"...How could a company as big and profitable as W.T. Grant Co. go bust?
In the autopsy that followed the bankruptcy, accountants found that while the company was generating substantial PROFIT, it was not generating any CASH FLOW.
These two terms sound the same, but they’re dramatically different...
...Today there’s another famous business in similar circumstances– our old friend Netflix.
Quarter after quarter, Netflix reports a profit.
Just yesterday afternoon the company had its quarterly earnings call, posting a profit of $553 million. Not bad.
Yet when anyone dives just a little bit deeper into the numbers, Netflix’s cash flow is absolutely gruesome.
The company’s operating cash flow is negative. In other words, after stripping out all the unrealistic accounting nonsense, Netflix’s core business LOSES MONEY.
In fact Netflix’s operating cash flow has been negative FOR YEARS. And the amount of money its losing is increasing.
Netflix’s business has lost $1.3 billion so far through the first nine months of 2017. That’s 52% worse than the $916 million operating cash flow deficit they suffered in the first nine months of 2016, and nearly three times worse than the $504 million operating cash flow deficit during the first nine months of 2015.
Throughout this period, the number of Netflix subscribers has steadily grown, now well in excess of 100 million.
And every time Netflix reports a big surge in subscribers, the stock price soars..."
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