Free cash flow remains deeply negative at -32.1% of revenue in 2025Q4, driven by capital intensity that reached 34.9% of total revenue.
| Cash from Operations | -5.52M | 12.99M | -2.45M | 8.03M | -5.65M | 3.2M | 2.35M | 1.21M | -9.12M |
| Operating CF Margin % | -8.78% | 17.5% | -2.9% | 10.51% | -8.04% | 5.42% | 3.58% | 2% | -18.46% |
| Operating CF Growth % | -142.49% | 630.85% | -130.49% | 242.12% | -276.29% | 36.55% | 93.97% | 113.26% | - |
| Net Income | -1.4M | 137.42K | 3.3M | 1.95M | 2.56M | 3.36M | 5.45M | 5.25M | 9.24M |
| Depreciation & Amortization | 643.34K | 759.4K | 715.88K | 824.98K | 767.68K | 753.63K | 648.25K | 726.66K | 923.41K |
| Stock-Based Compensation | 0 | 49K | 59.6K | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Deferred Taxes | -494.81K | -307.28K | -64.61K | 173.02K | -89K | 0 | 296.16K | -53.68K | -93.41K |
| Other Non-Cash Items | 1.29M | -45.67K | -58.31K | -564.28K | -151.91K | -654.14K | 19.05K | 309.34K | 7.64M |
| Working Capital Changes | -5.56M | 12.4M | -6.4M | 5.65M | -8.73M | -251.5K | -4.06M | -4.97M | -11.64M |
| Change in Receivables | -7.31M | 5.46M | -3.84M | 4.08M | -8.82M | -260.2K | 996.76K | -2.91M | 3.12M |
| Change in Inventory | 952.3K | 4.34M | -2.55M | -4.65M | -756.59K | -1.99M | 3.57M | -1.57M | -7.77M |
| Change in Payables | 836.24K | -5.38M | 3.98M | 1.96M | -238.64K | 650.99K | -13.03K | -7.45M | -8.7M |
| Cash from Investing | -14.97M | -3.07M | -3.59M | -206.18K | -897.25K | 59.79K | -912.7K | -527.75K | 8.82M |
| Capital Expenditures | -14.73M | -3.07M | -157.57K | -206.18K | -917.54K | -665K | -912.7K | -527.75K | -309.99K |
| CapEx % of Revenue | 23.41% | 4.13% | 0.19% | 0.27% | 1.31% | 1.12% | 1.39% | 0.87% | 0.63% |
| Acquisitions | 16.44K | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20.29K | 724.78K | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Investments | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Other Investing | 0 | 0 | -3.44M | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9.13M |
| Cash from Financing | 7.81M | -8.81M | 11.58M | -9.74M | 21.28M | -4.69M | -3.49M | 943.47K | -261.27K |
| Debt Issued (Net) | 7.86M | -8.79M | -10.01M | -11.58M | 554.77K | -4.17M | -10.69M | 331.55K | -2.11M |
| Equity Issued (Net) | 0 | 0 | 23.01M | 0 | 21.68M | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dividends Paid | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Share Repurchases | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Other Financing | -48.53K | -20.82K | -1.42M | 1.83M | -958.94K | -519.22K | 7.2M | 611.92K | 1.85M |
| Net Change in Cash | -12.9M | 1.57M | 6.42M | -2.11M | 14.95M | -1.31M | -2.18M | 1.43M | -569.1K |
| Free Cash Flow | -20.25M | 9.93M | -6.05M | 7.82M | -6.57M | 2.54M | 1.43M | 682.01K | -9.43M |
| FCF Margin % | -32.19% | 13.36% | -7.17% | 10.24% | -9.35% | 4.29% | 2.19% | 1.13% | -19.09% |
| FCF Growth % | -303.98% | 264.18% | -177.3% | 219.12% | -358.59% | 77.09% | 110.25% | 107.23% | - |
| FCF per Share | -1.42 | 0.70 | -0.43 | 0.59 | -0.54 | 0.19 | 0.14 | 0.05 | -0.94 |
| FCF Conversion (FCF/Net Income) | 3.95x | 94.55x | -0.75x | 4.17x | -2.23x | 0.96x | 0.44x | 0.23x | -0.99x |
| Interest Paid | 195.37K | 176.02K | 442.75K | 1.15M | 1.55M | 1.95M | 2.26M | 2.08M | 0 |
| Taxes Paid | 3.23M | 328.43K | 25.77K | 64.02K | 480.5K | 135.26K | 202.7K | 221.94K | 0 |
Cyclical demand and margin compression
As reported in recent financial statements, HUDI's operating cash flow frequently decouples from net income, evidenced by a 2025Q4 OCF/NI ratio of -0.61, which suggests that accounting profits—when present—are not translating into actual liquidity, likely due to significant accrual-based volatility in the company's industrial operations.
The persistent divergence between net income and operating cash flow indicates that the company's earnings quality is low, as non-cash items and working capital swings often mask the underlying cash-generating capability. Investors should monitor this disconnect, as it suggests that reported profitability may not be a reliable indicator of the firm's ability to fund its own operations.
Based on the company's reported figures, the free cash flow trajectory has remained consistently negative, with a 2025Q4 FCF margin of -32.1%, highlighting a structural inability to generate surplus cash after accounting for the capital expenditures required to maintain its specialized steel manufacturing infrastructure.
The consistent failure to achieve positive free cash flow suggests that the business model is currently capital-consumptive rather than self-sustaining. This trend warrants further investigation into whether the company's capital allocation is effectively driving future growth or merely subsidizing an inefficient production cycle.
According to recent SEC filings, HUDI's capital expenditure intensity reached 34.9% of revenue in 2025Q4, a significant escalation that appears disconnected from the company's contracting top-line performance and suggests a potential over-investment in fixed assets during a period of declining industrial demand.
High capital intensity relative to revenue may indicate that the company is struggling to optimize its asset base, potentially leading to underutilized capacity. This level of spending appears aggressive given the current negative operating margins, raising questions about the expected return on these capital outlays.
Financial data indicates that HUDI's working capital management is highly erratic, with a $1.1 million inflow in 2025Q4 following a massive $10.4 million outflow in 2025Q2, suggesting that the company's cash position is heavily dependent on the timing of inventory procurement and client payment cycles.
The extreme swings in working capital suggest that the company lacks a stable cash conversion cycle, which may be a byproduct of its project-based revenue model. This volatility creates significant liquidity risk, as the company must maintain substantial cash buffers to navigate periods where working capital requirements spike.
Quick answers to the most common questions about buying HUDI stock.
Huadi International Group Co., Ltd. (HUDI) generated $-5.5M in net cash from operating activities in 2025. This reflects the cash generated directly from core business operations.
Huadi International Group Co., Ltd. (HUDI) reported negative free cash flow of $20.2M in 2025, indicating capital requirements exceeded cash from operations.
Huadi International Group Co., Ltd. (HUDI) spent $14.7M on capital expenditures in 2025. CapEx represents the cash invested in physical assets like property, plant, and equipment to maintain or grow the business.