BN
BNED
Jan 25, 2025
Quarter ended Jan 25, 2025 · FY2025 Q3

Barnes & Noble Education, Inc. stock research

Barnes & Noble Education (BNED) Free Cash Flow — Quarter Ended Jan 25, 2025

The company's free cash flow was negative in the current quarter, driven by negative operating cash flow and modest capital expenditure, resulting in a negative margin. Compared to the prior quarter, cash conversion weakened significantly as operating cash flow turned from positive to negative, while revenue declined.

Free cash flow takeaway

A quick read on the company's cash generation and what it means for investors.

The company's free cash flow was negative in the current quarter, driven by negative operating cash flow and modest capital expenditure, resulting in a negative margin. Compared to the prior quarter, cash conversion weakened significantly as operating cash flow turned from positive to negative, while revenue declined.

  • Revenue was lower than the prior quarter but roughly in line with the same quarter last year. Operating cash flow was negative, leading to negative free cash flow after capital expenditure, with a negative margin. The conversion from revenue to cash was weak.
  • The current quarter's free cash flow and margin were lower than the prior quarter, reflecting a sharp deterioration in operating cash flow. Relative to the same quarter last year, free cash flow and margin were also lower, though the year-ago quarter also had negative free cash flow.

FCF snapshot

Quarterly and TTM cash-flow metrics with the minimum valuation context.

TTM free cash flow

-$68.7M

Trailing twelve-month free cash flow.

Quarter free cash flow

-$44.7M

Free cash flow in the selected fiscal quarter.

Operating cash flow

-$41.9M

Cash generated by operations before capital spending.

CapEx

$2.8M

Capital spending and related asset purchases.

FCF margin

-10.7%

The share of revenue converted into free cash flow.

Cash flow trend

A short quarterly history shows whether FCF is scaling with revenue or only spiking for one period.

PeriodRevenueOperating CFCapExFCFFCF margin
2024-04-27$235.9M$81.7M$2.6M$79.1M33.5%
2024-07-27$250.9M-$143.5M$4.0M-$147.5M-58.8%
2024-10-26$559.7M$47.4M$3.1M$44.4M7.9%
2025-01-25$419.7M-$41.9M$2.8M-$44.7M-10.7%

Cash conversion quality

Checks that separate high-quality free cash flow from accounting noise or working-capital timing.

FCF / net income-249.2%Shows whether accounting earnings convert into cash.
CapEx / revenue0.7%Lower capital intensity usually supports FCF margin.
Net cash-$132.0MCash and equivalents minus total debt.

Recent events shaping cash flow

Near-term business events that help explain the free cash flow result.

Watch

Operating Cash Flow Swing

Operating cash flow turned from positive in the prior quarter to negative in the current quarter, while capital expenditure remained relatively stable. This shift drove the free cash flow into negative territory.

The negative operating cash flow significantly weakened cash conversion and free cash flow margin.

What the cash flow says

How to interpret the company's free cash flow beyond the headline number.

Revenue was lower than the prior quarter but roughly in line with the same quarter last year. Operating cash flow was negative, leading to negative free cash flow after capital expenditure, with a negative margin. The conversion from revenue to cash was weak.

The current quarter's free cash flow and margin were lower than the prior quarter, reflecting a sharp deterioration in operating cash flow. Relative to the same quarter last year, free cash flow and margin were also lower, though the year-ago quarter also had negative free cash flow.

Monitor the trajectory of operating cash flow, which swung from positive to negative and is the key driver of free cash flow.