In the cash flows from operating activities section of Wal - Mart’s cash flow statement, the company reconciles its net income to net cash provided by operating activities. This emphasizes the different perspectives of the income statement and cash flow statement. Income is reported when earned, not necessarily when cash is received. The cash flow statement presents another aspect of performance: the ability of a company to generate cash flow from running its business. Ideally, the analyst would like to see that the primary source of cash flow is from operating activities (as opposed to investing or fi nancing activities). Note that Wal- Mart had a large amount of operating cash flow, which increased from 2003 to 2004 but decreased slightly in 2005. Although operating cash flow was high, an analyst might question why net income increased but operating cash flow decreased in 2005. The summation of the net cash flows from operating, investing, and financing activities and the effect of exchange rates on cash equals the net change in cash during the fiscal year. For Wal - Mart, the summation of these four cash flow activities in 2005 was $289, which thus increased the company’s cash from $5,199 on 31 January 2004 (beginning cash balance) to $5,488 on 31 January 2005 (ending cash balance). Note that these beginning and ending cash balances agree with the cash reported on Wal - Mart’s balance sheets in Exhibit 1 - 4 . The cash flow statement will be treated in more depth in the chapter on understanding the cash flow statement. 3.1.4. Statement of Changes in Owners’ Equity The income statement, balance sheet, and cash flow statements represent the primary financial statements used to assess a company’s performance and financial position. A fourth financial statement is also available, variously called a “s tatement of changes in owners’ equity,” “ s tatement of shareholders’ equity,” or “ statement of retained earnings.” This s tatement primarily serves to report changes in the owners’ investment in the business over time and assists the analyst in understanding the changes in financial position refl ected on the balance sheet
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