Compass Minerals International (Compass Minerals International) Free Cash Flow

: $-131 Mil (TTM As of Dec. 2023)

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Compass Minerals International's total free cash flow for the months ended in Dec. 2023 was $-101 Mil. Its total free cash flow for the trailing twelve months (TTM) ended in Dec. 2023 was $-131 Mil.

Compass Minerals International's Free Cash Flow per Share for the months ended in Dec. 2023 was $-2.45. Its free cash flow per share for the trailing twelve months (TTM) ended in Dec. 2023 was $-3.19.

During the past 12 months, the average Free Cash Flow per Share Growth Rate of Compass Minerals International was -390.60% per year. Please click Growth Rate Calculation Example (GuruFocus) to see how GuruFocus calculates Wal-Mart Stores Inc (WMT)'s revenue growth rate. You can apply the same method to get the Free Cash Flow Growth Rate using Free Cash Flow per Share data.

During the past 13 years, Compass Minerals International's highest 3-Year average Free Cash Flow per Share Growth Rate was 48.50% per year. The lowest was -32.10% per year. And the median was -4.20% per year.

Compass Minerals International Free Cash Flow Historical Data

The historical data trend for Compass Minerals International's Free Cash Flow can be seen below:

* For Operating Data section: All numbers are indicated by the unit behind each term and all currency related amount are in USD.
* For other sections: All numbers are in millions except for per share data, ratio, and percentage. All currency related amount are indicated in the company's associated stock exchange currency.

* Premium members only.

Compass Minerals International Annual Data

Trend

Dec14

Dec15

Dec16

Dec17

Dec18

Dec19

Dec20

Sep21

Sep22

Sep23

Free Cash Flow

61.50

90.30

90.90

23.80

-48.30

Compass Minerals International Quarterly Data
	Mar19	Jun19	Sep19	Dec19	Mar20	Jun20	Sep20	Dec20	Mar21	Jun21	Sep21	Dec21	Mar22	Jun22	Sep22	Dec22	Mar23	Jun23	Sep23	Dec23
Free Cash Flow																-17.80	118.00	-57.80	-90.70	-100.90

Compass Minerals International Free Cash Flow Calculation

Free Cash Flow is considered one of the most important parameters to measure a company's earnings power by value investors because it is not subject to estimates of Depreciation, Depletion and Amortization (DDA). However, when we look at the Free Cash Flow, we should look from a long term perspective, because any year's Free Cash Flow can be drastically affected by the spending on Property, Plant, & Equipment (PPE) of the business in that year. Over the long term, Free Cash Flow should give pretty good picture on the real earnings power of the company.

Compass Minerals International's Free Cash Flow for the fiscal year that ended in Sep. 2023 is calculated as

Free Cash Flow (A: Sep. 2023 )	=	Cash Flow from Operations	+	Capital Expenditure
	=	107.9	+	-156.2
	=	-48

Compass Minerals International's Free Cash Flow for the quarter that ended in Dec. 2023 is calculated as

Free Cash Flow (Q: Dec. 2023 )	=	Cash Flow from Operations	+	Capital Expenditure
	=	-65.6	+	-35.3
	=	-101

Free Cash Flow for the trailing twelve months (TTM) ended in Dec. 2023 adds up the quarterly data reported by the company within the most recent 12 months, which was $-131 Mil.

Compass Minerals International (NYSE:CMP) Free Cash Flow Explanation

Free Cash Flow is very close to Warren Buffett's definition of Owner's Earnings, except that in Warren Buffett's Owner's Earnings, the spending for Property, Plant, and Equipment is only for maintenance (replacement), while in the Free Cash Flow calculation, the cost of new Property, Plant, and Equipment due to business expansion is also deducted. There, Free Cash Flow is more conservative than Owner's Earnings.

In Don Yacktman's calculation of forward rate of return, he uses Free Cash Flow for the calculation. Yacktman explained the forward rate of return concept in detail in his interview with GuruFocus. Yacktman defines forward rate of return as the normalized free cash flow yield plus real growth plus inflation.

This is what Yacktman said in his March 2012 interview - when the S&P 500 was at 1400:

If the business is stable, this calculation is fairly straightforward. For instance, on the S&P 500 we would normalize earnings. We would then calculate what percentage of those earnings are not reinvested in the underlying businesses and are therefore free. Historically, for the S&P 500, this has been just under 50% of earnings. Currently, we expect the S&P to earn about 70 on a normalized basis, a number which is far below reported earnings due to our adjusting for record high profit margins. $70 X ½ / 1400 gives you a normalized free cash flow yield of approximately 2.5%.

The historical real growth rate of the S&P 500 (companies) is about 1.5%. Assuming an inflation rate of 2.5%, the forward rate of return on an investment in the S&P 500 is about 6.5% today (2.5% free cash flow yield plus 1.5% real growth plus 2.5% inflation).

For the growth part of the Forward Rate of Return calculation, GuruFocus uses the 5-year average growth rate of EBITDA per share as the growth rate, and the growth rate is always capped at 20%. For the Free Cash Flow we use per share data averaged over seven years. The reason we use seven years is because research shows that seven years is the length of the typical business cycle.

Therefore, as of Dec23, Compass Minerals International's Forward Rate of Return (Yacktman) % is

Forward Rate of Return (Yacktman) % (Dec23)	=	Normalized Free Cash Flow	/	Price	+	5-Year EBITDA Growth Rate
	=	0.76171429	/	25.32	+	-0.1295
	=	-9.94 %

Be Aware

Free Cash Flow within a report period can be affected by management's decisions of capital spending. Therefore, it is important to look at long term when it comes to Free Cash Flow.

Compass Minerals International Free Cash Flow Related Terms

Thank you for viewing the detailed overview of Compass Minerals International's Free Cash Flow provided by GuruFocus.com. Please click on the following links to see related term pages.

Compass Minerals International (Compass Minerals International) Business Description

Industry

GURUFOCUS.COM » STOCK LIST » Basic Materials » Metals & Mining » Compass Minerals International Inc (NYSE:CMP) » Definitions » Free Cash Flow

Comparable Companies

Traded in Other Exchanges

CM8:Germany CM8:Germany

Address

9900 West 109th Street, Suite 100, Overland Park, KS, USA, 66210

Website

https://www.compassminerals.com

Compass Minerals currently produces two primary products: salt and specialty potash fertilizer. The company's main assets include rock salt mines in Ontario, Louisiana, and the United Kingdom and a salt brine operation at the Great Salt Lake in Utah that produces sulfate of potash and magnesium chloride. Compass' salt products are used for deicing and also by industrial and consumer end markets. The firm's sulfate of potash is used by growers of high-value crops that are sensitive to standard potash. Compass also sells fire retardants, with its magnesium chloride-based products used to combat forest fires.

Executives

Joseph E Reece	director	ONE VALERO WAY, BUILDING D, SUITE 200, SAN ANTONIO TX 78249
James D. Standen	officer: Interim CFO & Treasurer	9900 W. 109 STREET, SUITE 100, OVERLAND PARK KS 66210
Jill V Gardiner	director	C/O COMPASS MINERALS INTERNATIONAL, INC., 9900 W 109TH ST STE 100, OVERLAND PARK KS 66210
Shane T Wagnon	director	C/O COMPASS MINERALS INTERNATIONAL, INC., 9900 W 109TH ST STE 100, OVERLAND PARK KS 66210
Jon A Chisholm	director	C/O COMPASS MINERALS INTERNATIONAL, INC., 9900 W 109TH ST STE 100, OVERLAND PARK KS 66210
Km&t Investment Holdings, Llc	director, 10 percent owner	4111 E 37TH ST N, WICHITA KS 67220
Koch Industries Inc	director, 10 percent owner	4111 EAST 37TH STREET NORTH, WICHITA KS 67220
Melissa M Miller	director	201 ISABELLA STREET, PITTSBURGH PA 15212
Kevin S Crutchfield	director, officer: President and CEO	ONE ALPHA PLACE, P.O. BOX 2345, ABINGDON VA 24212
Mary L Frontczak	officer: Chief Legal Officer	9900 W 109TH STREET, SUITE 100, OVERLAND PARK KS 66210
Lori A Walker	director
Amy Yoder	director	C/O SPECTRUM BRANDS, INC., 6 CONCOURSE PARKWAY, SUITE 3300, ATLANTA GA 30328
Richard P Dealy	director	777 HIDDEN RIDGE, IRVING TX 75038
Edward C Dowling	director	19 NEDS POINT ROAD, MATTAPOISETT MA 02739
Teresa D Cook	officer: Chief Accounting Officer	C/O COMPASS MINERALS INTERNATIONAL, INC., 9900 W 109TH ST STE 100, OVERLAND PARK KS 66210