Adjusted Funds from Operations (AFFO) is the amount of cash (or near cash) generated by a business,  including costs necessary to sustain productive capacity. AFFO can be retained and used internally to fund growth, or can be distributed to owners.

AFFO stands for Adjusted Funds from Operations. This amount is determined by starting with net income(as determined under Generally Accepted Accounting Principles), and adjusting for non cash amounts or amounts related to capital spending. Examples of non cash amounts would be unrealized gains or losses on hedging contracts. It also includes depreciation, depletion or amortization which are a non-cash expenses. Capital spending can be identified as either growth or sustaining. If determined to be sustaining this is deducted from AFFO.

Other terms that essentially mean much the same as AFFO are Distributable Cash, Adjusted Operating Net Income and Free Cash flow. AFFO is most meaningful when calculated on a per share basis then compared with dividends per share to determine the AFFO payout ratio.

Produced by H.C. Levant, – Reproduction of this material in part or it’s entirety is subject to copyright licensing agreements and is forbidden except only with the express written consent of the author.