Free cash flow
Vistra Free cash flow decreased by 47.0% to $316.00M in Q1 2026 compared to the prior quarter. Year-over-year, this metric grew by 287.0%, from -$169.00M to $316.00M. Over 4 years (FY 2021 to FY 2025), Free cash flow shows an upward trend with a 0.7% 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 | $242.00M | $320.00M | $0.00 | $218.00M | -$1.55B | $519.00M | $0.00 | $951.00M | $1.14B | $1.22B | $467.00M | -$153.00M | $698.00M | $1.02B | $923.00M | -$169.00M | -$118.00M | $1.01B | $596.00M | $316.00M |
| QoQ Change | — | +32.2% | -100.0% | — | -812.8% | +133.4% | -100.0% | — | +19.3% | +7.8% | -61.8% | -132.8% | +556.2% | +45.7% | -9.2% | -118.3% | +30.2% | +955.1% | -40.9% | -47.0% |
| YoY Change | — | — | — | — | -742.1% | +62.2% | — | +336.2% | +173.0% | +135.8% | — | -116.1% | -38.5% | -16.9% | +97.6% | -10.5% | -116.9% | -0.8% | -35.4% | +287.0% |
Free cash flow at Other Companies
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is Vistra's free cash flow?
- Vistra (VST) reported free cash flow of $316.00M in Q1 2026.
- How has Vistra's free cash flow changed year-over-year?
- Vistra's free cash flow increased by 287.0% year-over-year, from -$169.00M to $316.00M.
- What is the long-term trend for Vistra's free cash flow?
- Over 4 years (2021 to 2025), Vistra's free cash flow has grown at a 0.7% compound annual growth rate (CAGR), from -$1.28B to $1.32B.
- What does free cash flow mean?
- The cash a company has left over after paying for its operating expenses and capital investments.