Image Source: Pexels

Strong cash flows reflect financial stability, allowing companies to pay down debt, pursue growth opportunities, and shell out dividend payments.

These companies are also better equipped to weather downturns, providing another beneficial advantage for investors from a long-term standpoint.

And for those seeking cash-generating machines, three companies – Microsoft (MSFT - Free Report), Verizon (VZ - Free Report), and Apple (AAPL - Free Report) – fit the criteria nicely. Let’s take a closer look at how each currently stacks up.

Apple Remains Cash King
 

Apple has long been a cash-generating machine, providing many benefits over the years, including higher dividend payouts. In fact, Apple has raised its quarterly payout in 13^th consecutive years, now more than halfway to becoming a Dividend Aristocrat.

Shares yield a modest 0.5% annually, though the company’s 4.9% five-year annualized dividend growth helps bridge the gap. The tech titan generated $108.8 billion in free cash flow throughout its FY24, with flows remaining on a steady uptrend over the years.

Please note that the final value in the chart below is calculated on a trailing twelve-month basis, as AAPL’s current fiscal year is still ongoing.

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

Verizon Keeps Generating Cash
 

Verizon’s strong cash-generating abilities have positioned it at the top of many income-focused investors’ lists, with the company close to joining the elite Dividend Aristocrats club thanks to years of consistently higher payouts.

Below is a chart illustrating the company’s dividends paid per share on a quarterly basis. FY24 free cash flow of $19.8 billion grew 6% year-over-year. Shares currently yield a steep 6.2% annually, crushing that of the S&P 500.

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

Its latest set of quarterly results exceeded both Zacks Consensus EPS and Sales estimates modestly. Continued customer growth has been a nice tailwind for the company, with its broadband market share continuing to grow.

Microsoft Cloud Impresses
 

Concerning headline figures in its latest release, EPS of $3.46 and sales of $70.0 billion both handily exceeded our consensus expectations, continuing its recent streak of better-than-expected results. Sales grew an impressive 13% year-over-year, whereas EPS climbed 18%.

Microsoft Cloud and AI strength drove the strong results, with Microsoft Cloud revenue soaring 20% year-over-year to $42.4 billion. Demand has remained strong for the tech titan, with commentary alluding to the trend remaining for years to come.

Importantly, its Intelligent Cloud (includes Azure) revenue totaled a strong $26.8 billion, up 21% from the year-ago period. Like AAPL, strong cash flows have aided its shareholder-friendly nature, with Microsoft sporting a 10.3% five-year annualized dividend growth rate while also generating $69.4 billion in free cash flow over the trailing twelve months, as shown below.

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

Bottom Line
 

Companies with strong cash-generating abilities are great targets, as they have plenty of cash to fuel growth, pay out dividends, and easily wipe out debt. And as mentioned above, these companies are better equipped to handle an economic downturn, undeniably a positive.

For those seeking cash-generators, all stocks above – Microsoft, Verizon, and Apple – fit the criteria nicely.

More By This Author: