STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS: ANALYSIS OF DIFFERENCES OF DISCLOSURE PROCEDURES BETWEEN COMPANIES LISTED IN SÃO PAULO, FRANKFURT, MILAN AND LONDON STOCK EXCHANGES

This article aims to determine the treatment of interest and dividends paid and received, the form of presentation (direct or indirect method) and the equality or not of the value of cash and cash equivalent between the Statement of Cash Flows and balance sheet on the basis of the disclosure options under IAS 07: Statement of Cash Flows. To do so, the Statement of Cash Flows published in the 2009 annual report of 229 companies listed in the stock exchanges of São Paulo, Frankfurt, Milan and London were collected. The results indicate that the vast majority of the companies of the sample adopt the indirect method of presentation of the Statement of Cash Flows and the classification of dividends paid as cash flows from financing activities. The equal value of cash and cash equivalents in the Statement of Cash Flows and the balance sheet and the classification of interest paid and received as cash flows from operating activities are predominant procedures, especially for companies listed in São Paulo, Frankfurt and Milan stock exchanges. Finally, there is no predominance of the classification of dividends received, with a split nearly half to half of the companies listed in São Paulo, London and Milan stock exchanges presenting it as cash flows from operating and investing activities.