Earnings quality lacks cash alignment, highlighted by an OCF/NI ratio that swung from 19.89 in 2025Q1 to a negative 53.52 in 2024Q3, indicating erratic cash generation.
| Metric | TTM | Sep'25 | Sep'24 | Sep'23 | Sep'22 | Sep'21 | Sep'20 | Sep'19 | Sep'18 | Sep'17 | Sep'16 | Sep'15 | Sep'14 | Sep'13 | Sep'12 | Sep'11 | Sep'10 | Sep'09 | Sep'08 |
|---|
| Cash from Operations | 12.52M | 142.4M | 19.08M | 228.76M | 22.39M | -230.52M | -152.88M | 215.82M | 53.51M | 486.9M | 164.76M | 146.19M | -546.34M | -461.66M | -91.56M | -517.92M | -239.16M | -19.68M | -179.38M |
| Operating CF Margin % | - | 47.51% | 10.24% | 96.59% | 26.03% | -82.68% | -194.49% | 135.27% | 57.51% | -364.07% | 1495.75% | 170.51% | -309.18% | -319.32% | -82.7% | -999.72% | -819.83% | -55.5% | -538.96% |
| Operating CF Growth % | -248.97% | 646.47% | -91.66% | 921.49% | 109.72% | -50.79% | -170.83% | 303.34% | -89.01% | 195.52% | 12.7% | 126.76% | -18.34% | -404.19% | 82.32% | -116.56% | -1115.49% | 89.03% | - |
| Net Income | 49.65M | 33.92M | 57.91M | 117.33M | 29.22M | 237.26M | 39.22M | 126.16M | 46.76M | -196.97M | -66.56M | 15.39M | 112.53M | 101.82M | 79.4M | 30.21M | 22.42M | 6.19M | 3.26M |
| Depreciation & Amortization | -39.34M | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6.53M | 1.83B | 10.8B | 16.95M |
| Stock-Based Compensation | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Deferred Taxes | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Other Non-Cash Items | 100.53M | 90.98M | -110.43M | 218.83M | 64.58M | -488.98M | -132.3M | 48.42M | 52.3M | 630.38M | 241.16M | 98.83M | -590.67M | -600.22M | -165.08M | -583.83M | -1.82B | -10.78B | -7.61M |
| Working Capital Changes | -103.59M | 17.49M | 71.6M | -107.4M | -71.41M | 21.2M | -59.8M | 41.24M | -45.56M | 53.49M | -9.85M | 31.96M | -68.19M | 36.74M | -5.88M | 29.17M | -266.12M | -43.49M | -191.98M |
| Change in Receivables | 6.48M | 29M | 70.52M | -42.61M | -77.05M | -6.26M | -414K | 20.02M | -25.83M | 32.16M | -20.06M | 18.79M | -30.34M | 979K | -5.69M | -1.72M | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Change in Inventory | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 27.44M | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Change in Payables | -94.66M | -3.45M | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 528K | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -646K | 4.39M | 105.94K | -38.75K | 0 |
| Cash from Investing | 57.13M | 85.98M | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -703.41M | -325.22B | -61.81B | -202.4B |
| Capital Expenditures | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| CapEx % of Revenue | 0% | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 0% |
| Acquisitions | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Investments | 2.81B | 8.71M | 0 | 4.91M | 6.79M | 1.91M | 223K | 490K | 162K | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.29B | 1.12B | 563.82M | 299.61M | 273.76M |
| Other Investing | 0 | 0 | 195.2M | -169.83M | 8.32M | 328.01M | 147.61M | -128.3M | 755.74M | 644.23M | 578.87M | 675.92M | 1.26B | 1.22B | 519.5M | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cash from Financing | -127.59M | -229.35M | -86.77M | -110.41M | -26.82M | 224.19M | 176.33M | -214.11M | -99.93M | -557.35M | -185.21M | -94.55M | 489.78M | 532.19M | 96.97M | 508.8M | 202.72M | 109.97M | 184.63M |
| Debt Issued (Net) | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Equity Issued (Net) | -7.24M | 92.29M | 91.2M | -1.05M | 18.98M | -2.17M | -1.88M | -1.34M | -1.41M | -15.42M | -43.99M | -25.99M | 130.18M | 479.95M | 188.7M | 206.79M | 177.8M | 138.12M | 131.32M |
| Dividends Paid | -135.5M | -148.2M | -176.81M | -180.05M | -115.25M | -79.85M | -53.1M | -52.22M | -54.97M | -62.52M | -100.26M | -114.69M | -132.47M | -115.44M | -91.87M | -76.7M | -41.82M | -27.14M | -8.87M |
| Share Repurchases | -7.2M | -10.67M | -1.55M | -2.42M | -1.86M | -2.17M | -1.88M | -1.34M | -1.41M | -15.42M | -43.99M | -25.99M | -8.06M | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -462K | -17.81M |
| Other Financing | 0 | 0 | -117K | -10.83M | -549K | -8.89M | -4.9M | -2.88M | -6.17M | -357K | -403K | -928K | -3.29M | -6.64M | -1.13M | -13.24M | -6.26M | -1M | 62.19M |
| Net Change in Cash | -97.07M | 1.09M | -67M | 119.17M | -5.27M | -7.46M | 23.69M | 1.92M | -46.42M | -70.45M | -20.45M | 51.65M | -56.56M | 70.53M | 5.4M | -9.12M | -36.44M | 90.3M | 5.25M |
| Free Cash Flow | 12.52M | 142.4M | 19.08M | 228.76M | 22.39M | -230.52M | -152.88M | 215.82M | 53.51M | 486.9M | 164.76M | 146.19M | -546.34M | -461.66M | -91.56M | -517.92M | -239.16M | -19.68M | -179.38M |
| FCF Margin % | 4.39% | 47.51% | 10.24% | 96.59% | 26.03% | -82.68% | -194.49% | 135.27% | 57.51% | -364.07% | 1495.75% | 170.51% | -309.18% | -319.32% | -82.7% | -999.72% | -819.83% | -55.5% | -538.96% |
| FCF Growth % | -94.82% | 646.47% | -91.66% | 921.49% | 109.72% | -50.79% | -170.83% | 303.34% | -89.01% | 195.52% | 12.7% | 126.76% | -18.34% | -404.19% | 82.32% | -116.56% | -1115.49% | 89.03% | - |
| FCF per Share | 0.14 | 1.65 | 0.24 | 3.17 | 0.37 | -4.27 | -3.25 | 4.59 | 1.14 | 10.33 | 3.27 | 2.72 | -10.94 | -11.73 | -3.13 | -22.61 | -15.79 | -2.39 | -34.59 |
| FCF Conversion (FCF/Net Income) | 0.25x | 4.20x | 0.33x | 1.95x | 0.77x | -0.97x | -3.90x | 1.71x | 1.14x | -2.47x | -2.48x | 9.50x | -4.85x | -4.53x | -1.15x | -17.15x | -10.67x | -3.18x | -55.06x |
| Interest Paid | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20.77M | 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 |
Portfolio valuation volatility
As reported in quarterly financial statements, OCSL exhibits extreme volatility in the relationship between net income and operating cash flow, with the OCF/NI ratio swinging from a high of 19.89 in 2025Q1 to a negative 53.52 in 2024Q3, signaling significant disconnects between accounting profits and actual cash generation.
The wide variance in the conversion ratio suggests that non-cash valuation adjustments and accruals are the primary drivers of reported net income rather than recurring cash interest. Investors should monitor this divergence closely, as it implies that reported earnings may not reliably predict the company's ability to fund its dividend obligations through operations alone.
Based on OCSL's reported figures, free cash flow trajectory is highly inconsistent, characterized by sharp quarterly swings such as the -$72.0M outflow in 2025Q3 followed by a $47.8M inflow in 2025Q4, which underscores the inherent instability of cash flow margins in the current investment portfolio.
The erratic nature of FCF suggests that the company's cash position is heavily influenced by the timing of loan originations and repayments rather than steady-state operational performance. This volatility warrants further investigation into whether the current dividend payout policy is sustainable during periods of negative cash flow generation.
According to recent SEC filings, OCSL's working capital changes have been a dominant and unpredictable factor in cash flow, ranging from a $141.6M inflow in 2025Q2 to a $101.6M outflow in 2025Q3, indicating that portfolio-level movements are creating significant noise in the reported operating cash flow figures.
These large fluctuations in working capital appear to reflect the underlying churn in the loan portfolio, including the timing of interest accruals and settlement of investment transactions. Such movements make it difficult to discern the underlying cash-generating capacity of the business, as they often mask the true operational cash flow trends.
As evidenced by the provided data, OCSL has consistently paid out dividends exceeding $33M per quarter, even during periods of negative operating cash flow, such as the 2024Q3 quarter where dividends of $43.3M were distributed despite a $59.9M operating cash outflow, suggesting reliance on external financing.
The persistence of dividend payments during periods of cash burn suggests that the company may be utilizing its balance sheet capacity or recycling capital to maintain distributions. This practice warrants caution, as it may limit the company's flexibility to reinvest in new, higher-quality credit opportunities during market downturns.
Quick answers to the most common questions about buying OCSL stock.
Oaktree Specialty Lending Corporation (OCSL) generated $142.4M in net cash from operating activities in 2025. This reflects the cash generated directly from core business operations.
Oaktree Specialty Lending Corporation (OCSL) generated $142.4M in free cash flow in 2025. Free cash flow is the cash left over after capital expenditures, which can be used to pay dividends, repurchase shares, or pay down debt.
Oaktree Specialty Lending Corporation (OCSL) 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, Oaktree Specialty Lending Corporation (OCSL) returned $148.2M to shareholders via cash dividends and spent $10.7M on share repurchases. This shows the company's commitment to returning capital to its equity investors.