Cash conversion efficiency is highly erratic, highlighted by an OCF/NI ratio of 21.02 in 2026Q1 that underscores a persistent disconnect between reported earnings and actual cash-generating capacity.
| 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 |
|---|
| Cash from Operations | -217.95M | 711.2M | -107.69M | -158.42M | -356.65M | -251.33M | -194.07M | -98.64M | -27.64M | -10.06M | -103.57M | -124.34M | -57.27M | -46.92M | -47.93M | -20.77M |
| Operating CF Margin % | - | 41.09% | -13.35% | -16.89% | -51.04% | -46.66% | -50.97% | -32.13% | -10.44% | -5.18% | -125.22% | -338.18% | -249.42% | -149.79% | -166.54% | -20.98% |
| Operating CF Growth % | -88.77% | 760.42% | 32.02% | 55.58% | -41.91% | -29.51% | -96.75% | -256.86% | -174.68% | 90.28% | 16.71% | -117.09% | -22.06% | 2.1% | -130.79% | - |
| Net Income | -186.73M | 682.64M | -363.3M | -626.6M | -559.02M | -523.9M | -438.16M | -251.58M | -128.08M | -79M | -142.11M | -170.45M | -93.75M | -51.57M | -26.24M | 30.9M |
| Depreciation & Amortization | 31.59M | 38.81M | 75.66M | 236.59M | 128.84M | 64.13M | 84.87M | 32.18M | 26.09M | 17.68M | 3.29M | 2.88M | 2.23M | 2.4M | 2.7M | 2.87M |
| Stock-Based Compensation | 37.97M | 0 | 74.61M | 131.21M | 110.33M | 103.51M | 70.33M | 42.13M | 33.25M | 30.56M | 35.01M | 33.98M | 19.31M | 8.43M | 2.29M | 2.82M |
| Deferred Taxes | -5K | -3K | -55.91M | -46.93M | -34.28M | 377K | 5.87M | 8.83M | -490K | 199K | -199K | 2.3M | -19.31M | 92.46K | -1.78M | -461.95K |
| Other Non-Cash Items | 20.4M | 42.3M | 58.7M | 151.32M | 82.81M | 128.33M | 46.11M | 49.37M | 27.38M | 7.27M | 9.41M | 2.25M | 21.05M | 6.05M | 225.73K | 416.61K |
| Working Capital Changes | -121.18M | -52.56M | 102.54M | -4M | -85.33M | -23.79M | 36.91M | 20.43M | 14.21M | 13.23M | -8.96M | 4.7M | 13.2M | -12.31M | -25.13M | -57.31M |
| Change in Receivables | -2.75M | -10.15M | 1.73M | -1.54M | -48.47M | -44.99M | -10.48M | 11.53M | -29.59M | -12.2M | -14.84M | -6.91M | -3.49M | 56K | 230K | 0 |
| Change in Inventory | -53.44M | -53.9M | 6.16M | -8.18M | -6.67M | 1.8M | 1.84M | -3.46M | -5.82M | -6.45M | 893K | -1.98M | -2.63M | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Change in Payables | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 27.54M | 23.41M | 53.59M | 13.75M | 43.11M | 24.01M | 4.26M | 16.98M | 16.91M | 5.18B | 0 | 0 |
| Cash from Investing | -771.36M | -861.98M | 44.18M | -176.74M | 290.18M | 219.18M | -561.55M | -387.24M | -42.61M | 13.12M | 104.48M | -20.81M | -145.17M | -127.83M | -188.68K | 27.7M |
| Capital Expenditures | -43.41M | -300.01M | -6.5M | -28.44M | -152.46M | -85.33M | -55.98M | -45.44M | -15.53M | -3.1M | -1.78M | -2.72M | -4.66M | -845.73K | -188.68K | -165.12K |
| CapEx % of Revenue | 5.25% | 17.34% | 0.81% | 3.03% | 21.82% | 15.84% | 14.7% | 14.8% | 5.87% | 1.6% | 2.15% | 7.4% | 20.31% | 2.7% | 0.66% | 0.17% |
| Acquisitions | 0 | 70K | 0 | 0 | 128.44M | 57.12M | 38.13M | -4M | -48.89M | -77.16M | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Investments | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Other Investing | -255.43M | 0 | 110.31M | -92.18M | -128.44M | -57.12M | -38.13M | 0 | 13.38M | 16.22M | 106.26M | -18.09M | -140.5M | -126.98M | 0 | 0 |
| Cash from Financing | 328.09M | 331.09M | 255.87M | 646.4M | 167.95M | 20.88M | 668.72M | 613.21M | 131.57M | 44.22M | 968K | 154.06M | 237.13M | 187.44M | 22.41M | -7.18M |
| Debt Issued (Net) | 0 | 0 | -1.49M | -301.38M | 148.72M | -2.22M | -46.16M | 267.6M | 0 | 40M | 0 | 150M | -49K | -5M | -6.94M | -7.19M |
| Equity Issued (Net) | 68.91M | 99.05M | 0 | 0 | 50M | 23.1M | 28.09M | 323.76M | 117.92M | 0 | 0 | 0 | 235.98M | 192.44M | 29.36M | 5.89K |
| Dividends Paid | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Share Repurchases | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Other Financing | 259.18M | 232.05M | 257.36M | 947.78M | -30.77M | 0 | 686.78M | 21.85M | 13.65M | 4.22M | 968K | 4.06M | 1.2M | 51 | 0 | 0 |
| Net Change in Cash | -646.19M | 204.94M | 185.03M | 314.36M | 98.71M | -19.09M | -79.22M | 126.03M | 57.71M | 53.47M | 299K | 8.27M | 34.33M | 12.69M | -25.71M | -243.46K |
| Free Cash Flow | -228.96M | 702.34M | -181.94M | -279.04M | -509.11M | -336.66M | -250.05M | -144.08M | -43.17M | -13.16M | -105.34M | -127.06M | -61.94M | -47.77M | -48.12M | -20.93M |
| FCF Margin % | -27.68% | 40.58% | -22.55% | -29.75% | -72.86% | -62.51% | -65.67% | -46.93% | -16.31% | -6.77% | -127.37% | -345.58% | -269.73% | -152.49% | -167.19% | -21.15% |
| FCF Growth % | -133.71% | 486.03% | 34.8% | 45.19% | -51.22% | -34.64% | -73.55% | -233.74% | -227.95% | 87.5% | 17.09% | -105.14% | -29.66% | 0.72% | -129.87% | - |
| FCF per Share | -2.77 | 7.95 | -2.37 | -3.73 | -7.10 | -4.78 | -3.79 | -2.45 | -0.93 | -0.34 | -3.09 | -3.78 | -1.96 | -3.72 | -2.03 | -0.88 |
| FCF Conversion (FCF/Net Income) | 1.23x | 1.04x | 0.30x | 0.25x | 0.64x | 0.48x | 0.44x | 0.39x | 0.22x | 0.13x | 0.73x | 0.73x | 0.61x | 0.91x | 1.83x | -0.67x |
| Interest Paid | 0 | 0 | 5.82M | 36.13M | 18.46M | 9.59M | 9.8M | 7.69M | 7.77M | 6.27M | 4.51M | 0 | 0 | 367K | 1.21M | 0 |
| Taxes Paid | 36.15M | 0 | 17.55M | 14.15M | 4.92M | 7.71M | 26.4M | 2.11M | 1.58M | 1.1M | 943K | 111K | 0 | 2K | 2K | 0 |
Regulatory binary outcome risk
As reported in financial statements, PTCT's operating cash flow frequently diverges from net income, with the OCF/NI ratio reaching an extreme 21.02 in 2026Q1, highlighting that reported earnings are often disconnected from the actual cash-generating capacity of the underlying rare disease commercial franchise.
The massive volatility in the OCF/NI ratio suggests that net income is heavily influenced by non-cash items and one-time accounting events rather than core operational performance. Investors should monitor this divergence, as it indicates that the company's ability to fund its high R&D burn rate remains structurally dependent on capital market access or asset sales rather than organic cash flow.
Based on recent SEC filings, PTCT's free cash flow trajectory remains deeply negative in most periods, with the exception of 2025Q1, indicating that the company's core operations are currently unable to sustain its high R&D intensity without relying on non-recurring royalty monetization events.
The consistent negative FCF margins, often exceeding -30%, underscore the company's reliance on external funding to bridge the gap between commercial revenue and the high fixed costs of its splicing platform. This trajectory suggests that until the pipeline reaches commercial maturity, the company will likely continue to experience significant cash depletion.
According to quarterly data, PTCT's working capital movements are highly erratic, with a significant $110.7 million outflow in 2026Q1, suggesting that the timing of government tenders and international shipments creates lumpy cash flow patterns that complicate short-term liquidity management for the firm.
These swings in working capital appear to be driven by the transactional nature of international tenders, which often result in delayed cash collection compared to standard commercial prescription models. This volatility warrants further investigation, as it may mask underlying trends in inventory management and the efficiency of the company's global distribution network.
As indicated by the company's financial disclosures, management has prioritized the monetization of non-core royalty rights, such as the Evrysdi deal, to provide a non-dilutive cash cushion that effectively subsidizes the ongoing, high-cost development of the company's proprietary RNA-splicing pipeline.
This capital allocation strategy appears designed to extend the company's operational runway while avoiding equity dilution, though it sacrifices long-term, high-margin royalty streams. Investors should monitor whether this reliance on asset divestiture can be replaced by sustainable commercial cash flow before the current cash reserves are exhausted by R&D requirements.
Quick answers to the most common questions about buying PTCT stock.
PTC Therapeutics, Inc. (PTCT) generated $711.2M in net cash from operating activities in 2025. This reflects the cash generated directly from core business operations.
PTC Therapeutics, Inc. (PTCT) generated $702.3M 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.
PTC Therapeutics, Inc. (PTCT) spent $300.0M on capital expenditures in 2025. CapEx represents the cash invested in physical assets like property, plant, and equipment to maintain or grow the business.