Cash conversion efficiency is non-existent, as the firm reported zero operating cash flow in 2025Q2 despite holding $8.6 billion in cash reserves.
| Cash from Operations | 0 | -111M | 352.02M | 260.87M | 922.07M | 2.47B | 5.5B | 3.33B | 3.08B | 794.06M | -102.32M | -40.69M |
| Operating CF Margin % | - | -51.29% | 278.63% | 45.17% | 55.75% | 67.02% | 62.26% | 43.32% | 64.42% | 55.03% | -43.54% | -126.47% |
| Operating CF Growth % | -100% | -131.53% | 34.94% | -71.71% | -62.7% | -55.09% | 65.15% | 8.33% | 287.39% | 876.06% | -151.44% | - |
| Net Income | 527.42M | 91.73M | 39.13M | -362.05M | 585.93M | 958.82M | 3.26B | 2.49B | 2.16B | 576.65M | -233.16M | -54.37M |
| Depreciation & Amortization | 0 | 55.47M | 41.27M | 64.33M | 99.47M | 43.95M | 46.2M | 12.07M | 5.79M | 1.5M | 681K | 75.81K |
| Stock-Based Compensation | 2.15M | 2.26M | 4.94M | 24.05M | 35.34M | 45.63M | 87.3M | 57.98M | 64.06M | 22.13M | 55.61M | 3.62M |
| Deferred Taxes | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 204.68M | 1.34B | 2.28B | -127.95B | -97.67B | 146.63M | 44.35M | 0 |
| Other Non-Cash Items | -529.57M | -48.91M | -120.89M | 258.53M | 15.98M | 27.11M | 23.93M | 129.22B | 98.31B | 24.6M | 17.56M | 2.22M |
| Working Capital Changes | 0 | -211.54M | 387.57M | 276.01M | -19.35M | 52.28M | -194.94M | -499.88M | 208.72M | 22.54M | 12.65M | 7.75M |
| Change in Receivables | 0 | -8.47M | -26.08M | 44.04M | 31.94M | 77.32M | 3.87M | 112.07M | -78.97M | -48.53M | 718.82K | -5.42M |
| Change in Inventory | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Change in Payables | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cash from Investing | 0 | -2.34B | 3.9B | 1.88B | -246.58M | -3.27B | -929.56M | -2.79B | -705.57M | -3.6B | -1.86B | -692.37M |
| Capital Expenditures | 0 | -318M | -565.03M | -273.63M | -478.43M | -221.79M | -76.39M | -140.39M | -11.3M | -4.61M | -1.51M | -1.52M |
| CapEx % of Revenue | 0% | 146.93% | 447.23% | 47.38% | 28.93% | 6.01% | 0.86% | 1.82% | 0.24% | 0.32% | 0.64% | 4.71% |
| Acquisitions | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Investments | 4.83B | 3.35B | 2.54B | 5.73B | 6.3B | 5.6B | 499.07M | 33.2M | 344.52M | 495.39M | 49M | 0 |
| Other Investing | 0 | -4.92M | -77.57M | 1.67B | 1.29B | 2.7B | -619.04M | -2.96B | -824.47M | -3.14B | -1.82B | -690.85M |
| Cash from Financing | 0 | 186.84M | -565.97M | -834.99M | -84.19M | -1.59B | -3.37B | -6.73B | 3.75B | 3.38B | 2.18B | 735.64M |
| Debt Issued (Net) | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Equity Issued (Net) | 0 | -533.16M | -420.66M | -145.87M | 0 | -5.53M | -2.09B | -1.41B | 4.92B | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dividends Paid | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -838.43M | 0 | 0 |
| Share Repurchases | 0 | -533.16M | -420.66M | -145.87M | 0 | -15.53M | -2.09B | -1.41B | -421.16M | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Other Financing | 0 | 0 | 213 | 141 | -7.72M | 209.79M | -423.93M | 63.6M | -5.33B | 1.63B | 997.26M | 735.64M |
| Net Change in Cash | 0 | -2.22B | 3.69B | 1.33B | 570.46M | -2.45B | 1.28B | -6.24B | 6.05B | 575.66M | 208.19M | 2.57M |
| Free Cash Flow | 0 | -429M | -213.01M | -12.76M | 443.63M | 2.25B | 5.43B | 3.19B | 3.06B | 789.46M | -103.83M | -42.21M |
| FCF Margin % | 0% | -198.22% | -168.6% | -2.21% | 26.82% | 61.01% | 61.39% | 41.49% | 64.18% | 54.72% | -44.18% | -131.18% |
| FCF Growth % | -100% | -101.4% | -1569.91% | -102.88% | -80.28% | -58.54% | 70.02% | 4.15% | 288.22% | 860.33% | -145.98% | - |
| FCF per Share | 0.00 | -2.28 | -0.97 | -0.05 | 1.67 | 8.20 | 18.06 | 9.91 | 10.04 | 2.39 | -1.31 | -0.53 |
| FCF Conversion (FCF/Net Income) | 0.00x | -1.21x | 9.00x | -0.72x | 1.57x | 2.58x | 1.69x | 1.34x | 1.42x | 1.38x | 0.44x | 0.75x |
| Interest Paid | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.71M | 7.72M | 26.08M | 361.72M | 609.83M | 565.45M | 193.35M | 0 | 0 |
| Taxes Paid | 0 | 144.22M | 43.37M | 59.11M | 137.55M | 638.41M | 263.97M | 208.64M | 231.13M | 54.37M | 0 | 0 |
Strategic Pivot Execution Failure
As reported in recent financial filings, Qudian exhibits a complete breakdown in cash conversion, with operating cash flow frequently hitting zero despite positive net income figures, suggesting that reported earnings are entirely disconnected from the company's actual ability to generate cash from its core business operations.
The persistent reporting of zero operating cash flow in recent quarters, contrasted against significant net income, indicates that the company's profitability is likely driven by non-operating items or accounting adjustments rather than operational success. Investors should monitor this divergence, as it implies that the underlying business model is failing to produce the liquidity necessary to sustain its own existence.
Based on the provided quarterly data, Qudian's free cash flow trajectory is effectively stagnant or non-existent, with the company failing to produce positive cash flow from operations in six of the last eight reported quarters, highlighting a fundamental inability to achieve self-sustaining growth through its current business pivots.
The absence of consistent free cash flow suggests that the company's transition between business models has not yet yielded a viable, cash-generative product. This trajectory warrants further investigation into whether the company is merely preserving its existing capital base rather than attempting to build a sustainable, cash-producing enterprise.
According to historical data, Qudian has refrained from significant capital deployment activities like dividends or buybacks, instead holding its massive cash reserves stagnant, which suggests that management lacks a clear, value-accretive strategy for utilizing the capital currently sitting on the company's balance sheet.
The lack of active capital deployment, combined with the failure of operational pivots, implies that the company is functioning more as a dormant holding vehicle than an active business. Investors should be wary that this capital may eventually be eroded by continued operational losses or ill-advised future acquisitions.
As evidenced by the company's financial statements, the massive $4.2 billion cash pile serves to mask the underlying operational decay, as the firm consistently reports negative or zero cash flow from operations while maintaining a fortress-like balance sheet that is entirely unrelated to its current business performance.
The cash flow statement obscures the reality that the company's core activities are not generating value, as the massive liquidity position allows the firm to avoid the typical market discipline imposed on failing businesses. This structure suggests that the company's primary risk is not insolvency, but rather the potential for management to continue burning capital on unsuccessful strategic experiments.
Quick answers to the most common questions about buying QD stock.
Qudian Inc. (QD) generated $-111.0M in net cash from operating activities in 2024. This reflects the cash generated directly from core business operations.
Qudian Inc. (QD) reported negative free cash flow of $429.0M in 2024, indicating capital requirements exceeded cash from operations.
Qudian Inc. (QD) spent $318.0M on capital expenditures in 2024. CapEx represents the cash invested in physical assets like property, plant, and equipment to maintain or grow the business.
In 2024, Qudian Inc. (QD) spent $533.2M on share repurchases. This shows the company's commitment to returning capital to its equity investors.