Free cash flow generation remains highly inconsistent, ranging from a negative $52.8 million in 2023Q4 to a positive $19.9 million in 2025Q3, largely due to lumpy capital expenditures that reached 77.9% of revenue in 2023Q4.
| 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 | Dec'96 |
|---|
| Cash from Operations | 50.91M | 50.91M | 22.29M | 54.49M | 67.73M | 74.88M | -2.49M | 52.78M | 54.62M | 41.3M | 93.94M | 108M | 19.8M | 53.06M | 143.1M | 155.2M | 63.1M | 157M | 4.9M | 81.6M | 173.5M | 75.2M | 126.2M | 123.3M | 173.9M | 136M | 133M | 129.1M | 144.3M | 209.1M | 241.4M |
| Operating CF Margin % | - | 18.37% | 9.38% | 25.37% | 28.02% | 39.03% | -1.94% | 37.44% | 40.35% | 39.42% | 10.97% | 11.79% | 2.21% | 5.69% | 16.38% | 4.66% | 2.35% | 6.79% | 0.13% | 2.27% | 5.18% | 2.38% | 4.54% | 4.99% | 6.82% | 5.16% | 4.63% | 4.96% | 5.69% | 9.31% | 10.62% |
| Operating CF Growth % | 1052.73% | 128.4% | -59.1% | -19.55% | -9.54% | 3111.87% | -104.71% | -3.36% | 32.24% | -56.03% | -13.02% | 445.49% | -62.69% | -62.92% | -7.8% | 145.96% | -59.81% | 3104.08% | -94% | -52.97% | 130.72% | -40.41% | 2.35% | -29.1% | 27.87% | 2.26% | 3.02% | -10.53% | -30.99% | -13.38% | 652.02% |
| Net Income | 21.51M | 17.57M | 33.74M | -39.59M | 74.16M | 48.13M | 14.79M | 39.63M | 34.78M | 28.46M | 29.61M | 21.98M | -38.12M | 44.45M | 42.2M | 162.1M | 79.4M | 8.4M | -437.6M | 89.3M | 106.2M | 62.5M | 47.9M | 52.8M | 42.4M | -36M | 67.7M | 54.3M | 102.3M | 61.8M | 50.6M |
| Depreciation & Amortization | 18.48M | 25.28M | 0 | 29.39M | 3.72M | 23.02M | 28.18M | 16.03M | 3.04M | 2.12M | 3.88M | 3.99M | 3.3M | 3.67M | 19.1M | 47.7M | 52.2M | 0 | 60.5M | 62.8M | 64.9M | 67M | 67.6M | 68.4M | 92.7M | 117.6M | 106.1M | 104M | 89M | 88.6M | 85.3M |
| Stock-Based Compensation | 0 | 8.28M | 5.83M | 5.16M | 7.54M | 5.56M | 3.08M | 4.92M | 3.96M | 4.52M | 5.2M | 2.4M | 2.4M | 1.5M | 5.2M | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Deferred Taxes | 58K | 58K | 1.52M | -21.11M | -8.47M | -3.55M | 7.52M | 8.7M | 9.28M | 4.09M | 12.7M | -6.94M | -41.35M | -7.65M | 14.6M | 14.4M | 10.5M | 24.7M | 20.3M | 4.1M | 8.7M | -7.6M | -1.9M | 10.9M | 17.8M | -5M | -12.5M | 3.3M | -13.2M | -24.3M | -3.2M |
| Other Non-Cash Items | 19.69M | 22.51M | 25.8M | 75.09M | 8.68M | 1.97M | -3.45M | -7.07M | 3.14M | 16.29M | 2.25M | 2.84M | 14.9M | -13.96M | 12.9M | 2.7M | -38.5M | 9.4M | 437.7M | 8.6M | 17.6M | -1.2M | 13.2M | 8.6M | 12M | 700K | 100K | -1.1M | 8.6M | -100K | -3.7M |
| Working Capital Changes | 0 | -22.79M | -44.6M | 5.55M | -17.89M | -256K | -52.6M | -9.43M | 419K | -8.46M | 12.52M | 68.25M | -41.48M | 2.26M | -6.5M | -73.6M | -48.9M | 114.5M | -95.9M | -75.4M | 22.4M | -45.5M | -600K | -14.1M | 9M | 26.2M | -14M | -30.2M | -42.4M | 83.1M | 112.4M |
| Change in Receivables | 0 | 2.92M | -11.72M | 2.46M | -13.22M | -13.69M | 42K | 8.22M | -3.01M | -9.31M | -10.42M | 66.49M | -22.51M | -2.78M | -19.1M | -49.1M | -110.4M | 126.8M | 15.1M | 0 | -17.1M | -33.5M | -26.4M | -37.5M | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Change in Inventory | 0 | -11.44M | -27.25M | -12.97M | -6.83M | -6.53M | -9.36M | -9.26M | -1.19M | -1.13M | 4.9M | 24.15M | -879K | -14.87M | -2.8M | -33.4M | -109.3M | 163M | 36.5M | -41.9M | -6.3M | -41.4M | -77.5M | 900K | -2.6M | 41.4M | -26M | -23M | -32.7M | -1.3M | 87.3M |
| Change in Payables | 0 | 2.67M | 1.96M | 3.15M | 252K | 7.45M | -10.62M | -388K | 60K | 1.05M | 27.1M | -28.87M | -2.96M | 4.85M | 23.9M | 4.3M | 145M | -109.6M | -108.8M | 0 | 32.8M | 30.4M | 96.7M | 18.6M | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cash from Investing | -64.18M | -64.18M | -71.29M | -81.6M | -33.15M | -44.15M | -45.98M | -20.26M | -18.39M | -15.01M | -9.82M | -8.29M | -74.93M | -60.73M | -74.2M | -32.7M | -5.8M | 23.1M | -71.4M | -59.9M | -35.3M | -56.3M | -40.3M | -42.8M | -19.6M | -95.1M | -234.2M | -161.4M | -121.8M | -78M | -122.8M |
| Capital Expenditures | -44.48M | 0 | 0 | -82.12M | -42.52M | -39.23M | -30.19M | -24.66M | -20.93M | -15.7M | -16.17M | -10.62M | -57.5M | -57.45M | -44.7M | -36.7M | -26.3M | -33.5M | -71.9M | -68.8M | -74.6M | -70.7M | -57.2M | -59.7M | -55.5M | -104.8M | -93.3M | -137.9M | -116.9M | -82.4M | -124.5M |
| CapEx % of Revenue | 16.21% | 19.22% | 23.01% | 38.23% | 17.59% | 20.45% | 23.5% | 17.49% | 15.46% | 14.99% | 1.89% | 1.16% | 6.41% | 6.16% | 5.12% | 1.1% | 0.98% | 1.45% | 1.95% | 1.91% | 2.23% | 2.24% | 2.06% | 2.41% | 2.18% | 3.97% | 3.25% | 5.3% | 4.61% | 3.67% | 5.48% |
| Acquisitions | -10.68M | 0 | -15.73M | 0 | 6.7M | -5.33M | -14.18M | 4.57M | 1.45M | 3.96M | 7.98M | -413K | -25M | 0 | -69.3M | 0 | 3M | 0 | 0 | 5.7M | -10.2M | 4M | 0 | 0 | 0 | -3.9M | -145.3M | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Investments | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Other Investing | -9.02M | -64.18M | -55.56M | 525K | 2.67M | 414K | 384K | -170K | 2.54M | 699K | 6.35M | 2.74M | 7.57M | 1.72M | 39.8M | 4M | 17.5M | 56.6M | 500K | 3.2M | 49.5M | 10.4M | 16.9M | 16.9M | 35.9M | 13.6M | 4.4M | -23.5M | -4.9M | 4.4M | 1.7M |
| Cash from Financing | -9.86M | -9.86M | 36.73M | 1.47M | -9.84M | -33.17M | 14.03M | 5.11M | -52.58M | -2.31M | -55.71M | -108.3M | 20.98M | -36.78M | -123.4M | -42M | -43.3M | -64.1M | -83.1M | 64.4M | -105.8M | -1.8M | -4.1M | -71.9M | -166.4M | -1.6M | 98.3M | 35.3M | -12.1M | -152.9M | -103.5M |
| Debt Issued (Net) | 5.07M | 11K | 55.71M | 11.02M | -3.83M | -25.8M | 20.07M | 13.26M | -46.73M | -6.05M | -22.56M | -77.92M | 64.15M | 3.85M | 20.2M | -21.7M | -25.9M | -48.5M | -66.2M | 80.8M | -85.7M | 15.1M | 9.7M | -61M | -121.6M | 6.5M | 107.7M | 36.7M | -6.5M | -145.4M | -57.8M |
| Equity Issued (Net) | -1.84M | -2.53M | -9.94M | -3.1M | 0 | 0 | -1M | -3.01M | -1.29M | 0 | -6.04M | -24.01M | -35.08M | -31.31M | -3.2M | -2.06M | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -4.7M | -2.8M | -40.4M |
| Dividends Paid | -7.33M | -7.33M | -6.62M | -6.45M | -6.01M | -5.62M | -5.38M | -5.13M | -4.58M | -6.68M | -7.26M | -7.3M | -7.75M | -8.1M | -45.1M | -17.8M | -17.4M | -17.1M | -16.9M | -16.4M | -15.7M | -15.2M | -13.8M | -10.3M | -8M | -7.6M | -7.2M | -7M | -6.6M | -6.3M | -6.7M |
| Share Repurchases | -1.84M | -2.53M | -9.94M | -3.1M | 0 | 0 | -1M | -3.01M | -1.29M | 0 | -6.04M | -24.01M | -35.08M | -31.31M | -3.18M | -2.1M | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -4.7M | -2.8M | -40.4M |
| Other Financing | -5.75M | 0 | -2.42M | 0 | 0 | -1.75M | 332K | -3K | 23K | 10.42M | -19.84M | 922K | -338K | -1.22M | 3.6M | -437K | 0 | 1.5M | 0 | 0 | -4.4M | -1.7M | 0 | -600K | -36.8M | -500K | -2.2M | 5.6M | 5.7M | 700K | 0 |
| Net Change in Cash | -12.18M | -23.13M | -12.28M | -25.64M | 24.74M | -2.44M | -34.44M | 37.63M | -16.34M | 32.29M | 28.15M | -8.64M | -34.26M | -44.47M | -13.8M | 76.7M | 5.7M | 118M | -142.9M | 84.7M | 30.2M | 16.1M | 81.5M | 11.1M | -7.8M | 38.2M | -2.5M | 1.5M | 10.6M | -23.7M | 16.9M |
| Free Cash Flow | 6.43M | -2.38M | -32.42M | -27.63M | 25.21M | 35.65M | -32.67M | 28.12M | 33.69M | 25.6M | 77.77M | 97.39M | -37.7M | -4.38M | 98.4M | 118.5M | 36.8M | 123.5M | -67M | 12.8M | 98.9M | 4.5M | 69M | 63.6M | 118.4M | 31.2M | 39.7M | -8.8M | 27.4M | 126.7M | 116.9M |
| FCF Margin % | 2.34% | -0.86% | -13.64% | -12.86% | 10.43% | 18.58% | -25.44% | 19.94% | 24.89% | 24.43% | 9.08% | 10.63% | -4.2% | -0.47% | 11.27% | 3.56% | 1.37% | 5.34% | -1.82% | 0.36% | 2.95% | 0.14% | 2.48% | 2.57% | 4.65% | 1.18% | 1.38% | -0.34% | 1.08% | 5.64% | 5.14% |
| FCF Growth % | 150.74% | 92.67% | -17.32% | -209.6% | -29.27% | 209.1% | -216.19% | -16.54% | 31.6% | -67.08% | -20.15% | 358.31% | -759.97% | -104.46% | -16.96% | 222.01% | -70.2% | 284.33% | -623.44% | -87.06% | 2097.78% | -93.48% | 8.49% | -46.28% | 279.49% | -21.41% | 551.14% | -132.12% | -78.37% | 8.38% | 385.12% |
| FCF per Share | 0.85 | -0.32 | -4.37 | -3.70 | 3.42 | 4.96 | -4.63 | 4.01 | 4.84 | 3.72 | 11.35 | 13.87 | -4.97 | -0.54 | 11.69 | 14.09 | 4.41 | 14.89 | -8.09 | 1.55 | 12.00 | 0.55 | 8.40 | 7.75 | 14.44 | 3.81 | 4.86 | -1.08 | 3.36 | 15.48 | 13.10 |
| FCF Conversion (FCF/Net Income) | 0.30x | 2.90x | 0.66x | -1.38x | 0.91x | 1.56x | -0.17x | 1.33x | 1.57x | 1.36x | 3.17x | 4.91x | -0.52x | 1.19x | 1.32x | 0.96x | 0.79x | 5.05x | -0.01x | 0.91x | 1.63x | 1.20x | 2.63x | 2.34x | 4.10x | -3.78x | 1.96x | 2.43x | 1.41x | 3.38x | 4.77x |
| Interest Paid | 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 | 0 |
| Taxes Paid | 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 | 0 |
Contractual and regulatory dependency
Based on reported financial data, the relationship between net income and operating cash flow is highly erratic, with OCF/NI ratios swinging from a negative 2.97 in 2025Q4 to a positive 3.19 in 2025Q3, indicating that accounting profits frequently fail to translate into realized cash inflows.
The extreme volatility in the conversion ratio suggests that accruals and non-operating items are significantly distorting the company's reported earnings. Investors should monitor this disconnect, as it implies that the firm's core operational performance is not consistently generating the cash required to sustain its long-term service-provider model.
As reported in recent filings, NACCO Industries' free cash flow trajectory is characterized by sharp, unpredictable swings, ranging from a negative $52.8 million in 2023Q4 to a positive $19.9 million in 2025Q3, reflecting a lack of consistent cash generation across the company's diverse mining and royalty segments.
This inconsistency in free cash flow suggests that the company's capital-intensive projects and cyclical royalty streams are not yet synchronized to provide a stable cash yield. The frequent periods of negative free cash flow warrant further investigation into whether the current diversification strategy is creating sustainable value or merely consuming capital.
According to quarterly cash flow statements, capital expenditures have fluctuated significantly, reaching as high as 77.9% of revenue in 2023Q4, which suggests that the company's heavy reliance on machinery and infrastructure requires substantial, lumpy reinvestment that periodically overwhelms the cash generated by its core mining service contracts.
The high capital intensity relative to revenue appears to be a structural burden that complicates the company's ability to maintain positive free cash flow. Analysts should evaluate whether these expenditures are primarily maintenance-focused or growth-oriented, as the current data suggests that asset replacement costs may be outpacing operational cash inflows.
Based on the provided cash flow data, NACCO Industries maintains a disciplined approach to capital deployment, consistently prioritizing dividend payments of approximately $1.7 million to $1.9 million per quarter while limiting share repurchases, which appears to reflect a defensive posture in the face of significant operational volatility.
The company's commitment to dividends despite inconsistent cash flow suggests a management focus on shareholder stability, though this may limit the capital available for more aggressive growth initiatives. Investors should monitor whether this conservative allocation strategy remains viable if the core coal mining contracts face further regulatory or operational headwinds.
Quick answers to the most common questions about buying NC stock.
NACCO Industries, Inc. (NC) generated $50.9M in net cash from operating activities in 2025. This reflects the cash generated directly from core business operations.
NACCO Industries, Inc. (NC) reported negative free cash flow of $2.4M in 2025, indicating capital requirements exceeded cash from operations.
NACCO Industries, Inc. (NC) 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.
In 2025, NACCO Industries, Inc. (NC) returned $7.3M to shareholders via cash dividends and spent $2.5M on share repurchases. This shows the company's commitment to returning capital to its equity investors.