Free cash flow
Baker Hughes Free cash flow decreased by 87.2% to $164.00M in Q1 2026 compared to the prior quarter. Year-over-year, this metric declined by 59.9%, from $409.00M to $164.00M. Over 4 years (FY 2021 to FY 2025), Free cash flow shows an upward trend with a 13.7% 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.
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 | $335.00M | $218.00M | $508.00M | -$196.00M | $95.00M | $371.00M | $629.00M | $151.00M | $582.00M | $529.00M | $576.00M | $451.00M | $56.00M | $710.00M | $837.00M | $409.00M | $209.00M | $634.00M | $1.29B | $164.00M |
| QoQ Change | — | -34.9% | +133.0% | -138.6% | +148.5% | +290.5% | +69.5% | -76.0% | +285.4% | -9.1% | +8.9% | -21.7% | -87.6% | >999% | +17.9% | -51.1% | -48.9% | +203.3% | +102.7% | -87.2% |
| YoY Change | — | — | — | — | -71.6% | +70.2% | +23.8% | +177.0% | +512.6% | +42.6% | -8.4% | +198.7% | -90.4% | +34.2% | +45.3% | -9.3% | +273.2% | -10.7% | +53.5% | -59.9% |
Free cash flow at Other Companies
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is Baker Hughes's free cash flow?
- Baker Hughes (BKR) reported free cash flow of $164.00M in Q1 2026.
- How has Baker Hughes's free cash flow changed year-over-year?
- Baker Hughes's free cash flow decreased by 59.9% year-over-year, from $409.00M to $164.00M.
- What is the long-term trend for Baker Hughes's free cash flow?
- Over 4 years (2021 to 2025), Baker Hughes's free cash flow has grown at a 13.7% compound annual growth rate (CAGR), from $1.52B to $2.54B.
- What does free cash flow mean?
- The cash a company has left over after paying for its operating expenses and capital investments.