Free cash flow remains highly volatile, swinging from a negative -26.4% margin in 2025Q2 to a positive 22.4% in 2026Q4, reflecting inconsistent self-funding capabilities.
| Metric | Mar'26 | Mar'25 | Mar'24 | Mar'23 | Mar'22 | Mar'21 | Mar'20 | Mar'19 | Mar'18 | Mar'17 | Mar'16 | Mar'15 | Mar'14 | Mar'13 | Mar'12 | Mar'11 | Mar'10 | Mar'09 | Mar'08 | Mar'07 | Mar'06 | Mar'05 |
|---|
| Cash from Operations | 98.9M | -46M | -131.8M | -438.3M | -725.8M | 64.4M | 607.8M | 439.3M | 381.3M | 544.5M | 12.1M | 115.07M | 256.68M | 276.12M | -163.47M | 42.33M | -121.78M | -105.64M | 83.83M | 107.82M | 123.01M | 95.5M |
| Operating CF Margin % | 7.86% | -3.36% | -9.47% | -11.37% | -20.14% | 1.97% | 15.62% | 11.94% | 9.23% | 17.01% | 0.52% | 4.8% | 9.76% | 10.2% | -10.3% | 2.67% | -7.69% | -7.2% | 6.16% | 11.04% | 13.01% | 11.33% |
| Operating CF Growth % | 315% | 65.1% | 69.93% | 39.61% | -1227.02% | -89.4% | 38.36% | 15.21% | -29.97% | 4400% | -89.48% | -55.17% | -7.04% | 268.91% | -486.2% | 134.76% | -15.27% | -226.02% | -22.25% | -12.35% | 28.81% | - |
| Net Income | -403.1M | -215.3M | -804.6M | -1.34B | -188.2M | -18.9M | -188.4M | -284.2M | 473.6M | 14.8M | 50.2M | 181.78M | 152.04M | 232.13M | -39.12M | -53.6M | -19.48M | -162.98M | -73.97M | 27.48M | 1.62M | 20.28M |
| Depreciation & Amortization | 68M | 816.5M | 795.8M | 809.9M | 1.75B | 1.38B | 1.9B | 1.68B | 1.8B | 1.48B | 1.04B | 889.24M | 927.83M | 974.32M | 4.28M | 5.81M | 57.85M | 11.85M | 9.08M | 7.43M | 7.63M | 5.35M |
| Stock-Based Compensation | 13.8M | 18M | 24.6M | 25.7M | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Deferred Taxes | 0 | -2.5M | -60.5M | -25.1M | -1.7M | 3.4M | -900K | -23.6M | -299.5M | -163.4M | -85.1M | 13.93M | 15.91M | -87.9M | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1.09M | 6.78M | 297K | 6.28M |
| Other Non-Cash Items | 467.4M | 159.1M | 721.3M | 1.04B | 255.7M | 152.9M | 128.2M | 155.5M | 90.5M | 135.7M | 37.4M | 77.03M | 112.8M | 81.26M | 610.89M | 643.57M | 573.07M | 473.96M | 416.58M | 249.78M | 257.94M | 217.63M |
| Working Capital Changes | -47.2M | -821.8M | -808.4M | -953.3M | -2.54B | -1.45B | -1.24B | -1.09B | -1.68B | -919.7M | -1.03B | -1.05B | -951.89M | -923.69M | -739.51M | -553.45M | -733.22M | -428.47M | -266.78M | -183.65M | -144.47M | -154.05M |
| Change in Receivables | -26.6M | 3.7M | -34.9M | -2.7M | -256.9M | 133.9M | 397.5M | 470.8M | -8.6M | 0 | -144.9M | -13.97M | -93.5M | -4.95M | -256.21M | -64.2M | -80.56M | 37.3M | -128.88M | 79.7M | -33.46M | -21.28M |
| Change in Inventory | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1.07B | -1.01B | -948.08M | -890.28M | -690.3M | -487.39M | -519.63M | -558.28M | -445.71M | -297.15M | -284.71M | -171.27M |
| Change in Payables | -28.8M | -38.2M | -79.6M | -12.9M | 1.4M | 32.7M | -31.8M | 41M | -181.7M | 152.9M | 28.9M | -5.09M | 17.63M | -50.15M | 29.56M | 3.87M | -18.62M | 30.32M | 67.79M | -38.51M | 49.16M | 4.33M |
| Cash from Investing | -99.6M | -99.2M | -24.8M | -42.5M | -80.5M | -31.1M | -51.7M | -121.7M | 292.6M | -1.15B | -162.1M | -55.17M | -12.77M | 4.5M | -552.2M | -28.37M | -46.8M | -298.62M | 201.28M | -107.62M | -165.33M | -1.31M |
| Capital Expenditures | -18.7M | -17.6M | -20.4M | -34.3M | -194.5M | -35M | -31.1M | -43.8M | -45.9M | -25.2M | -18.4M | -17.01M | -8.8M | -2.58M | -1.89M | -2.76M | -6.58M | -8.67M | -3.61M | -8.35M | -5.55M | -2.48M |
| CapEx % of Revenue | 1.49% | 1.29% | 1.47% | 0.89% | 5.4% | 1.07% | 0.8% | 1.19% | 1.11% | 0.79% | 0.78% | 0.71% | 0.33% | 0.1% | 0.12% | 0.17% | 0.42% | 0.59% | 0.27% | 0.85% | 0.59% | 0.29% |
| Acquisitions | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -77.3M | -1.8M | -1.1B | -126.9M | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9.12M | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -24.12M | 7.72M | 1.17M |
| Investments | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Other Investing | -80.9M | -81.6M | -4.4M | -8.2M | -4.3M | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4.28M | 4.27M | -558.4M | -7.93M | 6.92M | -271.93M | -45.35M | 0 | 105K | 0 |
| Cash from Financing | 34.2M | 126M | 132M | 428.1M | 664.3M | 173M | -419.3M | -511.1M | -617.3M | 867.2M | 105M | 9.22M | -279.26M | -282.52M | 696.73M | -1.46M | 120.41M | 175.37M | 33.75M | 4.28M | -23.07M | 10.92M |
| Debt Issued (Net) | 0 | 50.7M | -144.2M | -147.6M | 725.2M | 88.2M | -409.3M | 349.4M | -631.1M | 916.4M | 243.8M | 200.63M | -261.26M | -269.42M | 774.61M | 8.93M | 906K | 439.48M | 166.12M | 0 | -21.22M | -12.18M |
| Equity Issued (Net) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4.2M | -600K | -900K | 8M | 44.9M | 25.4M | -67.1M | -138M | 11.97M | 2.9M | -73.57M | 0 | 122.36M | -42.07M | -21.01M | 4.28M | 862K | 24.71M |
| Dividends Paid | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -57.4M | 0 | -26.8M | -47.5M | -33.35M | -6.9M | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Share Repurchases | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -2.2M | -2.6M | 0 | 0 | 0 | -73.2M | -144.84M | 0 | 0 | -77.09M | 0 | 0 | -44.97M | -22.26M | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Other Financing | 34.2M | 75.3M | 276.2M | 575.7M | -65.1M | 85.4M | -9.1M | -811.1M | -31.1M | -47.8M | -24.2M | -20.06M | -23.08M | -15.99M | -4.32M | -10.39M | -2.86M | -222.03M | -111.36M | 0 | -2.7M | -1.61M |
| Net Change in Cash | 0 | -19.2M | -24.6M | -52.7M | -144.1M | 210.5M | 133.9M | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Free Cash Flow | 80.2M | -63.6M | -152.2M | -472.6M | -920.3M | 29.4M | 576.7M | 395.5M | 335.4M | 519.3M | -6.3M | 98.06M | 247.88M | 273.54M | -165.35M | 39.57M | -128.35M | -114.31M | 80.22M | 99.47M | 117.46M | 93.01M |
| FCF Margin % | 6.38% | -4.64% | -10.93% | -12.26% | -25.53% | 0.9% | 14.83% | 10.75% | 8.12% | 16.22% | -0.27% | 4.09% | 9.42% | 10.1% | -10.42% | 2.5% | -8.1% | -7.8% | 5.89% | 10.18% | 12.42% | 11.04% |
| FCF Growth % | 226.1% | 58.21% | 67.8% | 48.65% | -3230.27% | -94.9% | 45.82% | 17.92% | -35.41% | 8342.86% | -106.42% | -60.44% | -9.38% | 265.43% | -517.86% | 130.83% | -12.28% | -242.5% | -19.35% | -15.31% | 26.28% | - |
| FCF per Share | 4.77 | -3.81 | -9.11 | -28.28 | -82.13 | 2.67 | 52.93 | 37.01 | 30.44 | 60.31 | -1.64 | 25.84 | 64.21 | 73.25 | -50.02 | 12.07 | -43.69 | -39.15 | 27.10 | 35.79 | 44.28 | 35.99 |
| FCF Conversion (FCF/Net Income) | -0.25x | 0.22x | 0.14x | 0.22x | 3.86x | -3.41x | -3.23x | -1.55x | 0.81x | 36.79x | 0.24x | 0.63x | 1.69x | 1.19x | 4.18x | -0.79x | 6.25x | 0.65x | -1.13x | 3.92x | 75.93x | 4.71x |
| Interest Paid | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 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 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Structural subscriber base erosion
According to the provided cash flow statements, the relationship between net income and operating cash flow is consistently erratic, with OCF/NI ratios frequently swinging into extreme negative territory, suggesting that reported earnings are heavily distorted by non-cash content amortization and significant working capital volatility.
The persistent gap between net income and operating cash flow indicates that accounting profits are not representative of the company's actual ability to generate liquidity. Investors should monitor the high levels of depreciation and amortization, which appear to mask the underlying cash burn required to sustain the current content library.
As reported in financial statements, Starz's free cash flow trajectory is characterized by extreme instability, with margins fluctuating from a positive 22.4% in 2026Q4 to a deeply negative -26.4% in 2025Q2, reflecting the company's inability to maintain a consistent self-funding mechanism for its operations.
The lack of a stable FCF trend suggests that the business model is highly sensitive to the timing of content production cycles and subscriber churn. This volatility makes it difficult to project future liquidity needs without relying on external financing or further asset divestitures.
Based on the reported figures, working capital changes have been a massive drag on cash flow, including a significant $564.7 million outflow in 2025Q3, which indicates that the company is struggling to manage its cash conversion cycle effectively amidst declining legacy distribution revenues.
These large, irregular swings in working capital suggest potential issues with collection efficiency or inventory management related to content licensing. The erratic nature of these outflows warrants further investigation into whether they represent structural inefficiencies in the company's billing and payment processes.
Data from recent filings indicates that Starz maintains a low capital intensity, with CapEx/Revenue ratios consistently hovering between 0.4% and 2.2%, suggesting that the company's primary cash burden is not physical infrastructure but rather the ongoing, non-capitalized investment in original content production.
While the low capital expenditure profile might appear favorable, it is misleading because it excludes the massive content costs that are expensed through the income statement. This structure implies that the company is essentially 'maintenance-only' regarding physical assets, leaving little room for growth-oriented capital investment.
Based on the provided financial data, Starz has not engaged in dividends or share repurchases over the last ten quarters, reflecting a management focus on preserving cash to navigate the ongoing transition from legacy wholesale distribution to a direct-to-consumer streaming model.
The absence of capital returns to shareholders suggests that management is prioritizing liquidity preservation over capital allocation. Given the negative operating margins, this conservative stance appears necessary to avoid further straining the company's already vulnerable balance sheet.
Quick answers to the most common questions about buying STRZ stock.
Starz Entertainment Corp. (STRZ) generated $98.9M in net cash from operating activities in 2026. This reflects the cash generated directly from core business operations.
Starz Entertainment Corp. (STRZ) generated $80.2M in free cash flow in 2026. Free cash flow is the cash left over after capital expenditures, which can be used to pay dividends, repurchase shares, or pay down debt.
Starz Entertainment Corp. (STRZ) spent $18.7M on capital expenditures in 2026. CapEx represents the cash invested in physical assets like property, plant, and equipment to maintain or grow the business.