Free cash flow remains highly erratic, swinging from a $14.0 million inflow in 2026Q1 to a $18.1 billion outflow in 2024Q4, reflecting a reliance on external financing rather than organic cash generation.
| 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 | Dec'03 | Dec'02 | Dec'01 | Dec'00 | Dec'99 | Dec'98 | Dec'97 |
|---|
| Cash from Operations | -50.86M | -67.24M | -53.03M | 12.71M | 3.21M | 93.83M | 53.62M | 60.87M | 10.63M | 78.32M | 110.59M | 149.7M | 14.6M | 29.93M | 49.88M | 60.81M | 75.83M | 96.44M | 88.92M | 97.9M | 104.42M | 102.55M | 85.56M | 36.64M | -2.66M | -4.87M | -101.18M | -9.03M | -2.55M | 4.96M |
| Operating CF Margin % | - | -14.09% | -11.44% | 2.56% | 0.64% | 18.37% | 11.15% | 12.52% | 2.14% | 15.54% | 21.53% | 28.25% | 2.52% | 5.2% | 8.82% | 11.32% | 16.68% | 25.53% | 24.67% | 27.92% | 33.27% | 38.17% | 37% | 20.87% | -1.8% | -2.7% | -47% | -5.97% | -2.67% | 9.43% |
| Operating CF Growth % | 690.77% | -26.79% | -517.18% | 295.89% | -96.58% | 75% | -11.91% | 472.76% | -86.43% | -29.18% | -26.13% | 925.34% | -51.23% | -39.99% | -17.97% | -19.8% | -21.38% | 8.46% | -9.17% | -6.25% | 1.82% | 19.86% | 133.49% | 1477.56% | 45.34% | 95.19% | -1019.96% | -254.55% | -151.42% | - |
| Net Income | -12.36B | -3.85B | -1.17B | 429.12M | -1.47B | -535.48M | -7.52M | 34.35M | 22.5M | 18.2M | 92.24M | 105.93M | 5.04M | 83.33M | 20.55M | 17.94M | 43.79M | 60.51M | 41.77M | 58.47M | 70.88M | 64.74M | 168.31M | -4.67M | 38.12M | -48.05M | -215.12M | -24.51M | -2.25M | -885K |
| Depreciation & Amortization | 10.11M | 39.47M | 17.81M | 14.53M | 10.87M | 11.36M | 13.33M | 8.59M | 3.7M | 15.53M | 19.94M | 21.21M | 25.3M | 26.4M | 22.45M | 17.27M | 12.8M | 10.63M | 6.4M | 7.6M | 7.63M | 8.5M | 8.32M | 8.83M | 13.11M | 29.56M | 29.62M | 6.84M | 3.44M | 1.24M |
| Stock-Based Compensation | 1.35M | 0 | 77.12M | 69.57M | 63.62M | 44.13M | 11.15M | 10.21M | 14.64M | 14.27M | 11.82M | 17.3M | 11.79M | 2.08M | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 46K | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Deferred Taxes | -5.22B | -1.68B | -775.85M | -569.46M | 131.13M | -284.78M | -20.83M | -5.45M | -8.27M | -3.6M | -4.84M | 8.77M | -1.53M | -17.96M | 1.5M | -3.92M | 1.69M | 16.15M | 20.93M | 26.14M | 26.53M | 27.99M | 5.75M | 823K | -553K | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Other Non-Cash Items | 25.96B | 5.48B | 1.84B | 90M | 1.3B | 847.52M | 80.27M | 8.27M | 2.06M | 2.27M | -1.02M | 1.01M | 1.49M | -78.75M | 2.01M | -4.27M | 2.77M | 494K | 5.7M | 919K | -1.96M | -626K | -106.79M | 27.31M | -33.62M | 20.09M | 83.45M | -11.9M | 1.75M | 312K |
| Working Capital Changes | -39.01M | -55.19M | -42.71M | -21.05M | -36.61M | 11.09M | -22.78M | 4.89M | -24M | 31.66M | -7.55M | -4.53M | -27.48M | 14.83M | 3.38M | 33.8M | 14.78M | 8.66M | 14.08M | 4.78M | 1.34M | 1.95M | 9.96M | 4.34M | -19.72M | -6.46M | 871K | 20.53M | -5.48M | 4.29M |
| Change in Receivables | -13.25M | 20.41M | 5.69M | 10.31M | -5.29M | 2.62M | -774K | -3.67M | -8.36M | 15.35M | -16.88M | 5M | -276K | 676K | 526K | -14.33M | -30.13M | -9.26M | -3.86M | -103K | -10.73M | -3.68M | -8.8M | -1.05M | -5.05M | 21.65M | -19.26M | -14.6M | -10.84M | -7.27M |
| Change in Inventory | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Change in Payables | 481K | 6.56M | 1.14M | -634K | -3.52M | 3.75M | 9.17M | -7.32M | 3.38M | -9.09M | 6.98M | 1.9M | -1.7M | -4.79M | 3.76M | 5.02M | 4.65M | 1.08M | 10.68M | 4.13M | 8.29M | 3.76M | 11.79M | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cash from Investing | -22.09B | -22.51B | -22.09B | -1.91B | -278.59M | -2.63B | -1.02B | 353.69M | -209.06M | -69.73M | 4.34M | -7.66M | -82.11M | -54.93M | -35.83M | -36.18M | -17.43M | 2.64M | -42.8M | -12.7M | 50.33M | 4.32M | -74.39M | 201K | -9.73M | 26.36M | -19.02M | -34.1M | -9.29M | -7.88M |
| Capital Expenditures | -3.09B | -22.51B | -13.48M | -2.94M | -2.49M | -2.71M | -3.65M | -10.18M | -6.85M | -3.98M | -2.34M | -3.48M | -12.4M | -11.04M | -29.62M | -36.69M | -16.29M | -18.27M | -30.17M | -6.13M | -4.81M | -1.91M | -5.65M | -4.18M | -4.33M | -1.88M | -28.71M | -14.61M | -9.29M | -5.95M |
| CapEx % of Revenue | 629.39% | 4717.24% | 2.91% | 0.59% | 0.5% | 0.53% | 0.76% | 2.09% | 1.38% | 0.79% | 0.46% | 0.66% | 2.14% | 1.92% | 5.24% | 6.83% | 3.58% | 4.83% | 8.37% | 1.75% | 1.53% | 0.71% | 2.44% | 2.38% | 2.93% | 1.04% | 13.34% | 9.66% | 9.73% | 11.33% |
| Acquisitions | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Investments | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Other Investing | -19.01B | 0 | -22.07B | -1.9B | -276.1M | -2.63B | -1.13B | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -9.6M | -8.56M | 93.22M | -6.21M | -2.86M | -1.14M | 20.33M | -13.73M | -6.57M | 1.37M | -4.86M | -4.65M | 4.38M | -5.7M | 25.45M | -29.05M | 0 | 0 | -1.93M |
| Cash from Financing | 24.3B | 24.84B | 22.13B | 1.89B | 265.19M | 2.54B | 563.23M | -66.15M | -108.52M | 1.66M | -1M | 9.18M | -1.47M | 21.64M | 9.76M | 2.46M | -107.1M | 2.06M | -5.86M | -82.47M | -121.39M | -128.78M | 3.43M | -955K | -11.61M | -15.65M | 127.98M | 42.2M | 35.7M | 4.58M |
| Debt Issued (Net) | 30.45M | 2.02B | 5.7B | -160.55M | 215.55M | 1.55B | 650M | 0 | -9K | -21K | -172K | -1.45M | -2.33M | -2.28M | -491K | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -5M | -2.6M | 866K | 0 | -5M | -12.84M | 4.49M |
| Equity Issued (Net) | 2.74B | 23.21B | 16.36B | 2.03B | 46.59M | 1B | -123.22M | -72.72M | -110.98M | 1.68M | 1.66M | 9.53M | 856K | 341K | 10.25M | 2.46M | -108.99M | 1.22M | -8.39M | -85.74M | -125.86M | -128.78M | 3.43M | 3.72M | 995K | -15.56M | 127.98M | 47.2M | 48.5M | 100K |
| Dividends Paid | -520.07M | -381.37M | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -60K | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -192K | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Share Repurchases | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -123.22M | -72.72M | -110.98M | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -108.99M | 0 | -8.39M | -89.03M | -131.96M | -134.49M | -2.33M | 0 | 0 | -19.78M | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Other Financing | 22.04B | 0 | 72.22M | 21.22M | 3.05M | -8.31M | 36.46M | 6.57M | 2.47M | 0 | -2.5M | 1.1M | 0 | 23.58M | 0 | 0 | 1.9M | 907K | 2.53M | 3.27M | 4.48M | 0 | 0 | 328K | -10M | -765K | 0 | 0 | 39K | -13K |
| Net Change in Cash | 2.15B | 2.26B | -8.78M | -2.19M | -13.57M | 3.67M | -397.06M | 347.03M | -310.4M | 18.47M | 109.75M | 145.38M | -73.25M | -4.22M | 24.76M | 25.54M | -50.67M | 101.85M | 37.72M | 6.21M | 36.66M | -26M | 16.43M | 36.85M | -23.37M | 5.21M | 7.26M | -1.55M | 23.98M | 1.82M |
| Free Cash Flow | 7.61B | -104.24M | -22.14B | -1.89B | -287.2M | -2.54B | -1.08B | 50.69M | 3.78M | 74.34M | 108.25M | 136.62M | -6.2M | 13.45M | 12.12M | 18.22M | 57.35M | 73.96M | 45.18M | 91.77M | 99.61M | 100.64M | 79.91M | 32.46M | -6.99M | -6.75M | -129.89M | -23.64M | -11.84M | -999K |
| FCF Margin % | 1551.17% | -21.84% | -4776.99% | -381.36% | -57.52% | -496.4% | -223.62% | 10.42% | 0.76% | 14.75% | 21.08% | 25.78% | -1.07% | 2.34% | 2.14% | 3.39% | 12.62% | 19.58% | 12.54% | 26.17% | 31.74% | 37.46% | 34.56% | 18.49% | -4.73% | -3.74% | -60.34% | -15.63% | -12.4% | -1.9% |
| FCF Growth % | 126.98% | 99.53% | -1069.83% | -558.97% | 88.67% | -135.84% | -2221.01% | 1240.52% | -94.91% | -31.33% | -20.76% | 2304.92% | -146.05% | 11.05% | -33.49% | -68.24% | -22.46% | 63.72% | -50.77% | -7.87% | -1.02% | 25.95% | 146.15% | 564.7% | -3.5% | 94.8% | -449.36% | -99.65% | -1085.49% | - |
| FCF per Share | 22.78 | -0.35 | -114.98 | -11.42 | -2.54 | -25.30 | -11.10 | 0.49 | 0.03 | 0.64 | 0.94 | 1.18 | -0.05 | 0.12 | 0.11 | 0.16 | 0.49 | 0.60 | 0.37 | 0.71 | 0.73 | 0.65 | 0.47 | 0.22 | -0.06 | -0.08 | -1.63 | -0.15 | -0.09 | -0.01 |
| FCF Conversion (FCF/Net Income) | -0.62x | 0.02x | 0.05x | 0.03x | -0.00x | -0.18x | -7.13x | 1.77x | 0.47x | 4.30x | 1.20x | 1.41x | 2.90x | 0.36x | 2.43x | 3.39x | 1.73x | 1.29x | 2.13x | 1.67x | 1.47x | 1.58x | 0.51x | -9.39x | -0.07x | 0.06x | 0.60x | 0.27x | 1.13x | -5.60x |
| Interest Paid | 0 | 0 | 44.57M | 41.23M | 43.45M | 20.42M | 178K | 11K | 0 | 0 | -2K | -34K | 74K | 78K | 31K | 32K | -4K | 48K | 98K | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Taxes Paid | 0 | 0 | 1.06M | 30.32M | 21.97M | 7.01M | 6.8M | 5.91M | 13.21M | 29.28M | 24.33M | -13.35M | 5.53M | 12.94M | 6.46M | 1.94M | -9.43M | 9.69M | 5.79M | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Treasury-driven cash flow volatility
As reported in recent financial filings, the relationship between net income and operating cash flow is severely decoupled, with the company frequently reporting multi-billion dollar net losses while operating cash flow remains negligible or negative, highlighting the extreme distortion caused by digital asset accounting and impairment charges.
The persistent gap between net income and operating cash flow suggests that traditional earnings metrics are entirely disconnected from the company's actual cash-generating capacity. Investors should monitor this divergence, as it indicates that the software business's operational cash flow is insufficient to support the company's aggressive treasury-focused capital allocation strategy.
Based on the provided quarterly data, free cash flow trajectory is highly erratic, swinging from a positive $14.0 million in 2026Q1 to massive outflows in prior periods, which underscores the company's reliance on external financing rather than organic cash generation to fund its ongoing operations.
The lack of consistent positive free cash flow suggests that the core software business is not currently structured to be self-funding. This volatility appears to be exacerbated by the company's capital-intensive treasury activities, which may mask the underlying performance of the software segment.
According to the latest quarterly reports, capital expenditure as a percentage of revenue has fluctuated significantly, reaching as high as 25.2% in 2025Q4, which indicates that the company's investment requirements are not strictly tied to maintaining its legacy software infrastructure but rather to broader corporate initiatives.
The variability in capital intensity warrants further investigation into whether these expenditures are truly maintenance-related or if they represent hidden costs associated with the company's digital asset custody and management. Such high capital intensity relative to revenue may indicate a shift toward a more asset-heavy operational model.
As evidenced by the quarterly cash flow statements, working capital changes have frequently acted as a drag on cash flow, with negative adjustments in several periods suggesting potential inefficiencies in managing receivables or timing of payments relative to the company's broader treasury-focused operational requirements.
The inconsistent nature of working capital movements may indicate that the company's cash management is secondary to its treasury objectives. This suggests that liquidity could become constrained if the software business faces a slowdown in collections or if the company's access to capital markets is restricted.
Based on reported figures, the company has prioritized significant cash outflows for dividends and other capital activities, totaling $229.5 million in 2026Q1 alone, which appears to be at odds with the company's stated goal of aggressive digital asset accumulation and debt-funded growth.
The decision to pay dividends while simultaneously relying on debt to fund asset acquisitions may indicate a complex capital allocation strategy designed to appease shareholders while pursuing high-risk growth. This approach warrants further investigation into the sustainability of such outflows given the company's negative operating cash flow profile.
Quick answers to the most common questions about buying MSTR stock.
Strategy Inc (MSTR) generated $-67.2M in net cash from operating activities in 2025. This reflects the cash generated directly from core business operations.
Strategy Inc (MSTR) reported negative free cash flow of $104.2M in 2025, indicating capital requirements exceeded cash from operations.
Strategy Inc (MSTR) spent $22.51B 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, Strategy Inc (MSTR) returned $381.4M to shareholders via cash dividends. This shows the company's commitment to returning capital to its equity investors.