Free cash flow
Xcel Energy Free cash flow increased by 59.0% to -$1.33B in Q1 2026 compared to the prior quarter. Year-over-year, this metric declined by 38.0%, from -$960.00M to -$1.33B. Over 4 years (FY 2021 to FY 2025), Free cash flow shows a downward trend with a 35.0% CAGR. This is a positive signal — higher values indicate stronger performance for this metric.
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 | -$318.00M | $25.00M | -$602.00M | $198.00M | -$250.00M | -$106.00M | -$548.00M | $272.00M | -$416.00M | $257.00M | -$640.00M | -$487.00M | -$641.00M | -$42.00M | -$1.55B | -$960.00M | -$1.35B | -$1.29B | -$3.23B | -$1.33B |
| QoQ Change | — | +107.9% | <-999% | +132.9% | -226.3% | +57.6% | -417.0% | +149.6% | -252.9% | +161.8% | -349.0% | +23.9% | -31.6% | +93.4% | <-999% | +38.2% | -40.2% | +4.2% | -150.3% | +59.0% |
| YoY Change | — | — | — | — | +21.4% | -524.0% | +9.0% | +37.4% | -66.4% | +342.5% | -16.8% | -279.0% | -54.1% | -116.3% | -142.7% | -97.1% | -110.0% | <-999% | -107.9% | -38.0% |
Free cash flow at Other Companies
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is Xcel Energy's free cash flow?
- Xcel Energy (XEL) reported free cash flow of -$1.33B in Q1 2026.
- How has Xcel Energy's free cash flow changed year-over-year?
- Xcel Energy's free cash flow decreased by 38.0% year-over-year, from -$960.00M to -$1.33B.
- What is the long-term trend for Xcel Energy's free cash flow?
- Over 4 years (2021 to 2025), Xcel Energy's free cash flow has grown at a 35.0% compound annual growth rate (CAGR), from -$2.06B to -$6.83B.
- What does free cash flow mean?
- The cash a company has left over after paying for its operating expenses and capital investments.