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.

Home / Markets / Industries / Technology

Friday, May 30, 2008

Kotak Securities Introduces Security Key to Safeguard Online Transactions

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Comtex

DALLAS and MUMBAI, India, May 30, 2008 (Canada NewsWire via COMTEX) ----Kotak Securities Limited, the stock broking arm of the Kotak Mahindra group today announced the implementation of Entrust Identity Guard from Entrust, Inc. (Nasdaq: ENTU), for its customers. In keeping with Kotak Securities' commitment to provide optimal online security for its customer to increase the safety of online trading, the Security Key solution uses the concept of a dual password system. The security key generates a dynamic and unique six-digit password every time it is switched on. The customer has to login with his ID, password and this dynamic code to be able to transact online. It is a user-friendly product enabling risk-based authentication that allows Kotak Securities to apply an appropriate level of security and reduces the chances of fraudulent practices.

According to Mr. D. Kannan, Executive Director, Kotak Securities Ltd., "At Kotak Securities, we understand the importance of safeguarding the investments of our customers; and that is precisely what a trusted security expert, such as Entrust will do, to boost the confidence of our customers and instill trust in our brand."

"Risk-based authentication -- even via a Security Key -- shouldn't be cost prohibitive," said Entrust Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, Bill Conner. "Enabling secure transactions through the online channel creates greater safety for both the organization and the customer. By offering strong authentication to its customers, Kotak proactively protects its customers and its brand online, and we applaud them for that."

Mr. Ramesh Lakshminarayanan, Group Head of IT & Infrastructure, Kotak Mahindra Group, speaking about the implementation, said, "Kotak always has been attracted to the strong level of security that hardware Security Keys provide, and now that they are available at a cost efficient price from Entrust we can employ one of the strongest methods of authentication available."

 << About Kotak Securities http://www.kotaksecurities.com/ >>

Kotak Securities Limited is a subsidiary of Kotak Mahindra Bank Limited and is the stock broking arm of the Kotak Mahindra Group. With a market share close to 7.3%* of daily volumes, it is one of the India's leading stock broking house. Kotak Securities processes over 300,000 secondary market trades everyday and manages a huge equity asset pool with over Rs. 3300 crore under management. Awarded the Number One "Prime Ranking" in 2004, it is one of the leading distributors of Initial Public Offers (IPO). Kotak Securities has been a distributor for some of the most successful issues in the country. It has also been the winner of many prestigious awards such as -- 'Best Performing Equity Broker in India' by CNBC -- TV 18 -- Optimix Financial Advisory Awards 2008. It offers a wide range of financial products for its investors, including Stocks and Shares, IPOs, Mutual Funds and Derivatives. Kotak Securities, today, has 877 outlets in 321 cities, servicing over 4.30,000 customers.

*Market share calculated on combined reported daily volumes (Equity & F&O) of BSE and NSE. All figure are as on 31st March '08.

 << About Entrust >>

Entrust [NASDAQ: ENTU] secures digital identities and information for consumers, enterprises and governments in more than 1,700 organizations spanning 60 countries. Leveraging a layered security approach to address growing risks, Entrust solutions help secure the most common digital identity and information protection pain points in an organization. These include SSL, authentication, fraud detection, shared data protection and e-mail security. For information, call 888-690-2424, e-mail entrust@entrust.com or visit http://www.entrust.com.

Entrust is a registered trademark of Entrust, Inc. in the United States and certain other countries. In Canada, Entrust is a registered trademark of Entrust Limited. All Entrust product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of Entrust, Inc. or Entrust Limited. All other company and product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.

SOURCE: Entrust

Shreya Das of Kotak Securities Ltd., +1-992-022-4381, shreya.das@kotak.com; or Archana Thomas of Ipan PR Agency,
   +1-932-270-2013, archana.thomas@ipan.com, for Entrust; or Brooke Hamilton, Media Relations of Entrust, +1-972-713-5915, brooke.hamilton@entrust.com
   Web Site: http://www.entrust.com http://www.kotaksecurities.com

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