Operating Cash Flow
MetLife Operating Cash Flow decreased by 62.0% to $2.69B in Q1 2026 compared to the prior quarter. Year-over-year, this metric declined by 37.0%, from $4.26B to $2.69B. Over 4 years (FY 2021 to FY 2025), Operating Cash Flow shows an upward trend with a 7.9% CAGR. This decline may warrant attention — for this metric, higher values are generally preferred.
Analysis
How to read this metric
Consistently high operating cash flow indicates a healthy, self-sustaining business capable of funding its own growth and returning capital to shareholders.
Detailed definition
Net cash from operating activities measures the total amount of cash generated by a company's core business operations....
Peer comparison
Investors often compare this to capital expenditures to calculate Free Cash Flow, a primary valuation metric for mature tech giants.
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 | $2.25B | $3.51B | $5.34B | $1.95B | $4.44B | $4.28B | $2.53B | $2.03B | $3.04B | $3.48B | $5.18B | $2.33B | $3.49B | $4.17B | $4.61B | $4.26B | $2.19B | $3.57B | $7.08B | $2.69B |
| QoQ Change | — | +55.5% | +52.3% | -63.4% | +127.1% | -3.6% | -40.8% | -20.0% | +50.0% | +14.4% | +49.1% | -55.1% | +49.9% | +19.5% | +10.6% | -7.6% | -48.7% | +63.1% | +98.4% | -62.0% |
| YoY Change | — | — | — | — | +96.9% | +22.0% | -52.5% | +3.7% | -31.5% | -18.8% | +104.5% | +14.9% | +14.9% | +20.0% | -11.0% | +83.1% | -37.3% | -14.4% | +53.5% | -37.0% |
Operating Cash Flow at Other Companies
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is MetLife's operating cash flow?
- MetLife (MET) reported operating cash flow of $2.69B in Q1 2026.
- How has MetLife's operating cash flow changed year-over-year?
- MetLife's operating cash flow decreased by 37.0% year-over-year, from $4.26B to $2.69B.
- What is the long-term trend for MetLife's operating cash flow?
- Over 4 years (2021 to 2025), MetLife's operating cash flow has grown at a 7.9% compound annual growth rate (CAGR), from $12.60B to $17.09B.
- What does operating cash flow mean?
- The actual amount of cash a company brings in from its day-to-day business activities.