Free cash flow remains highly volatile, swinging from a negative 11.4% margin in 2025Q1 to a positive 42.7% in 2026Q1, often necessitating external funding to cover quarterly dividend payments exceeding $50 million.
| Metric | TTM | Dec'25 | Dec'24 | Dec'23 | Dec'22 | Dec'21 | Dec'20 | Dec'19 | Dec'18 | Dec'17 | Dec'16 | Dec'15 | Dec'14 | Dec'13 | Dec'12 | Dec'11 |
|---|
| Cash from Operations | 370.37M | 237.12M | 206.34M | 225.32M | 192.17M | 275.16M | 193.02M | 130.4M | 147.95M | 87.7M | 100.71M | 68.02M | 85.92M | 44.39M | 34.36M | -2.86M |
| Operating CF Margin % | - | 23.4% | 21.94% | 22.08% | 18.54% | 39.26% | 34.26% | 22.33% | 22.5% | 16.3% | 22.48% | 11.54% | 10.21% | 4.89% | 3.36% | -0.38% |
| Operating CF Growth % | 571.49% | 14.92% | -8.42% | 17.25% | -30.16% | 42.56% | 48.02% | -11.86% | 68.7% | -12.91% | 48.05% | -20.83% | 93.55% | 29.18% | 1301.92% | - |
| Net Income | 169.78M | 176.46M | 142.69M | 126.24M | 159.05M | 164.82M | 140.53M | 96.75M | 90.18M | 69.41M | 62.8M | 66.21M | 71.05M | 40.98M | 34.06M | 12.65M |
| Depreciation & Amortization | 97.88M | 128.22M | 100.58M | 99.59M | 70.2M | 49.98M | 49.44M | 33.91M | 32M | 21.91M | 20.81M | 19.69M | 14.71M | 12.44M | 8.68M | 4.82M |
| Stock-Based Compensation | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 674K | 721K | 599K | 406K | 274K | 464K | 93K | 64K |
| Deferred Taxes | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 401K | 496K | 152K | -111K | -173K | 14K | -109K | 309K | -18.76M | -4.33M |
| Other Non-Cash Items | 18.13M | -25.83M | 11.84M | 28.96M | 12.34M | 8.93M | 22.42M | -833K | 3.04M | -768K | 1.8M | 1.81M | -1.09M | -1.23M | -180K | 299K |
| Working Capital Changes | 84.58M | -41.73M | -48.77M | -29.47M | -49.42M | 51.43M | -19.78M | 571K | 21.91M | -3.46M | 14.86M | -20.11M | 1.08M | -8.56M | 10.48M | -16.36M |
| Change in Receivables | -77.94M | -43.39M | -6.95M | 21.57M | -9.07M | 292K | -2.47M | 8.38M | 1.43M | -3.81M | 15.85M | -5.46M | 2.01M | -9.89M | -5.15M | -2.63M |
| Change in Inventory | -1.77M | -5.05M | -620K | -131K | 2.23M | 55K | 11.36M | -7.7M | 15.18M | -11.69M | 2.04M | -907K | 7.89M | -3.33M | 4.92M | -10.71M |
| Change in Payables | 461.04M | 242.51M | 8.54M | -20.73M | 18.56M | -1.91M | -13.48M | -4.84M | -1.75M | 10.86M | 3.55M | -13.73M | -6.96M | 7.4M | -4.62M | -3M |
| Cash from Investing | -253.16M | -444.2M | -384.58M | -89.63M | -770.44M | -16.36M | -123.14M | -147.42M | -228.04M | -30.67M | -72.69M | -56.59M | -29.78M | -20.14M | -34.35M | -885K |
| Capital Expenditures | -266.29M | -280.26M | -129.04M | -96.1M | -141.1M | -24.02M | -13.28M | -9.07M | -157.15M | -18.18M | -11.29M | -19.96M | -7.13M | -9.4M | -11.1M | -885K |
| CapEx % of Revenue | 25.1% | 27.66% | 13.72% | 9.42% | 13.61% | 3.43% | 2.36% | 1.55% | 23.9% | 3.38% | 2.52% | 3.38% | 0.85% | 1.04% | 1.09% | 0.12% |
| Acquisitions | -1.21M | -177.5M | -266.94M | 0 | -625.62M | -1.39M | -12.18M | -139.29M | -173K | -3.53M | -61.58M | -37.83M | -22.65M | -10.74M | -23.27M | 0 |
| Investments | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Other Investing | 782K | 0 | 11.4M | 6.47M | -3.72M | 9.05M | -97.68M | 948K | -70.72M | -8.96M | 175K | 1.2M | -22.65M | -10.74M | 21K | 0 |
| Cash from Financing | -109.41M | 212.59M | 179.87M | -139.91M | 581.95M | -258.75M | -71.18M | 18.04M | 79.93M | -52.41M | -27.96M | -13.29M | -55.2M | -46.78M | 23.4M | 3.78M |
| Debt Issued (Net) | 139.95M | 460.73M | 182.65M | 41.25M | 761.01M | -90.82M | 158.2M | 131.7M | 276.8M | 35.41M | 41M | 99.85M | 86.95M | 74.8M | 51.66M | 1.3M |
| Equity Issued (Net) | -10M | -10M | 227.09M | 0 | 3.1M | 0 | 10K | 8K | 26K | 21K | 29K | 50K | 45K | 99K | 179.68M | 0 |
| Dividends Paid | -239.03M | -238.13M | -204.69M | -180.03M | -171.09M | -161.72M | -109.2M | -82.01M | -172.94M | -68.47M | -60.62M | -114.61M | -139.71M | -128.87M | -116.53M | 0 |
| Share Repurchases | -10M | -10M | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -10K | -8K | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Other Financing | -330K | 0 | -25.18M | -1.13M | -11.07M | -6.22M | -120.19M | -31.65M | -23.96M | -19.38M | -8.36M | 1.42M | -2.49M | 7.19M | -91.4M | 2.48M |
| Net Change in Cash | 7.8M | 5.51M | 1.63M | -4.21M | 3.68M | 49K | -1.3M | 1.02M | -153K | 4.62M | 59K | -1.86M | 937K | -22.53M | 23.42M | 35K |
| Free Cash Flow | 112.13M | -30.64M | 74.55M | 124.97M | 45.47M | 251.15M | 179.73M | 121.33M | -9.2M | 69.52M | 89.42M | 48.07M | 78.79M | 34.99M | 23.26M | -3.74M |
| FCF Margin % | 10.57% | -3.02% | 7.93% | 12.25% | 4.39% | 35.83% | 31.9% | 20.78% | -1.4% | 12.92% | 19.96% | 8.15% | 9.37% | 3.86% | 2.27% | -0.5% |
| FCF Growth % | 687.32% | -141.11% | -40.35% | 174.82% | -81.89% | 39.73% | 48.14% | 1419.22% | -113.23% | -22.26% | 86.03% | -38.99% | 125.15% | 50.42% | 721.37% | - |
| FCF per Share | 2.09 | -0.57 | 1.57 | 2.87 | 1.05 | 5.78 | 5.35 | 4.97 | -0.38 | 2.85 | 3.67 | 1.97 | 3.24 | 1.45 | 0.97 | -0.16 |
| FCF Conversion (FCF/Net Income) | 0.66x | 1.34x | 1.45x | 1.78x | 1.21x | 1.67x | 1.21x | 1.35x | 1.64x | 1.26x | 1.60x | 1.02x | 1.19x | 0.93x | 4.09x | -0.23x |
| Interest Paid | 26.52M | 0 | 117.3M | 136.42M | 78.15M | 44.63M | 40.58M | 44.79M | 38.96M | 19.44M | 12.21M | 9.01M | 7.66M | 3.24M | 2.01M | 1.81M |
| Taxes Paid | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20K | 43K | 34K | 98K | 144K | 137K | 60K | 224K | 4K | -18K | 30K | 1.32M | 56K |
Parent refinery throughput dependency
As reported in quarterly financial statements, DKL's operating cash flow to net income ratio has fluctuated wildly, reaching a high of 5.27 in 2026Q1, which suggests that reported earnings are frequently decoupled from the actual cash-generating capacity of the underlying midstream infrastructure assets.
The significant variance between net income and operating cash flow indicates that non-cash items and working capital swings are heavily influencing the headline profitability figures. Investors should monitor whether this volatility is a structural feature of the wholesale marketing segment or a sign of aggressive accrual accounting practices.
Based on the provided cash flow data, DKL's free cash flow margins have been highly inconsistent, swinging from a positive 42.7% in 2026Q1 to a negative 11.4% in 2025Q1, reflecting the partnership's struggle to maintain consistent cash generation after accounting for necessary capital expenditures.
The erratic FCF trajectory suggests that the partnership's ability to fund distributions internally is periodically compromised by capital-intensive projects. This inconsistency warrants further investigation into whether maintenance capex is being deferred or if growth-oriented spending is failing to yield immediate cash flow improvements.
According to recent SEC filings, DKL's capital intensity has been elevated, with CapEx as a percentage of revenue peaking at 46.5% in 2025Q2, indicating a heavy reliance on continuous capital reinvestment to sustain the operational integrity of its pipeline and terminal network.
The high level of capital expenditure relative to revenue suggests that the partnership faces significant ongoing costs to maintain its asset base. This capital intensity may limit the flexibility of the partnership to reduce spending during periods of lower refining throughput from the parent company.
As reported in financial statements, DKL's working capital changes have been a primary driver of cash flow volatility, with a notable $94.2 million inflow in 2026Q1 contrasting sharply with the $32.1 million outflow observed in 2025Q1, highlighting significant fluctuations in operational cash cycles.
These swings in working capital appear to be tied to the timing of product sales and inventory management within the wholesale marketing segment. Such volatility makes it difficult to forecast short-term liquidity and suggests that the partnership's cash position is highly sensitive to the timing of customer payments.
Based on reported figures, DKL has consistently paid out dividends exceeding $50 million per quarter, often while generating negative free cash flow, which suggests that the partnership is relying on external financing or balance sheet cash to maintain its distribution commitments to unit holders.
The persistent gap between cash distributions and free cash flow raises concerns regarding the long-term sustainability of the current payout policy. Investors should monitor whether the partnership can improve its organic cash generation before the cost of external financing further constrains its capital allocation strategy.
Quick answers to the most common questions about buying DKL stock.
Delek Logistics Partners, LP (DKL) generated $237.1M in net cash from operating activities in 2025. This reflects the cash generated directly from core business operations.
Delek Logistics Partners, LP (DKL) reported negative free cash flow of $30.6M in 2025, indicating capital requirements exceeded cash from operations.
Delek Logistics Partners, LP (DKL) spent $280.3M 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, Delek Logistics Partners, LP (DKL) returned $238.1M to shareholders via cash dividends and spent $10.0M on share repurchases. This shows the company's commitment to returning capital to its equity investors.