Liquidity remains a primary concern as cash and equivalents dropped from $51.0 million in 2023Q4 to $25.8 million by 2025Q4, reflecting an unstable free cash flow trajectory.
| Metric | TTM | Jan'26 | 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 | -32.32M | -34.08M | 10.34M | 50M | 15.37M | -6.99M | -19.07M | 6.88M | 6.18M | 11.63M | 21.57M | 5.75M | 1.24M | 867K | -400K | 10.38M | -2.56M | 12.06M | 3M | 9.59M | 7.36M | 9.64M | 6.5M |
| Operating CF Margin % | - | -6.22% | 1.76% | 7.4% | 2.32% | -1.2% | -4.3% | 2.45% | 2.14% | 3.84% | 7.11% | 1.97% | 0.44% | 0.34% | -0.13% | 3.17% | -0.97% | 6.84% | 1.95% | 5.96% | 6.13% | 16.14% | 15.99% |
| Operating CF Growth % | -1269.98% | -429.62% | -79.32% | 225.36% | 319.92% | 63.35% | -377.27% | 11.26% | -46.87% | -46.07% | 275.47% | 362.19% | 43.37% | 316.75% | -103.85% | 505.87% | -121.2% | 302.6% | -68.74% | 30.32% | -23.67% | 48.18% | - |
| Net Income | -37.1M | -50.44M | -40.6M | -8.22M | -951K | -10.34M | -1.51M | -31.55M | -4.89M | 24.02M | -603K | -2.42M | -7.09M | -15.63M | -35.98M | -15.14M | -13.93M | 1.32M | -16.91M | -3.6M | 3.5M | 6.82M | 7.13M |
| Depreciation & Amortization | 19.46M | 20.67M | 19.16M | 16.73M | 13.71M | 10.01M | 7.76M | 6.35M | 5.99M | 6.72M | 7.99M | 7.97M | 9.35M | 12.56M | 16.39M | 16.37M | 12.27M | 5.57M | 8.63M | 9.82M | 6.88M | 1.99M | 456K |
| Stock-Based Compensation | 5.24M | 8.11M | 12.04M | 11.68M | 11.32M | 15.69M | 7.78M | 3.66M | 3.6M | 2.84M | 3.13M | 2.42M | 2.37M | 1.26M | 1.73M | 2.61M | 2.74M | 3.27M | 2.9M | 2.17M | 956K | 0 | 0 |
| Deferred Taxes | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21.29M | -446K | -21.48M | -838K | -906K | 74K | 59K | -875K | -1.54M | 12.34M | 3.66M | -11.7M | -1.76M | -2.62M | -79K | 79K |
| Other Non-Cash Items | -20.59M | 4.5M | -21.26M | 10K | 34K | 93K | 42K | 20K | 20K | 33K | 1.21M | 71K | -15K | 6.15M | 26.89M | 5.27M | 45K | 3.27M | 23.39M | 272K | 66K | -75K | -8K |
| Working Capital Changes | 668K | -16.92M | 41M | 29.81M | -8.75M | -22.43M | -33.13M | 7.11M | 1.91M | -496K | 10.68M | -1.39M | -3.45M | -3.53M | -8.56M | 2.8M | -16.02M | -1.75M | -3.32M | 2.67M | -1.43M | 978K | -1.16M |
| Change in Receivables | 1.88M | -964K | 1.27M | -1.1M | -1.42M | 1.3M | -3.65M | 1.06M | -1.26M | 796K | -30K | 568K | 1.1M | 2.4M | 491K | -2.58M | 919K | -2.03M | 1.55M | -118K | -1.15M | 0 | 0 |
| Change in Inventory | 3.16M | -4.83M | 38.55M | 6.68M | 2.83M | -49.53M | -36.81M | -2.87M | 4.61M | -3.33M | 312K | -2.85M | -11.41M | 5.74M | 9.52M | -4.14M | -17.12M | -7.7M | 280K | -2.39M | 608K | -4.08M | -829K |
| Change in Payables | 4.65M | -7.67M | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 742K | 2.73M | 7.91M | 119K | 6.99M | -11.93M | -18.49M | 9.15M | -5M | -5M | 5.06M | 5.06M | 769K | 0 | 0 |
| Cash from Investing | -7.58M | -7.9M | -20.56M | -11.9M | -12.52M | -11.55M | -9.76M | -6.16M | -5.69M | -4.86M | -6.48M | -7.79M | -5.73M | -8.34M | -7.18M | -11.52M | -30.73M | -18.55M | 11.18M | -28.97M | -26.27M | 723K | -1.95M |
| Capital Expenditures | -7.94M | -7.96M | -20.57M | -11.88M | -12.59M | -11.58M | -9.66M | -6.16M | -5.69M | -4.9M | -6.48M | -7.8M | -5.76M | -8.32M | -10.19M | -14.38M | -13.08M | -9.59M | -4.97M | -5M | -1.89M | -440K | -1.37M |
| CapEx % of Revenue | 1.49% | 1.45% | 3.49% | 1.76% | 1.9% | 1.99% | 2.18% | 2.19% | 1.97% | 1.61% | 2.13% | 2.68% | 2.03% | 3.27% | 3.35% | 4.4% | 4.99% | 5.44% | 3.24% | 3.11% | 1.57% | 0.74% | 3.36% |
| Acquisitions | 300K | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1K | -2.45M | 0 | 13K | -200K | -106K | -20K | -74K | -27.75M | -98K | 655K | -1.32M | -24.38M | 0 | 0 |
| Investments | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Other Investing | 64K | 64K | 16K | -22K | 68K | 27K | -101K | 0 | -1K | 39K | -124K | 13K | 227K | 47K | -132K | 899K | -319K | 98K | -655K | -1.3M | 0 | 510K | -82K |
| Cash from Financing | 39.82M | 31.4M | -4.42M | -5.92M | -2.15M | 902K | 62.36M | -465K | -1.28M | -10.56M | -13.95M | -105K | 11.31M | 7.22M | -1.74M | -6.1M | 24.41M | 115K | -1.07M | 37.58M | 19.94M | -11.14M | -4.54M |
| Debt Issued (Net) | 11.79M | 21.56M | -4.31M | -4.74M | -4.23M | -2.16M | -2.23M | -543K | -598K | -561K | -12.35M | -438K | 4.02M | -61K | -1.79M | -6.27M | 23.92M | -47K | -1.07M | -34.06M | 29.24M | -3.38M | 1.08M |
| Equity Issued (Net) | 18.32M | 10.52M | -470K | -4.31M | 2.08M | -524K | 60.46M | 0 | -430K | -5.57M | -2.36M | -438K | 0 | 7.41M | 0 | 0 | 956K | 162K | 0 | 71.63M | 42.4M | 0 | 0 |
| Dividends Paid | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -33K | -80K | -161K | -209K | -61K | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -7.76M | -5.63M |
| Share Repurchases | -69K | 0 | -470K | -4.31M | 0 | -524K | 0 | 0 | -430K | -5.82M | -1.39M | -438K | 0 | -1.09M | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Other Financing | 9.71M | -682K | 359K | 3.13M | 0 | 3.59M | 4.16M | 158K | -94K | -4.23M | 808K | 771K | 7.29M | -125K | 54K | 169K | -996K | 0 | 0 | 0 | -51.7M | 10K | 0 |
| Net Change in Cash | -676K | -10.58M | -14.55M | 32.18M | 623K | -17.66M | 33.53M | 242K | -819K | -3.79M | 1.11M | -2.12M | 6.83M | -212K | -9.3M | -7.26M | -8.66M | -6.22M | 13.07M | 18.22M | 1.03M | -777K | 13K |
| Free Cash Flow | -40.26M | -42.04M | -10.23M | 38.01M | 2.78M | -18.57M | -28.83M | 717K | 492K | 6.74M | 15.09M | -2.06M | -4.51M | -7.46M | -10.59M | -4M | -15.64M | 2.47M | -1.98M | 4.58M | 5.46M | 9.2M | 5.13M |
| FCF Margin % | -7.57% | -7.68% | -1.74% | 5.63% | 0.42% | -3.19% | -6.49% | 0.26% | 0.17% | 2.22% | 4.97% | -0.71% | -1.59% | -2.93% | -3.48% | -1.22% | -5.96% | 1.4% | -1.29% | 2.85% | 4.55% | 15.4% | 12.63% |
| FCF Growth % | -1212.81% | -310.72% | -126.92% | 1265.94% | 114.99% | 35.59% | -4120.36% | 45.73% | -92.7% | -55.36% | 832.67% | 54.35% | 39.49% | 29.57% | -164.79% | 74.43% | -732.31% | 225.15% | -143.12% | -16.14% | -40.57% | 79.08% | - |
| FCF per Share | -5.87 | -6.87 | -1.79 | 6.72 | 0.51 | -3.61 | -6.81 | 0.20 | 0.14 | 1.70 | 4.17 | -0.61 | -1.35 | -2.28 | -3.44 | -1.31 | -5.17 | 0.80 | -0.66 | 1.62 | 2.73 | 6.97 | 3.89 |
| FCF Conversion (FCF/Net Income) | 1.09x | 0.68x | -0.25x | -6.08x | -16.16x | 0.68x | 12.60x | -0.22x | -1.26x | 0.48x | 29.51x | -4.48x | -0.18x | -0.06x | 0.01x | -0.69x | 0.18x | 9.16x | -0.18x | -2.66x | 2.10x | 1.41x | 0.91x |
| Interest Paid | 1.24M | 1.5M | 1.17M | 1.39M | 1.44M | 1.11M | 1.83M | 1.9M | 1.61M | 1.54M | 1.08M | 1.15M | 1.03M | 884K | 0 | 0 | 127K | 2K | 103K | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Taxes Paid | 23K | 0 | 0 | 210K | 649K | 88K | 135K | 95K | 81K | 78K | 89K | 104K | 60K | 43K | 0 | 0 | 131K | 589K | 87K | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Negative operating cash flow
According to reported financial statements, PRTS consistently reports net losses while operating cash flow fluctuates wildly, as evidenced by the 2025Q2 period where the company recorded a $12.7 million net loss alongside a $25.6 million outflow, suggesting significant volatility in core cash generation capabilities.
The lack of a consistent positive correlation between net income and operating cash flow indicates that the company's accrual-based accounting does not reliably translate into cash. Investors should monitor whether this divergence stems from aggressive inventory management or timing differences in vendor payments, as the current pattern suggests earnings quality remains poor.
Based on historical data, PRTS exhibits a highly unstable free cash flow trajectory, with margins swinging from a positive 3.9% in 2026Q1 to a deeply negative 18.3% in 2025Q2, highlighting the company's inability to maintain consistent self-funding during periods of operational stress.
The erratic nature of these cash flows implies that the business model is highly sensitive to external variables, likely including freight costs and seasonal demand shifts. This lack of predictability makes it difficult to project when the company might reach a sustainable cash-flow-positive state.
As reported in recent filings, working capital changes have frequently acted as the primary driver of cash flow, such as the $13.2 million inflow in 2024Q2, which suggests that management is relying on balance sheet manipulation rather than organic operational efficiency to manage liquidity.
Reliance on working capital fluctuations to bridge the gap between operating losses and cash needs is a precarious strategy that may eventually hit a ceiling. Analysts should investigate whether these inflows are sustainable or if they represent a temporary deferral of liabilities that will eventually require cash settlement.
Data from recent quarters shows that PRTS maintains a capital expenditure-to-revenue ratio often exceeding 2%, with a peak of 4.9% in 2024Q2, indicating that the company continues to invest in infrastructure despite a contracting top-line environment and persistent operating losses.
This level of capital intensity appears aggressive given the company's inability to generate positive operating cash flow. It suggests that management is prioritizing long-term infrastructure maintenance or expansion, which may be ill-timed given the current macroeconomic headwinds and the company's negative profitability profile.
Quick answers to the most common questions about buying PRTS stock.
CarParts.com, Inc. (PRTS) generated $-34.1M in net cash from operating activities in 2025. This reflects the cash generated directly from core business operations.
CarParts.com, Inc. (PRTS) reported negative free cash flow of $42.0M in 2025, indicating capital requirements exceeded cash from operations.
CarParts.com, Inc. (PRTS) spent $8.0M on capital expenditures in 2025. CapEx represents the cash invested in physical assets like property, plant, and equipment to maintain or grow the business.