Driving Digital Transformation and Shareholder Value
Historical Free Cash Flow GAAP Reconciliation ($M)
We define "free cash flow" as net cash provided by operating activities less purchases of, and plus proceeds from, equipment, and plus excess tax benefits from share-based payment arrangements. The equipment purchases and
proceeds are included in cash flows from investing activities. Management believes that free cash flow provides useful additional information concerning cash flow available to meet future debt service obligations and working capital
requirements. However, free cash flow is not a measure of financial performance or liquidity under GAAP. Accordingly, free cash flow should not be considered an alternative to net income or cash flow from operating activities as an
indicator of operating performance or liquidity. The table below provides a reconciliation between net cash provided by operating activities and free cash flow.
YTD
2008
2009
2010 2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017 2018
Net cash provided by operating activities
Purchases of rental equipment
(1,272)
$ 764 $ 438 $ 452 $ 612 $ 721 $ 1,551 $ 1,801 $ 1,987 $ 1,941 $ 2,209 $ 2,853
(624) (260) (346) (774)
(1,580) (1,701) (1,534) (1,246) (1,769) (2,106)
2019
$ 3,024
2020
$ 644
(2,132)
(208)
Purchases of non-rental equipment
Proceeds from sales of rental equipment
Proceeds from sales of non-rental equipment
Insurance proceeds from damaged equipment (1)
Excess tax benefits from share-based payment
arrangements (2)
Free cash flow
Merger and restructuring related payments included
in free cash flow (3)
(80) (51)
(28) (36)
(97)
(104) (120) (102)
(93) (120) (185)
(218) (53)
264
229
144
208
399
490
544
538
496
550
664
831
208
11
13
7
13
31
26
33
17
14
16
23
37
9
8
12
21
22
24
6
Free cash flow excluding merger and restructuring
related payments (3)
(2)
(2)
$ 335 $ 367 $ 227 $
23 $
(5)
(223) $
5
58
383 $ 557 $
919 $ 1,182 $
907 $ 1,271
$
1,566
$ 606
150
38
17
5
13
76
63
26
2
$
(73) $
421 $
574 $
924 $ 1,195 $ 983 $1,334
$
1,592
$ 608
(1) In 2018, we adopted accounting guidance that addressed the cash flow presentation for proceeds from the settlement of insurance claims. Adoption of this guidance decreased net cash provided by operating activities, relative to
previously reported amounts, but did not change free cash flow, for 2017, 2016 and 2015 in the table above. The information required to determine the amount of insurance proceeds for periods prior to 2015 is unavailable without
unreasonable effort. The adoption of this accounting guidance did not impact free cash flow, as the reduction to net cash provided by operating activities was offset by the increase in insurance proceeds from
damaged equipment.
(2) The excess tax benefits from share-based payment arrangements result from stock-based compensation windfall deductions in excess of the amounts reported for financial reporting purposes. We adopted accounting guidance in 2017
that changed the cash flow presentation of excess tax benefits from share-based payment arrangements. In the table above, the excess tax benefits from share-based payment arrangements for periods after 2016 are presented as a
component of net cash provided by operating activities, while, for 2016 and prior, they are presented as a separate line item. Because we historically included the excess tax benefits from share based payment arrangements in the free cash
flow calculation, the adoption of this guidance did not change the calculation of free cash flow.
(3) Merger and restructuring related payments were first reported for 2012. The information required to determine the amount of merger and restructuring related payments for periods prior to 2012 is unavailable without unreasonable effort.
United Rentals®
United Rentals, Inc., 100 First Stamford Place, Stamford, CT 06902. 2020 United Rentals, Inc. All rights reserved.
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