Operating cash flow turned positive at $318M in 2026Q2 despite a net loss, driven by $282M in SBC and favorable working capital, with FCF margin at 23.9% and cumulative OCF of $3.57B over ten quarters.
Roblox Corporation (RBLX) cash flow statement — 8-year operating, investing & financing cash flows
| Metric | TTM | Dec'25 | Dec'24 | Dec'23 | Dec'22 | Dec'21 | Dec'20 | Dec'19 | Dec'18 |
|---|
| Cash from Operations | 2.1B | 1.8B | 822.32M | 458.18M | 369.3M | 659.11M | 524.34M | 99.19M | 101.04M |
| Operating CF Margin % | - | 36.73% | 22.83% | 16.37% | 16.6% | 34.34% | 56.75% | 19.51% | 31.09% |
| Operating CF Growth % | 451.04% | 118.45% | 79.47% | 24.07% | -43.97% | 25.7% | 428.65% | -1.83% | - |
| Net Income | -1B | -1.07B | -940.61M | -1.16B | -934.14M | -503.48M | -257.69M | -71.11M | -88.08M |
| Depreciation & Amortization | 244.3M | 225.82M | 226.44M | 208.14M | 130.08M | 75.62M | 43.81M | 27.66M | 11.94M |
| Stock-Based Compensation | 1.14B | 1.13B | 1.02B | 867.97M | 589.5M | 341.94M | 79.16M | 17.63M | 36.31M |
| Deferred Taxes | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Other Non-Cash Items | 724.52M | 59.19M | 39.73M | 34.19M | 70.72M | 44.69M | 3.03M | 497K | 3.62M |
| Working Capital Changes | 997.53M | 1.45B | 480.97M | 506.82M | 513.13M | 700.34M | 656.04M | 124.5M | 137.24M |
| Change in Receivables | 28.62M | -290.69M | -110.48M | -126.17M | -72.48M | -61.04M | -156.87M | -40.09M | -5.3M |
| Change in Inventory | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Change in Payables | -20.08M | 25.35M | -7.53M | -3.48M | 10.3M | 23.37M | 4.49M | -113K | 1.28M |
| Cash from Investing | -1.78B | -1.39B | -852.07M | -2.83B | -441.05M | -146.82M | -97.03M | -84.33M | -83.15M |
| Capital Expenditures | -258.45M | -440.98M | -179.65M | -320.67M | -426.16M | -93.27M | -104.15M | -83.26M | -65.56M |
| CapEx % of Revenue | 4.55% | 9.02% | 4.99% | 11.46% | 19.15% | 4.86% | 11.27% | 16.38% | 20.18% |
| Acquisitions | -6M | 0 | -2.84M | -3.86M | -13.39M | -45.69M | -40.92M | 0 | 0 |
| Investments | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Other Investing | -199.06M | -2.5M | -1.37M | -13.5M | -1.5M | -7.86M | -8.97M | -1.47M | -508K |
| Cash from Financing | -316.17M | 88.53M | 65.89M | 67.18M | 43.64M | 1.6B | 164.97M | 53.11M | 151.78M |
| Debt Issued (Net) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14.7M | 0 | 990M | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Equity Issued (Net) | 55.83M | 88.53M | 70.34M | 53.23M | 45.75M | 610.46M | 164.97M | 3.11M | 151.78M |
| Dividends Paid | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Share Repurchases | -375M | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Other Financing | -372M | 0 | -4.45M | -750K | -2.11M | -2.34M | 0 | 50M | 0 |
| Net Change in Cash | -3.25M | 493.64M | 33.22M | -2.3B | -26.83M | 2.11B | 592.45M | 67.98M | 169.66M |
| Free Cash Flow | 1.82B | 1.35B | 642.67M | 124.01M | -58.37M | 557.98M | 411.22M | 14.46M | 34.97M |
| FCF Margin % | 31.97% | 27.66% | 17.84% | 4.43% | -2.62% | 29.07% | 44.51% | 2.84% | 10.76% |
| FCF Growth % | 92.98% | 110.51% | 418.23% | 312.47% | -110.46% | 35.69% | 2744.63% | -58.66% | - |
| FCF per Share | 2.54 | 1.96 | 0.99 | 0.20 | -0.10 | 1.10 | 0.77 | 0.03 | 0.22 |
| FCF Conversion (FCF/Net Income) | -1.82x | -1.69x | -0.88x | -0.40x | -0.40x | -1.34x | -2.07x | -1.40x | -1.15x |
| Interest Paid | 0 | 38.75M | 38.75M | 38.75M | 38.97M | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Taxes Paid | 0 | 3.12M | 1.14M | 3.15M | 953K | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Quick answers to the most common questions about buying RBLX stock.
Roblox Corporation (RBLX) generated $1.80B in net cash from operating activities in 2025. This reflects the cash generated directly from core business operations.
Roblox Corporation (RBLX) generated $1.35B 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.
Roblox Corporation (RBLX) spent $441.0M on capital expenditures in 2025. CapEx represents the cash invested in physical assets like property, plant, and equipment to maintain or grow the business.
Key Metrics
Top Statement Risk
Persistent operating losses
Metrics are mathematically derived from official filings.
Cash Conversion Diverges from Losses
Despite net losses averaging -$243M per quarter, operating cash flow turned positive at $318M in 2026Q2, driven by $282M in stock-based compensation and favorable working capital swings, per recent filings.
The persistent gap between net income and operating cash flow is stark: OCF/NI ratios have been negative throughout, but the magnitude of divergence is widening. In 2026Q2, OCF of $318M against a -$183M net loss implies a cash conversion of roughly 274% of absolute loss, almost entirely attributable to non-cash charges like SBC ($282M) and D&A ($65M). This suggests that while GAAP profitability remains elusive, the underlying cash-generative nature of the platform is improving, though investors should monitor whether working capital tailwinds reverse.
FCF Volatility Masks Upward Trend
Free cash flow swung from $111.7M in 2024Q2 to $596M in 2026Q1, with FCF margins ranging 12.2% to 41.4%, indicating high variability but a generally upward trajectory, as per quarterly data.
The FCF trajectory is erratic, with negative capex adjustments in some quarters (e.g., -$298.4M in 2025Q4) inflating FCF, but the underlying trend is positive: the 2026Q2 FCF of $351M is triple the year-ago quarter's $176.7M. FCF margins have expanded from 12.5% in 2024Q2 to 23.9% in 2026Q2, though the 41%+ margins in 2026Q1 and 2025Q3 are likely unsustainable due to working capital timing. This suggests improving operational efficiency, but the lumpiness warrants caution in extrapolating quarterly figures.
Capital Intensity Remains Low
Capital expenditures averaged just 2.2% of revenue in 2026Q2, down from 5.8% in 2024Q1, indicating a low capital intensity business where growth is not capex-heavy, based on reported figures.
CapEx/Revenue has consistently been in the low single digits, with the exception of 2025Q4's 21.1% spike (likely a one-time infrastructure investment). This suggests that RBLX's growth is driven by platform investments and content rather than physical assets, aligning with its digital nature. The negative capex figures in several quarters (e.g., -$33M in 2026Q1) are unusual and may reflect timing of asset sales or accounting adjustments, but the overall capital intensity is minimal, implying that FCF is largely a function of working capital and non-cash charges.
Working Capital Swings Drive Cash Flow
Working capital changes contributed $529M in 2026Q1 and -$529M in 2026Q2, creating extreme quarterly volatility, yet cumulative over the last four quarters, WC added $997M to cash flow, per financial statements.
The working capital line is the primary driver of OCF volatility, with swings of over $500M quarter-over-quarter. This likely reflects the timing of deferred revenue recognition and payments to developers, which are large for a platform like RBLX. The cumulative positive contribution over the last year suggests that the company is effectively managing its collections and payables, but the magnitude of swings indicates that investors should not rely on quarterly OCF as a stable metric. The negative WC change in 2026Q2 may signal a reversal of prior tailwinds, warranting close monitoring.
Buybacks Resume Amid No Dividends
RBLX initiated $375M in share repurchases in 2026Q2, its first buyback in the trailing year, while paying no dividends, indicating a shift toward returning capital to shareholders, as per cash flow data.
After a year of no buybacks, the $375M repurchase in 2026Q2 is a notable deployment of cash, funded by the strong OCF of $318M and existing cash reserves. This suggests management confidence in the cash-generative capacity of the business, despite ongoing GAAP losses. With no dividends and minimal acquisition activity, the buyback is the primary capital return mechanism, but its sustainability depends on maintaining positive OCF and managing working capital volatility.
Cumulative Cash Flow Outpaces Losses
Over the last ten quarters, cumulative operating cash flow reached $3.57B against cumulative net losses of -$2.43B, a $6.0B divergence, highlighting the non-cash nature of reported losses, based on reported data.
The cumulative gap between net income and OCF is enormous, with OCF exceeding net income by $6.0B over the period. This is primarily due to stock-based compensation ($2.66B cumulative) and working capital inflows ($1.93B cumulative), which have masked the underlying cash generation. While this divergence is typical for high-growth tech companies, it raises questions about the sustainability of SBC levels and whether working capital tailwinds will persist. The cash flow statement reveals a business that is cash-generative on an operating basis, but the quality of that cash flow is heavily reliant on non-cash charges and timing.
What Could Invalidate the Base Case
The cash flow statement obscures the true economics: SBC of $282M in 2026Q2 exceeds net loss, and negative capex adjustments inflate FCF, suggesting reported cash flows may overstate sustainability, per SEC filings.
The heavy reliance on stock-based compensation, which totaled $2.66B over ten quarters, is a non-cash expense that dilutes shareholders and may not reflect true cash costs if employees sell shares. Additionally, the negative capex figures in several quarters (e.g., -$33M in 2026Q1) are unusual and may indicate asset sales or accounting adjustments that artificially boost FCF. Investors should monitor whether working capital swings reverse and whether SBC levels remain elevated, as these factors could cause reported cash flows to deteriorate if the business model matures.