What Is a Cash Contract? A cash contract is a financial agreement in which one party agrees to purchase a specified quantity of a commodity on a predetermined date. Unlike futures contracts in which the purchaser often closes out their contract for cash prior to the delivery date, the buyer in a cash contract always
What Is a Cash Discount? Cash discounts refer to an incentive that a seller offers to a buyer in return for paying a bill before the scheduled due date. In a cash discount, the seller will usually reduce the amount that the buyer owes by either a small percentage or a set dollar amount. Key
What Is a Cash Dividend? A cash dividend is the distribution of funds or money paid to stockholders generally as part of the corporation’s current earnings or accumulated profits. Cash dividends are paid directly in money, as opposed to being paid as a stock dividend or other form of value. Most brokers offer a choice to
What Does Cash Earnings Per Share Meaning? Cash earnings per share (cash EPS), or more commonly called operating cash flow, is a financial performance measure comparing cash flow to the number of shares outstanding. Cash EPS differs from the more popular net profit measure, earnings per share (EPS), which compares net income on a per share
What Is Cash Equity? Cash equity most often refers to common stock and the (spot) cash equity market that involves the large institutions that trade blocks of stock with firm capital and on behalf of customers. These firms are themselves referred to as cash equity players. Cash equity is also a real estate term that
What Are Cash Equivalents? Cash equivalents are investments securities that are meant for short-term investing; they have high credit quality and are highly liquid. Cash equivalents, also known as “cash and equivalents,” are one of the three main asset classes in financial investing, along with stocks and bonds. These securities have a low-risk, low-return profile.
What Is Cash Flow? The term cash flow refers to the net amount of cash and cash equivalents being transferred in and out of a company. Cash received represents inflows, while money spent represents outflows. A company’s ability to create value for shareholders is fundamentally determined by its ability to generate positive cash flows or
What Is Cash Flow to Capital Expenditures (CF to CAPEX)? Cash flow to capital expenditures—CF/CapEX—is a ratio that measures a company’s ability to acquire long-term assets using free cash flow. The CF/CapEX ratio will often fluctuate as businesses go through cycles of large and small capital expenditures. A higher CF/CapEX ratio is indicative of a
What Is Cash Flow Financing? Cash flow financing is a form of financing in which a loan made to a company is backed by a company’s expected cash flows. Cash flow is the amount of cash that flows in and out of a business in a specific period. Cash flow financing—or a cash flow loan—uses
What Is Cash Flow From Investing Activities? Cash flow from investing activities (CFI) is one of the sections on the cash flow statement that reports how much cash has been generated or spent from various investment-related activities in a specific period. Investing activities include purchases of physical assets, investments in securities, or the sale of
