In the context of a DCF model, what is a common assumption regarding capital expenditures?

In a Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) model, capital expenditures (CapEx) are often assumed to be primarily maintenance-based. This assumption reflects the understanding that companies must allocate a certain amount of capital to maintain their existing assets and operations. Maintenance capital expenditures are necessary to keep the business running efficiently and to avoid a decline in performance over time.

The rationale behind this assumption is that while companies may undertake growth-related capital expenditures to expand their operations, the bulk of capital spending usually goes toward maintaining existing assets. This is crucial for forecasting future cash flows accurately; if maintenance CapEx is underestimated, it can lead to overly optimistic projections of free cash flow.

In contrast, other assumptions presented in the question do not accurately reflect standard practices in DCF modeling. For example, the assumption that capital expenditures will increase indefinitely or remain unchanged contradicts the typical fluctuations in business needs and market conditions. Additionally, capital expenditures are generally predictable to some extent, based on historical trends and company strategy, rather than being entirely unpredictable.