Rio Tinto Plc, a large-cap Industrial Metals & Mining company, moved 0.0 during today's afternoon session. The company's business is fundamentally profitable, as its average operating margins stand at 37.3%. But a profitable business does not always translate into value creation for the company's equity investors.
Investors should review the company's profitability, and also its ability to convert these profits into hard cash. Some profitable companies struggle in this respect. For example, an unexpected increase in capital expenditures, or an inability to collect payments from customers can quickly empty a company's coffers despite healthy profits on paper. Let's compare Rio Tinto Plc's operating profits and cash flows side-by-side to see this process firsthand.
| Date Reported | Total Revenue ($) | Operating Expenses ($) | Operating Margins (%) | YoY Growth (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-12-31 | 63,495,000,000.0 | 34,067,000,000.0 | 46.35 | 22.33 |
| 2020-12-31 | 44,611,000,000.0 | 27,706,000,000.0 | 37.89 | 10.63 |
| 2019-12-31 | 43,165,000,000.0 | 28,383,000,000.0 | 34.25 | 11.17 |
| 2018-12-31 | 40,522,000,000.0 | 28,037,000,000.0 | 30.81 | n/a |
| Date Reported | Cash Flow from Operations ($) | Capital expenditures ($) | Free Cash Flow ($) | YoY Growth (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-12-31 | 25,345,000,000.0 | -7,384,000,000.0 | 17,961,000,000.0 | 85.43 |
| 2020-12-31 | 15,875,000,000.0 | -6,189,000,000.0 | 9,686,000,000.0 | 2.78 |
| 2019-12-31 | 14,912,000,000.0 | -5,488,000,000.0 | 9,424,000,000.0 | 47.46 |
| 2018-12-31 | 11,821,000,000.0 | -5,430,000,000.0 | 6,391,000,000.0 | n/a |
Rio Tinto Plc's free cash flows have a significantly higher volatility than its margins, with coefficients of variability of 45.7% and 17.9% respectively. The company's cash flows are also increasing at a faster rate. Free cash flow is calculated by subtracting capital expenditures from operating cash flow. Operating cash flow is the net cash flowing in from business activities, while capital expenditures are long term investments in the business.
At Market Inference, our aim is to help you become a more astute investor. Subscribe to our free newsletter for more analysis!
