Free cash flow remains consistently negative, highlighted by a $2.0M outflow in 2026Q1, indicating that the business model is currently failing to generate self-sustaining operational liquidity.
| 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 | Dec'10 | Dec'09 | Dec'08 | Dec'07 | Dec'06 | Dec'05 | Dec'04 |
|---|
| Cash from Operations | -2.37M | -2.03M | -157.85K | -5.02M | -4.03M | -1.32M | -1.51M | -2.91M | -624.72K | 8.36M | -14.92M | -1.78M | -1.36M | -1.77M | -2.96M | -2.25M | -1.41M | -2.8M | -1.98M | -869.91K | -661.1K | -680.44K | -290K |
| Operating CF Margin % | - | -3.58% | -0.31% | -11.63% | -9.94% | -3.69% | -6.26% | -11.62% | -2.77% | 37.3% | -158.82% | -59.38% | -65.46% | -77.06% | -76.59% | -476.38% | -678.74% | - | -216.68% | -397.26% | -133.59% | -206.24% | -87.88% |
| Operating CF Growth % | -114.57% | -1184.5% | 96.85% | -24.58% | -205.39% | 12.45% | 48.15% | -365.05% | -107.47% | 156.02% | -737.91% | -31.41% | 23.34% | 40.27% | -31.39% | -59.61% | 49.58% | -41.24% | -127.8% | -31.59% | 2.84% | -134.63% | - |
| Net Income | -3.45M | -3.09M | -12.6M | -24.4M | -4.78M | -6.46M | -1.94M | -1.19M | -2.91M | 6.91M | -37.19M | -4.05M | -1.87M | -2.46M | -3.39M | -1.23M | -5.64M | -4.92M | -3.4M | -8.39M | -869.49K | -704.12K | -460K |
| Depreciation & Amortization | -38.9K | 0 | 2.38M | 2.25M | 1.75M | 1.91M | 2.03M | 1.95M | 1.98M | 1.25M | 20.23K | 1.67M | 19.63K | 521.01K | 2.94M | 0 | 23.23K | 23.23K | 286.4K | 24.93K | 5.8K | 5.7K | 0 |
| Stock-Based Compensation | 0 | 0 | 364.65K | 354.96K | 265.53K | 17.86K | 0 | 0 | 20.42K | 330.06K | 185K | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 128.5K | 1.11M | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Deferred Taxes | 60.7K | 0 | 87.85K | 53.5K | 176.98K | 37.36K | -182.49K | -342.41K | -1.05M | 187.54K | 19.31M | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2.47M | -1.11M | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Other Non-Cash Items | -174.58K | 2.95M | 10.26M | 17.7M | 1.16M | 4.5M | -506.19K | -3M | 1.33M | -7.09M | 5.2M | 648.52K | 151.37K | 7.97K | -63.05K | -1.23M | 945.62K | 1.36M | 505.22K | 7.3M | 22.5K | 0 | 0 |
| Working Capital Changes | -1.85M | -1.89M | -644.85K | -979.22K | -2.6M | -1.32M | -908.66K | -315.13K | 9.45K | 6.95M | -2.45M | -46.37K | 347.29K | 164.91K | -2.45M | -1.02M | 662.9K | 741.9K | 625.52K | 193.55K | 180.09K | 17.98K | 170K |
| Change in Receivables | 161.87K | -3.54M | 1.75M | -667.17K | -539.55K | -3.24M | -1.12M | -4.03K | 858.88K | 1.34M | -3.67M | 0 | 0 | 159.87K | 406.65K | 1.27M | 419.04K | 2.92M | 1.45M | 0 | 0 | 0 | -70K |
| Change in Inventory | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 195.88K | -1.08M | 4.33M | 4.18M | 0 | 0 | 0 | -273 | 555 | 83.6K | 2.19K | -91.82K | 5K | -210 | -5.47K | -10K |
| Change in Payables | 302K | 758.67K | -4.55M | 1.52M | 812.27K | -352.82K | 346.09K | -150.89K | -231.24K | 381.52K | -1.39M | 239.06K | -44.22K | -192.01K | -230.27K | -387.43K | -192.57K | 710.29K | 638.85K | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20K |
| Cash from Investing | 232.31K | 233.07K | -2.46M | -4.54M | -7.92M | -3.03M | -1.38M | -898.48K | -1.62M | 851.55K | -1.25M | -2.55K | -73.85K | -15.28K | -16.66K | -6.28K | -1.13M | -667.98K | -528.72K | -217.52K | -6.83K | -16.1K | -10K |
| Capital Expenditures | -762 | -1.12K | -1.51K | -29K | -72.2K | 0 | -77.36K | -103.49K | -89.65K | -227.04K | 0 | -2.55K | -73.85K | -15.28K | -16.66K | -6.28K | -957.88K | -667.98K | -528.72K | -217.52K | -6.83K | -16.1K | -10K |
| CapEx % of Revenue | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0.07% | 0.18% | - | 0.32% | 0.41% | 0.4% | 1.01% | - | 0.08% | 3.57% | 0.67% | 0.43% | 1.33% | 460.71% | - | 57.81% | 99.34% | 1.38% | 4.88% | 3.03% |
| Acquisitions | 234.19K | 234.19K | -1.19M | -4.51M | -4.74M | -1.53M | -1.3M | -794.99K | -1.53M | 13.63K | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Investments | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Other Investing | -1.12K | 0 | -1.27M | 0 | -3.11M | -1.5M | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.06M | -8.28M | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -170.5K | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cash from Financing | 1.33M | 2.35M | 4.18M | 9.92M | 10.91M | 3.94M | 8.61M | 439.39K | 3.22M | -4.58M | 14.44M | 3.84M | 920.89K | 2.21M | 3.24M | 2.28M | 2.47M | 3.41M | 2.56M | 1.24M | 703.22K | 694.14K | 290K |
| Debt Issued (Net) | 1.82M | 2.83M | 3.03M | 6.42M | 5.71M | 4.95M | 4.35M | 2.28M | 935.6K | -7.35M | 6.94M | 5.81M | 964.14K | 0 | 1.46M | 2.15M | -155.01K | 1.11M | 1.96M | 2.84M | 546.22K | -5.58K | -21.79K |
| Equity Issued (Net) | 0 | 0 | 1.19M | 4.16M | 5.8M | 0 | 7.6M | 1.85M | 6.83M | 4.45M | 7.5M | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.75M | 0 | 1.12M | 2.3M | 30K | 500K | 80K | 604.5K | 290.15K |
| Dividends Paid | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Share Repurchases | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 290K |
| Other Financing | -486K | -486K | -33.67K | -670.26K | -600K | -1.02M | -3.34M | -3.69M | -4.57M | -1.67M | 50K | 3.26M | -43.25K | 2.21M | 35K | 125K | 1.5M | 0 | 578.38K | -2.1M | 77K | 95.21K | 21.64K |
| Net Change in Cash | -801.4K | 552.74K | 1.57M | 362.84K | -1.03M | -406.75K | 5.73M | -3.36M | 977.77K | 4.63M | -1.73M | 2.06M | -508.17K | 423.97K | 263.92K | 17.29K | -1.75K | -47.8K | 13.86K | 30.85K | 14.77K | 26.32K | 0 |
| Free Cash Flow | -2.37M | -2.03M | -159.36K | -5.05M | -4.1M | -1.32M | -1.58M | -3.01M | -714.37K | 8.13M | -14.92M | -1.78M | -1.43M | -1.78M | -2.98M | -2.26M | -2.37M | -3.47M | -2.51M | -1.09M | -667.93K | -696.53K | -300K |
| FCF Margin % | -4.13% | -3.58% | -0.31% | -11.7% | -10.12% | -3.69% | -6.58% | -12.03% | -3.17% | 36.28% | -158.82% | -59.46% | -69.03% | -77.73% | -77.02% | -477.71% | -1139.46% | - | -274.49% | -496.59% | -134.97% | -211.12% | -90.91% |
| FCF Growth % | -247.71% | -1172.31% | 96.84% | -23.09% | -210.86% | 16.73% | 47.36% | -321.17% | -108.78% | 154.5% | -736.71% | -24.8% | 19.85% | 40.09% | -31.76% | 4.66% | 31.67% | -38.11% | -130.85% | -62.81% | 4.11% | -132.18% | - |
| FCF per Share | -0.19 | -0.18 | -0.02 | -0.35 | -0.42 | -0.17 | -0.25 | -0.70 | -0.22 | 3.83 | -17.00 | -4.36 | -3.49 | -4.35 | -7.27 | -5.52 | -6.01 | -12.86 | -10.20 | -23.73 | -61.89 | -78.64 | -33.87 |
| FCF Conversion (FCF/Net Income) | 0.69x | 0.66x | 0.01x | 0.21x | 0.84x | 0.20x | 0.78x | 1.25x | 0.21x | 1.21x | 0.40x | 0.44x | 0.72x | 0.72x | 0.87x | 1.83x | 0.25x | 0.57x | 0.59x | 0.12x | 0.76x | 0.97x | 0.63x |
| Interest Paid | 0 | 0 | 1.79M | 1.76M | 677.08K | 916.54K | 909.78K | 0 | 185.31K | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Taxes Paid | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 135K | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Persistent Negative Operating Cash
As reported in recent financial filings, the relationship between net income and operating cash flow is highly erratic, with OCF/NI ratios swinging from 0.01 in 2023Q4 to 6.58 in 2025Q3, suggesting that GAAP earnings provide little insight into the company's actual cash-generating capabilities.
The extreme volatility in the conversion ratio indicates that non-cash items and working capital swings are the primary drivers of reported cash flow rather than core operational performance. Investors should monitor this divergence, as it suggests that the company's reported net losses may not fully capture the cash-burn reality of its agency-led business model.
Based on the provided quarterly data, Dolphin Entertainment has struggled to maintain positive free cash flow, recording a negative FCF of $2.0M in 2026Q1, which underscores the difficulty of achieving self-sustaining operations within its current high-fixed-cost structure and project-based revenue model.
The trajectory of free cash flow appears tethered to the lumpy nature of content production and the ongoing overhead of its agency roll-up strategy. Without a consistent path to positive FCF margins, the company remains reliant on external financing to bridge the gap between its operational ambitions and its current cash-burning reality.
According to historical cash flow statements, working capital changes have been a primary source of quarterly cash flow variance, with a significant $2.6M inflow in 2024Q2 followed by a $3.5M outflow in 2024Q1, highlighting the sensitivity of the company's liquidity to timing differences in client payments.
The reliance on working capital fluctuations to manage short-term liquidity suggests that the company's cash position is highly susceptible to the payment cycles of its entertainment clients. This volatility warrants further investigation into the underlying credit quality of the client base and the effectiveness of the company's accounts receivable management.
As indicated by the multi-period financial data, the persistent gap between cumulative net losses and operating cash flow suggests that the company's business model is fundamentally structured to consume capital, with operating cash flow failing to consistently offset the recurring net losses reported over the last ten quarters.
This structural divergence implies that the company's growth strategy is not currently generating the internal cash required to fund its own operations. Analysts should consider whether this trend is a temporary byproduct of aggressive acquisition integration or a more permanent feature of the company's high-cost agency and production ecosystem.
Quick answers to the most common questions about buying DLPN stock.
Dolphin Entertainment, Inc. (DLPN) generated $-2.0M in net cash from operating activities in 2025. This reflects the cash generated directly from core business operations.
Dolphin Entertainment, Inc. (DLPN) reported negative free cash flow of $2.0M in 2025, indicating capital requirements exceeded cash from operations.
Dolphin Entertainment, Inc. (DLPN) spent $0.0M on capital expenditures in 2025. CapEx represents the cash invested in physical assets like property, plant, and equipment to maintain or grow the business.