Operating Cash Flow
Waste Connections Operating Cash Flow decreased by 2.0% to $545.60M in Q1 2026 compared to the prior quarter. Year-over-year, this metric grew by 0.7%, from $541.54M to $545.60M. Over 4 years (FY 2021 to FY 2025), Operating Cash Flow shows an upward trend with a 9.2% 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 | $448.08M | $421.48M | $428.27M | $440.90M | $532.78M | $526.46M | $522.36M | $442.36M | $574.35M | $554.16M | $555.94M | $490.31M | $611.38M | $558.31M | $568.93M | $541.54M | $638.20M | $677.45M | $556.88M | $545.60M |
| QoQ Change | — | -5.9% | +1.6% | +2.9% | +20.8% | -1.2% | -0.8% | -15.3% | +29.8% | -3.5% | +0.3% | -11.8% | +24.7% | -8.7% | +1.9% | -4.8% | +17.8% | +6.1% | -17.8% | -2.0% |
| YoY Change | — | — | — | — | +18.9% | +24.9% | +22.0% | +0.3% | +7.8% | +5.3% | +6.4% | +10.8% | +6.4% | +0.7% | +2.3% | +10.4% | +4.4% | +21.3% | -2.1% | +0.7% |
Operating Cash Flow at Other Companies
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is Waste Connections's operating cash flow?
- Waste Connections (WCN) reported operating cash flow of $545.60M in Q1 2026.
- How has Waste Connections's operating cash flow changed year-over-year?
- Waste Connections's operating cash flow increased by 0.7% year-over-year, from $541.54M to $545.60M.
- What is the long-term trend for Waste Connections's operating cash flow?
- Over 4 years (2021 to 2025), Waste Connections's operating cash flow has grown at a 9.2% compound annual growth rate (CAGR), from $1.70B to $2.41B.
- What does operating cash flow mean?
- The actual amount of cash a company brings in from its day-to-day business activities.