Free cash flow remains highly volatile, fluctuating from a 25.5% margin in 2025Q3 to a 10.4% margin in 2026Q1, reflecting the irregular timing of infrastructure investments and working capital requirements.
| Metric | TTM | Dec'25 | Dec'24 | Dec'23 | Dec'22 | Dec'20 | Dec'19 | Dec'18 | Dec'17 | Dec'16 | Dec'15 | Dec'14 | Dec'13 | Dec'12 | Dec'11 | Dec'10 | Dec'09 | Dec'08 | Dec'07 | Dec'06 | Dec'05 | Dec'04 | Dec'03 |
|---|
| Cash from Operations | 147.37M | 83.16M | -245.2M | -276.1M | -285.71M | 277.02M | 254M | 179.77M | 155.19M | 129.26M | 147.37M | 139.69M | 124.19M | 106.83M | 72.11M | 42.42M | 30.8M | 27.44M | -266K | 8.38M | 29.41M | 0 | 0 |
| Operating CF Margin % | - | 10.24% | -59.48% | -90.19% | -110.53% | 94.22% | 60.98% | 41.6% | 44.55% | 43.91% | 59.03% | 61.38% | 58.47% | 61.42% | 57.36% | 54.46% | 47.19% | 33% | -0.41% | 45% | 47.76% | - | - |
| Operating CF Growth % | 204.91% | 133.91% | 11.19% | 3.36% | -203.14% | 9.06% | 41.29% | 15.84% | 20.07% | -12.29% | 5.5% | 12.48% | 16.25% | 48.16% | 69.96% | 37.75% | 12.25% | 10415.04% | -103.18% | -71.53% | - | - | - |
| Net Income | 33.98M | -68.09M | -281.89M | -341.42M | -320.83M | 27.73M | 31.01M | 78.6M | 72.06M | 6M | 26.84M | 60.27M | 63.93M | 63.47M | 50.19M | 28.38M | 13.56M | -26.95M | 19.23M | 5.23M | 9.99M | 9.23M | -2.65M |
| Depreciation & Amortization | 23.1M | 22.61M | 48.91M | 49M | 48.25M | 110.65M | 113.93M | 123.48M | 113.26M | 106.68M | 114.23M | 78.83M | 68.41M | 49.75M | 35.33M | 22.4M | 18.93M | 17.54M | 10.77M | 2.87M | 14.86M | 15.54M | 15.36M |
| Stock-Based Compensation | 55.31M | 70.01M | 18.64M | 15.24M | 22.9M | 1.77M | 2.76M | 2.87M | 2.09M | 1.73M | 1.92M | 1.89M | 1.54M | 1.29M | 1.12M | 1.07M | 992K | 1M | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Deferred Taxes | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.37M | 3.73M | 2.47M | -14.95M | 1.14M | 4.97M | 2.17M | 3.21M | 6.01M | 3.88M | 3.07M | -1.13M | -593K | -1.64M | 78K | 6.3M | 0 | 0 |
| Other Non-Cash Items | 73.86M | 91.75M | -1.8M | 8.2M | -13.78M | 452.8M | -314.67M | 58.28M | 73.47M | -31.21M | -31.21M | 74.94M | 1.42M | -6.17M | -99.78M | 97.94M | 9.27M | -2.51M | -43.47M | 14.66M | 1.84M | -24.77M | -12.71M |
| Working Capital Changes | -38.89M | -33.13M | -29.07M | -7.13M | -22.26M | -317.31M | 417.23M | -85.92M | -90.74M | 44.92M | 30.62M | -78.42M | -14.31M | -7.51M | 81.36M | -110.44M | -10.83M | 38.96M | 14.84M | -14.47M | -3.58M | 0 | 0 |
| Change in Receivables | -16.08M | -29.79M | -33.82M | -15.08M | -11.9M | 11M | 3.86M | -19.27M | -7.8M | -1.8M | 4.73M | -6.4M | 7.4M | -10.49M | -3.84M | -10.39M | 7.24M | -4.42M | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Change in Inventory | -36.14M | -20.75M | 5.46M | -4.43M | -11.1M | 0 | 0 | 138.85M | 38.86M | 72M | 103.32M | 29.33M | 13.1M | 5.63M | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Change in Payables | 28.42M | 11.04M | -226K | 7.17M | 8.91M | 0 | 0 | 15K | -2.21M | 3.57M | -3.65M | 3.05M | -8.84M | 9.02M | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cash from Investing | -23.91M | -16.26M | 52.93M | 214.77M | -282.99M | -33.97M | -271.87M | -663.34M | -411.75M | -181.6M | -305.25M | -225.35M | -266.81M | -461.22M | -430.14M | -157.21M | 3.69M | -77.61M | -83.03M | 7.84M | -8.23M | -125.73M | -60.7M |
| Capital Expenditures | -23.91M | -16.26M | -8.44M | -22.32M | -42.26M | -219.45M | -319.14M | -812.84M | -502.18M | -251.25M | -389.41M | -307.31M | -312.2M | -524.6M | -491.93M | -206.83M | -31.35M | -204.3M | -219.67M | -45.85M | -350K | -125.73M | -60.7M |
| CapEx % of Revenue | 2.64% | 2% | 2.05% | 7.29% | 16.35% | 74.64% | 76.62% | 188.12% | 144.14% | 85.36% | 155.97% | 135.03% | 146.99% | 301.63% | 391.33% | 265.51% | 48.04% | 245.71% | 338.61% | 246.37% | 0.57% | 188.54% | 126.24% |
| Acquisitions | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -16.06M | -4.1M | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Investments | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Other Investing | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 185.48M | 47.27M | 106.15M | 66.36M | 66.07M | 66.15M | 65.64M | 33.07M | 54.63M | 55.71M | 44.29M | 29.51M | 126.69M | 136.63M | 53.7M | -7.88M | 125.73M | 60.7M |
| Cash from Financing | 664.53M | 664.99M | 200.29M | 10.13M | 10.45M | -249.88M | -108.48M | 512.35M | 245.63M | 46.6M | 156.54M | 95.14M | 172.1M | 358.08M | 358.05M | 115.02M | -49.01M | 70.66M | 71.37M | -272K | -19.04M | 0 | 0 |
| Debt Issued (Net) | 27.74M | 16.05M | 199.82M | 10.57M | -962K | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Equity Issued (Net) | -409K | 667.49M | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dividends Paid | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -17.71M | -8.83M | -3.26M | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -804K | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Share Repurchases | -16.65M | -113K | 0 | 0 | 0 | -7.95M | -34.12M | -40.87M | 0 | -9.18M | -13M | -31.39M | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -40.1M | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Other Financing | 637.2M | -18.55M | 471K | -435K | 11.41M | -232.18M | -99.65M | 515.61M | 245.63M | 46.6M | 156.54M | 95.14M | 172.1M | 358.08M | 358.05M | 115.02M | -49.01M | 70.66M | 72.17M | -272K | -19.04M | 0 | 0 |
| Net Change in Cash | 788.1M | 732.01M | 8.02M | -51.13M | -558.25M | -6.74M | -2.74M | 28.77M | -10.71M | -6.42M | -1.27M | 8.08M | 28.07M | 3.59M | -315K | -99K | -14.04M | 20.1M | -11.93M | 16.09M | 2.04M | -125.73M | -60.7M |
| Free Cash Flow | 123.46M | 66.89M | -253.64M | -298.42M | -327.96M | 57.57M | -65.14M | -633.07M | -346.98M | -121.99M | -242.04M | -167.62M | -188.02M | -417.77M | -419.82M | -164.41M | -555K | -176.86M | -219.93M | -37.48M | 29.06M | -125.73M | -60.7M |
| FCF Margin % | 13.61% | 8.24% | -61.52% | -97.48% | -126.88% | 19.58% | -15.64% | -146.51% | -99.6% | -41.44% | -96.95% | -73.65% | -88.52% | -240.2% | -333.97% | -211.05% | -0.85% | -212.71% | -339.02% | -201.37% | 47.19% | -188.54% | -126.24% |
| FCF Growth % | 120.71% | 126.37% | 15% | 9.01% | -669.71% | 188.37% | 89.71% | -82.45% | -184.43% | 49.6% | -44.4% | 10.85% | 55% | 0.49% | -155.36% | -29522.7% | 99.69% | 19.58% | -486.85% | -228.95% | 123.12% | -107.14% | - |
| FCF per Share | 0.44 | 0.04 | -1.00 | -1.17 | -1.29 | 3.21 | -3.62 | -31.94 | -17.70 | -6.29 | -11.53 | -7.92 | -8.29 | -20.95 | -21.32 | -9.03 | -0.03 | -10.16 | -13.18 | -1.77 | 1.37 | -5.94 | -2.87 |
| FCF Conversion (FCF/Net Income) | 3.63x | -0.15x | 0.87x | 0.81x | 0.89x | 9.99x | 8.19x | 2.29x | 2.15x | 21.55x | 5.49x | 2.32x | 1.94x | 1.68x | 1.44x | 1.49x | 2.27x | -1.02x | -0.01x | 1.60x | 2.94x | - | - |
| Interest Paid | 0 | 0 | 49.02M | 15.78M | 24.24M | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Taxes Paid | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
High cash burn volatility
As reported in recent financial statements, the relationship between net income and operating cash flow remains highly volatile, with the 2026Q1 OCF/NI ratio of -64.46 highlighting a significant disconnect between accounting losses and the actual cash generated from core laboratory operations during this expansion phase.
The extreme variance in the OCF/NI ratio suggests that GAAP net income is currently a poor proxy for the company's underlying cash-generating capacity. Investors should monitor whether this divergence is driven by non-cash stock-based compensation or the timing of complex biopharma revenue recognition, which may obscure the true cash-on-cash return of the clinical profiling business.
Based on quarterly cash flow data, free cash flow margins have fluctuated wildly from -142.1% in 2020Q4 to 25.5% in 2025Q3, indicating that the company's ability to retain cash is highly sensitive to the timing of large-scale infrastructure investments and the variability of its biopharma partnership revenue streams.
The inconsistent FCF trajectory suggests that the business has not yet reached a steady state of operational maturity. While recent quarters show positive FCF, the historical tendency for deep negative margins warrants caution regarding the sustainability of these cash flows if the company continues to prioritize aggressive market share capture over cost discipline.
According to historical cash flow filings, the company's capital expenditure intensity has been highly irregular, peaking at a 122.6% CapEx/Revenue ratio in 2021Q2, which reflects the massive upfront investment required to build out the proprietary laboratory and sequencing capacity necessary for its multi-omic data platform.
The moderation of CapEx/Revenue to lower single digits in recent periods suggests a transition from initial infrastructure build-out to a more maintenance-oriented phase. However, given the rapid evolution of sequencing technology, investors should investigate whether this lower spending level is sufficient to maintain a competitive edge against better-capitalized peers in the long term.
As evidenced by the $59.1 million working capital outflow in 2025Q4, the company's cash flow is significantly impacted by the timing of receivables and inventory management, which appears to be a primary source of volatility in the firm's quarterly operating cash flow performance.
The erratic nature of working capital changes suggests that the company may be facing challenges in aligning its billing cycles with the rapid growth in test volumes. This volatility implies that cash flow is highly susceptible to shifts in payer reimbursement speed, which could create liquidity pressure if collection cycles extend further.
Quick answers to the most common questions about buying CAI stock.
Caris Life Sciences, Inc. (CAI) generated $83.2M in net cash from operating activities in 2025. This reflects the cash generated directly from core business operations.
Caris Life Sciences, Inc. (CAI) generated $66.9M 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.
Caris Life Sciences, Inc. (CAI) spent $16.3M 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, Caris Life Sciences, Inc. (CAI) spent $0.1M on share repurchases. This shows the company's commitment to returning capital to its equity investors.