Operating margins have improved from -54.3% in 2023Q3 to -31.5% in 2025Q4, suggesting that the company is beginning to achieve meaningful operating leverage despite revenue growth normalizing to 20.5%.
| Sales/Revenue | 1.17B | 963.64M | 776.95M | 585.94M | 387.86M | 236.58M | 149.81M |
| Revenue Growth % | 21.08% | 24.03% | 32.6% | 51.07% | 63.95% | 57.92% | - |
| Cost of Goods Sold | 299.91M | 257.47M | 229.67M | 202.41M | 137.29M | 75.48M | 49.37M |
| COGS % of Revenue | 25.7% | 26.72% | 29.56% | 34.55% | 35.4% | 31.9% | 32.96% |
| Gross Profit | 866.84M | 706.17M | 547.28M | 383.53M | 250.57M | 161.1M | 100.44M |
| Gross Margin % | 74.3% | 73.28% | 70.44% | 65.45% | 64.6% | 68.1% | 67.04% |
| Gross Profit Growth % | 22.75% | 29.03% | 42.7% | 53.06% | 55.54% | 60.4% | - |
| Operating Expenses | 1.25B | 1.13B | 1.03B | 846.2M | 590.19M | 394.28M | 198.54M |
| OpEx % of Revenue | 106.87% | 116.78% | 132.06% | 144.42% | 152.16% | 166.66% | 132.53% |
| Selling, General & Admin | 765.24M | 704.08M | 642.45M | 582.16M | 428.27M | 288.88M | 140.45M |
| SG&A % of Revenue | 65.59% | 73.06% | 82.69% | 99.35% | 110.42% | 122.11% | 93.76% |
| Research & Development | 481.71M | 421.24M | 348.75M | 264.04M | 161.93M | 105.4M | 58.09M |
| R&D % of Revenue | 41.29% | 43.71% | 44.89% | 45.06% | 41.75% | 44.55% | 38.78% |
| Other Operating Expenses | 0 | 0 | 34.85M | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Operating Income | -380.1M | -419.15M | -478.77M | -462.67M | -339.62M | -233.18M | -98.11M |
| Operating Margin % | -32.58% | -43.5% | -61.62% | -78.96% | -87.56% | -98.56% | -65.49% |
| Operating Income Growth % | 9.32% | 12.45% | -3.48% | -36.23% | -45.65% | -137.67% | - |
| EBITDA | -380.1M | -397.06M | -464.86M | -455.05M | -335.99M | -231.61M | -96.91M |
| EBITDA Margin % | -32.58% | -41.2% | -59.83% | -77.66% | -86.63% | -97.9% | -64.69% |
| EBITDA Growth % | 4.27% | 14.59% | -2.16% | -35.44% | -45.07% | -139% | - |
| D&A (Non-Cash Add-back) | 0 | 22.09M | 13.91M | 7.62M | 3.63M | 1.57M | 1.2M |
| EBIT | 0 | -419.15M | -443.92M | -462.67M | -339.62M | -233.18M | -98.11M |
| Net Interest Income | 0 | -3.8M | -3.8M | 0 | 2.02M | 4.11M | 2.49M |
| Interest Income | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2.02M | 4.11M | 2.49M |
| Interest Expense | 0 | 3.8M | 3.8M | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Other Income/Expense | 79.41M | 84.49M | 72.1M | 16.42M | -7K | 3.14M | 3.06M |
| Pretax Income | -300.69M | -334.66M | -406.67M | -446.26M | -339.63M | -230.03M | -95.05M |
| Pretax Margin % | -25.77% | -34.73% | -52.34% | -76.16% | -87.56% | -97.23% | -63.45% |
| Income Tax | -5.41M | 10.4M | 36.07M | 6.29M | 3.17M | -207K | -5K |
| Effective Tax Rate % | 1.8% | -3.11% | -8.87% | -1.41% | -0.93% | 0.09% | 0.01% |
| Net Income | -295.27M | -345.06M | -442.75M | -452.55M | -342.8M | -229.83M | -95.04M |
| Net Margin % | -25.31% | -35.81% | -56.98% | -77.23% | -88.38% | -97.15% | -63.44% |
| Net Income Growth % | 14.43% | 22.06% | 2.17% | -32.02% | -49.16% | -141.82% | - |
| Net Income (Continuing) | 0 | -345.06M | -442.75M | -452.55M | -342.8M | -229.83M | -95.04M |
| Discontinued Operations | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Minority Interest | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| EPS (Diluted) | -0.86 | -1.07 | -1.47 | -1.62 | -1.26 | -0.91 | -0.38 |
| EPS Growth % | 19.63% | 27.21% | 9.26% | -28.57% | -38.46% | -139.47% | - |
| EPS (Basic) | -0.86 | -1.07 | -1.47 | -1.62 | -1.26 | -0.91 | -0.38 |
| Diluted Shares Outstanding | 343.8M | 321.86M | 300.73M | 280.08M | 271.8M | 252.37M | 252.37M |
| Basic Shares Outstanding | 343.8M | 321.86M | 300.73M | 280.08M | 271.8M | 252.37M | 252.37M |
| Dividend Payout Ratio | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
High Stock-Based Compensation Dilution
According to the latest quarterly financial data, Confluent's year-over-year revenue growth has decelerated from 31.9% in 2023Q3 to 20.5% in 2025Q4, signaling a transition from hyper-growth to a more sustainable expansion phase as the company scales its consumption-based cloud model within a competitive infrastructure landscape.
The consistent decline in top-line growth rates suggests that the initial surge in cloud adoption is moderating, potentially reflecting increased scrutiny on enterprise IT budgets. Investors should monitor whether the shift toward consumption-based billing creates a more durable, albeit slower, revenue stream compared to the legacy license-heavy model.
As reported in recent income statements, Confluent has successfully narrowed its operating margin from -54.3% in 2023Q3 to -31.5% in 2025Q4, demonstrating that the company is beginning to achieve meaningful operating leverage as revenue growth outpaces the expansion of its core operating expense base.
This trend indicates that management is successfully tempering the growth of SG&A relative to revenue, which is a critical step toward achieving GAAP profitability. However, the persistence of negative operating margins suggests that the company remains in a heavy investment cycle, necessitating continued efficiency gains in sales and marketing.
Based on reported figures, Confluent consistently records quarterly stock-based compensation exceeding $100 million, which significantly obscures the company's underlying profitability and suggests that GAAP net losses would be substantially deeper if these non-cash expenses were excluded from the broader assessment of operational performance and shareholder value.
The reliance on equity-based incentives to attract and retain talent creates a persistent wedge between reported GAAP results and the actual cash-generating capacity of the business. Analysts should remain cautious, as this level of dilution may continue to weigh on EPS growth even as the company approaches operational break-even.
Data from recent filings reveals that Confluent's gross margins have stabilized near 74%, a level that appears constrained by the variable costs associated with cloud hosting, which inherently limits the scalability of the company's gross profit compared to traditional, high-margin on-premises software license models.
The structural reliance on third-party cloud infrastructure introduces a permanent variable cost component that prevents the company from achieving the 80%+ gross margins typical of pure-play software peers. Future margin expansion will likely depend on the company's ability to optimize its Kora engine and reduce the unit cost of data processing.
Quick answers to the most common questions about buying CFLT stock.
For fiscal year 2025, Confluent, Inc. (CFLT) reported total revenue of $1.17B. This represents a 678.8% increase compared to $149.8M in 2019.
Confluent, Inc. (CFLT) reported a net loss of $295.3M for the fiscal year ending 2025.
Confluent, Inc. (CFLT) reported an operating income of $-380.1M, resulting in an operating profit margin of -32.6%. This margin reflects the operational efficiency of the business before interest and taxes.
Confluent, Inc. (CFLT) generated $866.8M in gross profit for the year, representing a gross profit margin of 74.3%. This demonstrates the company's core pricing power and production efficiency.