Free cash flow
Automatic Data Processing, Inc. Free cash flow increased by 97.7% to $2.19B in Q1 2026 compared to the prior quarter. Year-over-year, this metric grew by 46.9%, from $1.49B to $2.19B. Over 4 years (FY 2021 to FY 2025), Free cash flow shows an upward trend with a 13.1% 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.
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 | $619.50M | $86.00M | $1.05B | $920.00M | $865.30M | $672.70M | $850.00M | $1.35B | $1.12B | $287.20M | $977.60M | $1.44B | $1.25B | $765.60M | $1.11B | $1.49B | $1.41B | $595.60M | $1.11B | $2.19B |
| QoQ Change | — | -86.1% | >999% | -12.7% | -5.9% | -22.3% | +26.4% | +59.3% | -16.9% | -74.5% | +240.4% | +47.1% | -13.4% | -38.6% | +45.1% | +34.1% | -5.7% | -57.6% | +85.8% | +97.7% |
| YoY Change | — | — | — | — | +39.7% | +682.2% | -19.3% | +47.2% | +30.0% | -57.3% | +15.0% | +6.3% | +10.8% | +166.6% | +13.6% | +3.5% | +12.8% | -22.2% | -0.4% | +46.9% |
Free cash flow at Other Companies
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is Automatic Data Processing, Inc.'s free cash flow?
- Automatic Data Processing, Inc. (ADP) reported free cash flow of $2.19B in Q1 2026.
- How has Automatic Data Processing, Inc.'s free cash flow changed year-over-year?
- Automatic Data Processing, Inc.'s free cash flow increased by 46.9% year-over-year, from $1.49B to $2.19B.
- What is the long-term trend for Automatic Data Processing, Inc.'s free cash flow?
- Over 4 years (2021 to 2025), Automatic Data Processing, Inc.'s free cash flow has grown at a 13.1% compound annual growth rate (CAGR), from $2.91B to $4.77B.
- What does free cash flow mean?
- The cash a company has left over after paying for its operating expenses and capital investments.