Operating Cash Flow
Cognizant Operating Cash Flow decreased by 68.1% to $274.00M in Q1 2026 compared to the prior quarter. Year-over-year, this metric declined by 31.5%, from $400.00M to $274.00M. Over 4 years (FY 2021 to FY 2025), Operating Cash Flow shows an upward trend with a 3.7% CAGR. This decline may warrant attention — for this metric, higher values are generally preferred.
Analysis
How to read this metric
An increase indicates strong operational efficiency and cash generation, while a decrease may signal operational challenges or issues with working capital management.
Detailed definition
This metric represents the total cash generated or consumed by a company's core business operations during a specific pe...
Peer comparison
Standard across all industries; peers in the medical device and diagnostics sector typically maintain high conversion ratios of net income to operating cash flow.
net_cash_from_operatingHistorical Data
| Q2 '21 | Q3 '21 | Q4 '21 | Q1 '22 | Q2 '22 | Q3 '22 | Q4 '22 | Q1 '23 | Q2 '23 | Q3 '23 | Q4 '23 | Q1 '24 | Q2 '24 | Q3 '24 | Q4 '24 | Q1 '25 | Q2 '25 | Q3 '25 | Q4 '25 | Q1 '26 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Value | $541.00M | $948.00M | $825.00M | $306.00M | $528.00M | $1.03B | $702.00M | $729.00M | $36.00M | $828.00M | $737.00M | $95.00M | $262.00M | $847.00M | $920.00M | $400.00M | $398.00M | $1.23B | $858.00M | $274.00M |
| QoQ Change | — | +75.2% | -13.0% | -62.9% | +72.5% | +95.5% | -32.0% | +3.8% | -95.1% | >999% | -11.0% | -87.1% | +175.8% | +223.3% | +8.6% | -56.5% | -0.5% | +208.3% | -30.1% | -68.1% |
| YoY Change | — | — | — | — | -2.4% | +8.9% | -14.9% | +138.2% | -93.2% | -19.8% | +5.0% | -87.0% | +627.8% | +2.3% | +24.8% | +321.1% | +51.9% | +44.9% | -6.7% | -31.5% |
Operating Cash Flow at Other Companies
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is Cognizant's operating cash flow?
- Cognizant (CTSH) reported operating cash flow of $274.00M in Q1 2026.
- How has Cognizant's operating cash flow changed year-over-year?
- Cognizant's operating cash flow decreased by 31.5% year-over-year, from $400.00M to $274.00M.
- What is the long-term trend for Cognizant's operating cash flow?
- Over 4 years (2021 to 2025), Cognizant's operating cash flow has grown at a 3.7% compound annual growth rate (CAGR), from $2.50B to $2.88B.
- What does operating cash flow mean?
- The amount of cash a company generates from its regular business activities.