Free cash flow
Abbott Free cash flow decreased by 65.1% to $916.00M in Q1 2026 compared to the prior quarter. Year-over-year, this metric declined by 1.8%, from $933.00M to $916.00M. Over 4 years (FY 2021 to FY 2025), Free cash flow shows a downward trend with a -3.8% 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.
cf_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 | $1.72B | $2.24B | $2.45B | $1.74B | $2.03B | $2.31B | $1.72B | $763.00M | $696.00M | $1.32B | $2.28B | $627.00M | $1.43B | $2.15B | $2.15B | $933.00M | $1.55B | $2.29B | $2.63B | $916.00M |
| QoQ Change | — | +30.6% | +9.5% | -28.9% | +16.5% | +13.9% | -25.8% | -55.5% | -8.8% | +89.2% | +73.3% | -72.5% | +127.6% | +50.6% | -0.0% | -56.6% | +65.6% | +48.3% | +14.6% | -65.1% |
| YoY Change | — | — | — | — | +18.4% | +3.3% | -30.0% | -56.3% | -65.7% | -43.1% | +33.0% | -17.8% | +105.0% | +63.2% | -5.9% | +48.8% | +8.3% | +6.6% | +22.3% | -1.8% |
Free cash flow at Other Companies
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is Abbott's free cash flow?
- Abbott (ABT) reported free cash flow of $916.00M in Q1 2026.
- How has Abbott's free cash flow changed year-over-year?
- Abbott's free cash flow decreased by 1.8% year-over-year, from $933.00M to $916.00M.
- What is the long-term trend for Abbott's free cash flow?
- Over 4 years (2021 to 2025), Abbott's free cash flow has grown at a -3.8% compound annual growth rate (CAGR), from $8.65B to $7.40B.
- What does free cash flow mean?
- The cash a company has left over after paying for its operating expenses and capital investments.