Generating cash is essential for any business, but not all cash-rich companies are great investments. Some produce plenty of cash but fail to allocate it effectively, leading to missed opportunities.

Cash flow is valuable, but it’s not everything - StockStory helps you identify the companies that truly put it to work. That said, here are three cash-producing companies that don’t make the cut and some better opportunities instead.

General Dynamics (GD)

Trailing 12-Month Free Cash Flow Margin: 8.2%

Creator of the famous M1 Abrahms tank, General Dynamics (NYSE: GD) develops aerospace, marine systems, combat systems, and information technology products.

Why Are We Cautious About GD?

1. New orders were hard to come by as its average backlog growth of 2.1% over the past two years underwhelmed
2. Estimated sales growth of 3.5% for the next 12 months implies demand will slow from its two-year trend
3. Earnings per share lagged its peers over the last five years as they only grew by 5.8% annually

General Dynamics’s stock price of $322 implies a valuation ratio of 20.9x forward P/E. If you’re considering GD for your portfolio, see our FREE research report to learn more.

RadNet (RDNT)

Trailing 12-Month Free Cash Flow Margin: 1.7%

With over 350 imaging facilities across seven states and a growing artificial intelligence division, RadNet (NASDAQ: RDNT) operates a network of outpatient diagnostic imaging centers across the United States, offering services like MRI, CT scans, PET scans, mammography, and X-rays.

Why Is RDNT Not Exciting?

1. Subscale operations are evident in its revenue base of $1.91 billion, meaning it has fewer distribution channels than its larger rivals
2. Day-to-day expenses have swelled relative to revenue over the last five years as its adjusted operating margin fell by 2.7 percentage points
3. Ability to fund investments or reward shareholders with increased buybacks or dividends is restricted by its weak free cash flow margin of 2.7% for the last five years

RadNet is trading at $71.41 per share, or 127.9x forward P/E. To fully understand why you should be careful with RDNT, check out our full research report (it’s free).

FTI Consulting (FCN)

Trailing 12-Month Free Cash Flow Margin: 1.9%

With a team of experts deployed across 30+ countries to tackle complex business challenges, FTI Consulting (NYSE: FCN) is a global business advisory firm that helps organizations manage change, mitigate risk, and resolve disputes across financial, legal, operational, and regulatory matters.

Why Do We Think Twice About FCN?

1. Expenses have increased as a percentage of revenue over the last five years as its adjusted operating margin fell by 3.1 percentage points
2. Earnings growth underperformed the sector average over the last two years as its EPS grew by just 7.6% annually
3. Free cash flow margin shrank by 6 percentage points over the last five years, suggesting the company is consuming more capital to stay competitive

At $168.74 per share, FTI Consulting trades at 20.6x forward P/E. Check out our free in-depth research report to learn more about why FCN doesn’t pass our bar.

Stocks We Like More

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