For 2013, net cash provided by operating activities exceeded net cash used in investing
activities and for the payment of dividends, although the same could not be said in 2012,
2014, or for the three year period in total, as seen in the following summary (amounts in
millions):
2014 2013 2012 Total
Net cash provided by operating activities …… $10,615 $10,542 $10,645 $31,802
The trend in net cash provided by operating activities is quite stable, although it does not
necessarily suggest that a steady growth pattern is emerging, which of course would be
the goal. It would be necessary to extend the trend back to several more prior years to get
Net cash used in investing activities was unusually high in 2012 relative to 2013 and
2014. Possible reasons for this pattern may be offered or hinted at elsewhere within the
annual report, most likely within the management discussion and analysis section.
It should also be noted that Coca Cola’s investing activities include rather large dollar
amounts each year for the “Purchases of investments” and for the “Proceeds from the
disposals of investments.” These types of cash flow transactions relate to short-term
investment activities that are essentially an extension of Coca Cola’s working capital
management efforts. In many ways, the purchase and sale of short-term investments are
as “operating” in nature as they are “investing” in nature.
As a result, although such transactions are properly classified within the investing
activities section of the Statement of Cash Flows, many financial analysts may choose to
exclude them when assessing the company’s long-term investing cash flow requirements
for items such as the purchase of property, plant, and equipment, or the acquisition of