securities (stocks and bonds).

Which of the following is classified as an investing activity on the statement of cash flows?

In a statement of cash flows, which of the following would be classified as an investing activity? The sale of the company's own common stock for cash.