Free cash flow remains highly volatile, swinging from a 25.6% margin in 2025Q4 to 1.5% in 2026Q1, reflecting the sensitivity of cash generation to infrastructure investment cycles.
| Cash from Operations | 22.52M | 23.54M | 12.51M | -7.35M | -13.78M | 3.52M | 12.82M | 13.2M |
| Operating CF Margin % | - | 16.14% | 9.8% | -7.2% | -16.18% | 5.22% | 23.83% | 32.4% |
| Operating CF Growth % | 394.21% | 88.28% | 270.14% | 46.67% | -491.51% | -72.54% | -2.91% | - |
| Net Income | -22.43M | -25.61M | -48.53M | -59.71M | -51.4M | -21.7M | -6.62M | -996K |
| Depreciation & Amortization | 18.26M | 25.59M | 28.33M | 24.91M | 20.15M | 16.32M | 12.95M | 9.32M |
| Stock-Based Compensation | 14.21M | 26.44M | 28.63M | 25.18M | 17.05M | 5.63M | 1.88M | 1.39M |
| Deferred Taxes | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Other Non-Cash Items | 45.62M | 6.44M | 3.88M | 2.71M | 1.63M | -737K | 706K | -184K |
| Working Capital Changes | -12.93M | -9.31M | 200K | -433K | -1.21M | 4.01M | 3.91M | 3.68M |
| Change in Receivables | -2.49M | -1.65M | -1.03M | 56K | -547K | -100K | -128K | -20K |
| Change in Inventory | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Change in Payables | 314K | 402K | -547K | -295K | 1.63M | 502K | 143K | 482K |
| Cash from Investing | -18.92M | -25.34M | -6.13M | 21.66M | -73.85M | -11.19M | -4.97M | -3.23M |
| Capital Expenditures | -8.22M | -4.69M | -1.71M | -5.51M | -7.35M | -7.56M | -2.13M | -1.57M |
| CapEx % of Revenue | 5.49% | 3.22% | 1.34% | 5.4% | 8.63% | 11.21% | 3.95% | 3.86% |
| Acquisitions | 137K | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Investments | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Other Investing | -4.14M | -7.4M | -12.02M | -14.35M | -8.63M | -3.63M | -2.85M | -1.66M |
| Cash from Financing | -17.93M | -14.8M | 22.77M | -8.84M | -6.21M | 106.61M | -8.75M | -7.73M |
| Debt Issued (Net) | -18.45M | -18.77M | -23.63M | -15.24M | -12.19M | 2.15M | -8.59M | -7.73M |
| Equity Issued (Net) | 4.39M | 5.88M | 37.43M | 0 | 0 | 106.95M | 0 | 0 |
| Dividends Paid | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Share Repurchases | -2.79M | -1.98M | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Other Financing | -3.86M | -1.92M | 8.97M | 6.39M | 5.97M | -2.5M | -157K | 0 |
| Net Change in Cash | -14.33M | -16.59M | 29.15M | 5.46M | -93.85M | 98.94M | -902K | 2.24M |
| Free Cash Flow | 13.5M | 18.85M | 10.79M | -27.58M | -29.76M | -7.67M | 7.84M | 9.63M |
| FCF Margin % | 9.01% | 12.93% | 8.46% | -27.03% | -34.95% | -11.37% | 14.58% | 23.62% |
| FCF Growth % | 152.62% | 74.63% | 139.14% | 7.34% | -288.06% | -197.78% | -18.5% | - |
| FCF per Share | 0.23 | 0.34 | 0.25 | -0.77 | -0.94 | -0.25 | 0.26 | 0.52 |
| FCF Conversion (FCF/Net Income) | -0.60x | -0.92x | -0.26x | 0.12x | 0.27x | -0.16x | -1.94x | -13.26x |
| Interest Paid | 865K | 0 | 3.58M | 3.73M | 3.78M | 3.53M | 2.88M | 1.96M |
| Taxes Paid | 0 | 0 | 54K | 59K | 31K | 14K | 11K | 4K |
High Operating Leverage Sensitivity
As reported in financial statements, Backblaze consistently generates positive operating cash flow despite recurring net losses, with the OCF/NI ratio frequently reflecting a disconnect where the company produces cash while reporting accounting losses, most notably in 2025Q4 when it generated $9.9 million in operating cash flow.
The consistent ability to generate positive operating cash flow while reporting net losses suggests that non-cash charges, particularly depreciation and stock-based compensation, are significant drivers of the reported bottom-line deficit. Investors should monitor whether this cash-generative capacity is sustainable or if it relies heavily on deferred revenue recognition and aggressive management of working capital accounts.
Based on recent SEC filings, Backblaze's free cash flow trajectory remains highly volatile, swinging from a peak margin of 25.6% in 2025Q4 to a low of -4.9% in 2024Q2, indicating that the company's ability to self-fund operations is sensitive to the timing of infrastructure investments.
The erratic nature of free cash flow suggests that capital expenditure requirements are not yet fully decoupled from revenue growth, necessitating periodic, lumpy investments in data center capacity. This volatility warrants caution, as the company has yet to demonstrate a sustained, predictable path toward positive free cash flow generation across all quarters.
According to the provided quarterly data, the company's capital intensity, measured by CapEx as a percentage of revenue, has fluctuated significantly, reaching a high of 14.3% in 2023Q4 before moderating to 1.7% in 2026Q1, reflecting a shift in the timing of hardware deployment cycles.
The reduction in capital intensity over recent periods may indicate either a strategic pause in infrastructure expansion or a more efficient utilization of existing storage capacity. Analysts should investigate whether this lower spending level is sustainable or if it represents a temporary deferral of necessary maintenance and growth-related hardware investments.
As evidenced by the quarterly cash flow statements, working capital changes have frequently acted as a drag on cash flow, with a notable $5.4 million outflow in 2026Q1, suggesting that the company's operational cash generation is often offset by fluctuations in its current asset and liability accounts.
The recurring negative impact of working capital changes on operating cash flow may imply challenges in managing the timing of customer collections or vendor payments. This trend warrants further investigation to determine if these outflows are structural or merely reflective of seasonal billing cycles inherent in the subscription-based backup business.
Quick answers to the most common questions about buying BLZE stock.
Backblaze, Inc. (BLZE) generated $23.5M in net cash from operating activities in 2025. This reflects the cash generated directly from core business operations.
Backblaze, Inc. (BLZE) generated $18.9M in free cash flow in 2025. Free cash flow is the cash left over after capital expenditures, which can be used to pay dividends, repurchase shares, or pay down debt.
Backblaze, Inc. (BLZE) spent $4.7M on capital expenditures in 2025. CapEx represents the cash invested in physical assets like property, plant, and equipment to maintain or grow the business.
In 2025, Backblaze, Inc. (BLZE) spent $2.0M on share repurchases. This shows the company's commitment to returning capital to its equity investors.