Free cash flow
Starbucks Free cash flow decreased by 92.8% to $91.80M in Q1 2026 compared to the prior quarter. Year-over-year, this metric grew by 130.9%, from -$297.20M to $91.80M. Over 4 years (FY 2021 to FY 2025), Free cash flow shows a downward trend with a -14.3% CAGR. This decline may warrant attention — for this metric, higher values are generally preferred.
Analysis
How to read this metric
An increase suggests strong operational efficiency and the ability to self-fund future innovation or return capital to shareholders, while a decrease may indicate heavy capital expenditure cycles or declining operational profitability.
Detailed definition
Free cash flow represents the cash generated by a company after accounting for cash outflows to support operations and m...
Peer comparison
High-growth semiconductor and AI infrastructure peers typically prioritize reinvestment, so free cash flow margins are often compared against R&D intensity and capital expenditure requirements of industry rivals.
free_cash_flowHistorical 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 | $1.41B | $1.04B | $1.45B | -$293.20M | $841.30M | $553.80M | $1.08B | $282.40M | $1.07B | $1.25B | $1.79B | -$153.10M | $945.80M | $737.40M | $1.38B | -$297.20M | $434.30M | $925.80M | $1.27B | $91.80M |
| QoQ Change | — | -26.6% | +40.3% | -120.2% | +386.9% | -34.2% | +94.4% | -73.8% | +279.2% | +16.3% | +43.6% | -108.6% | +717.8% | -22.0% | +87.0% | -121.6% | +246.1% | +113.2% | +37.6% | -92.8% |
| YoY Change | — | — | — | — | -40.4% | -46.6% | -26.0% | +196.3% | +27.3% | +124.9% | +66.1% | -154.2% | -11.7% | -40.8% | -22.9% | -94.1% | -54.1% | +25.5% | -7.6% | +130.9% |
Free cash flow at Other Companies
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is Starbucks's free cash flow?
- Starbucks (SBUX) reported free cash flow of $91.80M in Q1 2026.
- How has Starbucks's free cash flow changed year-over-year?
- Starbucks's free cash flow increased by 130.9% year-over-year, from -$297.20M to $91.80M.
- What is the long-term trend for Starbucks's free cash flow?
- Over 4 years (2021 to 2025), Starbucks's free cash flow has grown at a -14.3% compound annual growth rate (CAGR), from $4.52B to $2.44B.
- What does free cash flow mean?
- The cash a company has left over after paying for its operating expenses and capital investments.