Operating Cash Flow
American Express Operating Cash Flow increased by 24.0% to $3.80B in Q1 2026 compared to the prior quarter. Year-over-year, this metric declined by 20.2%, from $4.76B to $3.80B. Over 4 years (FY 2021 to FY 2025), Operating Cash Flow shows an upward trend with a 5.9% CAGR. This is a positive signal — higher values indicate stronger performance for this metric.
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 | $3.19B | $4.17B | $5.01B | $3.88B | $4.26B | $4.51B | $8.43B | -$377.00M | $3.92B | $8.24B | $6.77B | $5.55B | $4.53B | -$1.81B | $5.78B | $4.76B | $4.36B | $6.23B | $3.07B | $3.80B |
| QoQ Change | — | +31.0% | +20.0% | -22.5% | +9.8% | +5.8% | +87.0% | -104.5% | >999% | +110.1% | -17.9% | -18.0% | -18.4% | -140.0% | +418.9% | -17.5% | -8.4% | +42.8% | -50.8% | +24.0% |
| YoY Change | — | — | — | — | +33.7% | +8.1% | +68.4% | -109.7% | -7.9% | +82.9% | -19.7% | >999% | +15.5% | -122.0% | -14.6% | -14.2% | -3.7% | +444.0% | -46.9% | -20.2% |
Operating Cash Flow at Other Companies
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is American Express's operating cash flow?
- American Express (AXP) reported operating cash flow of $3.80B in Q1 2026.
- How has American Express's operating cash flow changed year-over-year?
- American Express's operating cash flow decreased by 20.2% year-over-year, from $4.76B to $3.80B.
- What is the long-term trend for American Express's operating cash flow?
- Over 4 years (2021 to 2025), American Express's operating cash flow has grown at a 5.9% compound annual growth rate (CAGR), from $14.65B to $18.43B.
- What does operating cash flow mean?
- The actual amount of cash a company brings in from its day-to-day business activities.