Just as your pulse is checked during a routine physical, free cash flow is used as an indicator of a company's health. It equals the cash brought in from operations minus the money needed to pay the bills. Think about leftover money in your checking account after you pay this month's bills.

Investors and analysts see this leftover money as a gauge of a company's ability to perform. It is available for transactions such as handing out dividends and working on new products.

Some argue free cash flow is wrongly overshadowed by the emphasis often placed on earnings. Earnings numbers can be manipulated and don't always tell the whole story -- and earnings don't mean much if there's nothing left over after a company pays its expenses. Even if you bring in a six-figure salary, but no money left after paying the bills, are you in great financial shape?

You don't have to be Einstein to figure out free cash flow. To calculate the number, subtract the company's expenditures and dividends from its operating cash flow.

If the free cash flow is written in red ink, it doesn't necessarily signal curtains. This is common for young companies looking to grow. It also could be a result of heavy investments, which in the long run could be worth a standing ovation.

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Friday, April 25, 2008

Autobytel to Present at Third Annual Needham & Company Internet & Digital Media Conference in New York

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IRVINE, Calif., Apr 25, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE) ----Autobytel Inc. (Nasdaq:ABTL), a leading Internet automotive marketing services company, today announced that Jim Riesenbach, President and Chief Executive Officer, and Monty Houdeshell, Executive Vice President and CFO, will present at the Third Annual Needham & Company Internet & Digital Media Conference on Thursday, May 8, 2008 at 2:10 p.m. ET. The conference is taking place at the Millennium Broadway Hotel in New York.

A live audio broadcast of the event will be available through Autobytel's Web site at www.autobytel.com (click on "Investor Relations" and then on "Calendar of Events"). The presentation will be archived on Autobytel's Web site for 90 days after the conclusion of the presentation.

About Autobytel Inc.

Since launching the first car-buying website in 1995, Autobytel Inc.'s mission has been to empower automotive consumers with the tools and information they need to make smart, well-informed vehicle purchasing and ownership decisions. The company has helped millions of car shoppers and generated billions of dollars in car sales for dealers. Today, the company's innovative, consumer-driven flagship site, MyRide.com, expands the company's mission across the automotive purchase and ownership life cycle. As the first vertical search experience for the automotive marketplace, MyRide.com is designed to help Internet-savvy consumers FIND, SEE, BUY and LEARN anything automotive and BELONG to a diverse community of people who have similar automotive interests.

By providing a convenient and comprehensive automotive consumer experience across the purchase and ownership lifecycle, Autobytel provides new value and touch-points for automotive marketers. Through MyRide.com and Autobytel's marketing network, the company connects dealerships with a steady, diverse stream of motivated, serious shoppers, while providing both dealers and manufacturers with precision-targeted brand and product marketing opportunities. The company's advanced web-based advertising and marketing programs also help dealers and manufacturers build relationships with customers, as well as help them to efficiently manage and convert online business.

SOURCE: Autobytel Inc.

Autobytel Inc. Media Relations:
   Melanie Webber, 949-862-3023 melaniew@autobytel.com or Ruder Finn Joe Foster, 310-882-4014 fosterj@ruderfinn.com or Investor
   Relations: Crystal Hartwell, 949-437-4755 crystalh@autobytel.com or PondelWilkinson Inc. Roger Pondel/Laurie Berman, 310-279-5980
   investor@pondel.com