Walmart Inc. is a multinational retail corporation that operates a chain of hypermarkets, discount department stores, and grocery stores. The company is headquartered in Bentonville, Arkansas, and was founded in 1962. Walmart is renowned for its extensive retail operations and its commitment to providing a wide range of products at competitive prices.
The cash flow statement provides insight into how much cash or cash equivalents a company has generated and used over a specific period. It is divided into three sections: operating activities, investing activities, and financing activities. This statement is crucial for investors and analysts to understand how a company is managing its cash resources.
The chart above illustrates the cash flow of Walmart Inc. in 2024. The width of the bars represents the amount of cash flow, with wider bars indicating larger amounts.
We begin on the left with the company's cash position at the start of the year. During the year, the cash increased, indicating that the company effectively managed its cash resources. The cash flow from operating activities is the largest source of cash, while the cash flow from investing activities shows a significant outflow, primarily due to capital expenditures.
The cash flow from investing activities is negative, suggesting that the company spent more on new investments than it received from selling assets or investments. The cash flow from financing activities is also negative, reflecting that the company paid out more cash for purposes such as debt repayments, share buybacks, or dividend payments.
After considering the change in cash, we end on the right with the company's cash position at the end of the year.
To get a sense of the scale of Walmart Inc.'s cash flow, we have created a real-time counter that simulates the company's cash flow for 2024. The counter starts when you scroll to this section and runs at the same speed as the company's reported cash flow.
This is not a live counter of real cash flows as they happen, but a simulation based on the company's reported cash flow for 2024. The counter is meant to give you a sense of the scale of the company's cash flow and how quickly it moves.
In 2024, Walmart Inc. generated $35,726 million in cash from operating activities, spent $21,287 million on investing activities, and used $13,414 million in financing activities. As a result, the company's cash balance increased by $1,094 million during the year.
The company's beginning cash balance was $8,841 million, which typically includes cash and cash equivalents, such as short-term investments that can be easily converted into cash. The company's ending cash balance was $9,935 million.
The company's capital expenditures for the year were $20,606 million. This amount represents the cash the company spent on investments in property, plant, and equipment. Subtracting capital expenditures from cash flow from operations gives the company's free cash flow, which was $15,120 million in 2024. This amount represents the cash the company has available to pay dividends, repurchase stock, or make other investments.
| Cash Flow from Operations | 35,726 |
| Cash Flow from Investing | -21,287 |
| Cash Flow from Financing | -13,414 |
| Changes in Cash | 1,025 |
| Effect of Exchange Rate Changes | 69 |
| Beginning Cash Position | 8,841 |
| Ending Cash Position | 9,935 |
| Capital Expenditures | -20,606 |
| Free Cash Flow | 15,120 |
All amounts in USD (Millions)
Walmart Inc.'s cash flow in 2024 highlights its strong operational cash generation, which allowed the company to cover its significant capital expenditures and still increase its cash reserves. The negative cash flow from investing activities reflects the company's continued investment in its infrastructure and growth initiatives. Despite the outflows from financing activities, Walmart managed to increase its cash position, demonstrating effective cash management and financial stability.
Dive deeper into Walmart Inc. financials and explore our other analysis pages.
