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

Monday, June 30, 2008

LookSmart, Ltd. Added to the Russell Microcap Index

Email this Story | Respond to Editor | Print

Comtex

SAN FRANCISCO, Jun 30, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE) ----LookSmart, Ltd. (NASDAQ:LOOK) today announced that its stock has been added to the Russell Microcap Index.

The Russell Microcap Index measures the performance of the microcap segment, and is comprised of the smallest 1,000 securities in the small-cap Russell 2000(R) Index plus the next 1,000 securities below the index. Annual reconstitution of Russell's U.S. indexes captures the 4,000 largest U.S. stocks as of the end of May, ranking them by total market capitalization. On June 27, 2008, the newly reconstituted Russell U.S. indexes became effective at the close of the U.S. markets and will remain in place for one year.

"We are pleased to join the Russell group of market indexes," commented Ted West, President and Chief Executive Officer. "We believe our inclusion in the Russell Microcap Index represents an opportunity to increase LookSmart's visibility and trading activity with a wider group of investors who utilize the Russell indices as part of their overall investment practice. This is consistent with our goal of increasing awareness of LookSmart within the investment community in order to maximize shareholder value."

About Russell

Russell Investments aims to improve financial security for people by providing strategic advice, world-class implementation, state-of-the-art performance benchmarks, and a range of institutional-quality investment products. With more than $213 billion in assets under management, Russell serves individual, institutional and advisor clients in more than 40 countries. Russell provides access to some of the world's best money managers. It helps investors put this access to work in corporate defined benefit and defined contribution plans, and in the life savings of individual investors. Headquartered in Tacoma, Wash., Russell has principal offices in Amsterdam, Auckland, Johannesburg, London, Melbourne, New York, Paris, San Francisco, Seoul, Singapore, Sydney, Tokyo and Toronto.

For more information on Russell indexes, go to www.russell.com.

About LookSmart

LookSmart is an online advertising and technology solutions company that provides performance solutions for online advertisers and publishers. LookSmart offers advertisers targeted, pay-per-click (PPC) search advertising and contextual search advertising via its Advertiser Networks; and an Ad Center platform for customizable private-label advertiser solutions for online publishers. LookSmart is based in San Francisco, California. For more information, visit www.looksmart.com or call 415-348-7500.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements, such as references to our future visibility and trading activity. These statements, including their underlying assumptions, are subject to risks and uncertainties and are not guarantees of future performance. Results may differ due to various factors such as the possibility that we may be unable to gain or maintain customer acceptance of our publisher solutions or ad backfill products, that existing and potential customers for our products may opt to work with, or favor the products of, others due to more favorable products or pricing terms, limitations on or our inability to retain and grow our ad and customer base, and limitations on or our inability to enhance our products. Additional risks that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected are discussed in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2007, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which reflect management's analysis only as of the date hereof.

NOTE: "LookSmart" is a trademark of LookSmart, Ltd., and/or its subsidiaries in the U.S. and other countries. All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners.

SOURCE: LookSmart, Ltd.

LookSmart, Ltd. Ted West, Chief Executive Officer and President 415-348-7500
   twest@looksmart.net or Brian Gibson, Acting Chief Financial Officer 415-348-7207 bgibson@looksmart.net or ICR, Inc. Laura
   Foster, 310-954-1100 laura.foster@icrinc.com

Copyright Business Wire 2008 **********************************************************************
   As of Thursday, 06-26-2008 23:59, the latest Comtex SmarTrend� Alert, an automated pattern recognition system, indicated a
   DOWNTREND on 06-24-2008 for LOOK @ $3.92. For more information on SmarTrend, contact your market data provider or go to www.mysmartrend.com
   SmarTrend is a registered trademark of Comtex News Network, Inc. Copyright � 2004-2008 Comtex News Network, Inc. All rights
   reserved.