Free cash flow
Becton, Dickinson and Company Free cash flow decreased by 0.5% to $546.00M in Q1 2026 compared to the prior quarter. Year-over-year, this metric grew by 271.7%, from -$318.00M to $546.00M. Over 4 years (FY 2021 to FY 2025), Free cash flow shows a downward trend with a -6.2% 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 | $732.00M | $499.00M | $491.00M | $222.00M | $127.00M | $658.00M | $191.00M | $4.00M | $890.00M | $1.03B | $739.00M | $380.00M | $1.12B | $882.00M | $588.00M | -$318.00M | $1.40B | $1.00B | $549.00M | $546.00M |
| QoQ Change | — | -31.8% | -1.6% | -54.8% | -42.8% | +418.1% | -71.0% | -97.9% | >999% | +15.8% | -28.3% | -48.6% | +194.2% | -21.1% | -33.3% | -154.1% | +539.6% | -28.3% | -45.2% | -0.5% |
| YoY Change | — | — | — | — | -82.7% | +31.9% | -61.1% | -98.2% | +600.8% | +56.7% | +286.9% | >999% | +25.6% | -14.5% | -20.4% | -183.7% | +25.0% | +13.6% | -6.6% | +271.7% |
Free cash flow at Other Companies
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is Becton, Dickinson and Company's free cash flow?
- Becton, Dickinson and Company (BDX) reported free cash flow of $546.00M in Q1 2026.
- How has Becton, Dickinson and Company's free cash flow changed year-over-year?
- Becton, Dickinson and Company's free cash flow increased by 271.7% year-over-year, from -$318.00M to $546.00M.
- What is the long-term trend for Becton, Dickinson and Company's free cash flow?
- Over 4 years (2021 to 2025), Becton, Dickinson and Company's free cash flow has grown at a -6.2% compound annual growth rate (CAGR), from $3.45B to $2.67B.
- What does free cash flow mean?
- The cash a company has left over after paying for its operating expenses and capital investments.