Free cash flow
Yum! Brands Free cash flow decreased by 29.3% to $341.00M in Q1 2026 compared to the prior quarter. Year-over-year, this metric grew by 2.4%, from $333.00M to $341.00M. Over 4 years (FY 2021 to FY 2025), Free cash flow shows an upward trend with a 2.7% 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 | $410.00M | $465.00M | $322.00M | $211.00M | $214.00M | $392.00M | $331.00M | $287.00M | $269.00M | $420.00M | $342.00M | $314.00M | $292.00M | $419.00M | $407.00M | $333.00M | $375.00M | $449.00M | $482.00M | $341.00M |
| QoQ Change | — | +13.4% | -30.8% | -34.5% | +1.4% | +83.2% | -15.6% | -13.3% | -6.3% | +56.1% | -18.6% | -8.2% | -7.0% | +43.5% | -2.9% | -18.2% | +12.6% | +19.7% | +7.3% | -29.3% |
| YoY Change | — | — | — | — | -47.8% | -15.7% | +2.8% | +36.0% | +25.7% | +7.1% | +3.3% | +9.4% | +8.6% | -0.2% | +19.0% | +6.1% | +28.4% | +7.2% | +18.4% | +2.4% |
Free cash flow at Other Companies
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is Yum! Brands's free cash flow?
- Yum! Brands (YUM) reported free cash flow of $341.00M in Q1 2026.
- How has Yum! Brands's free cash flow changed year-over-year?
- Yum! Brands's free cash flow increased by 2.4% year-over-year, from $333.00M to $341.00M.
- What is the long-term trend for Yum! Brands's free cash flow?
- Over 4 years (2021 to 2025), Yum! Brands's free cash flow has grown at a 2.7% compound annual growth rate (CAGR), from $1.48B to $1.64B.
- What does free cash flow mean?
- The cash a company has left over after paying for its operating expenses and capital investments.