Free cash flow
Blackrock Free cash flow decreased by 150.6% to -$1.09B in Q1 2026 compared to the prior quarter. Year-over-year, this metric grew by 10.0%, from -$1.21B to -$1.09B. Over 2 years (FY 2022 to FY 2025), Free cash flow shows a downward trend with a -10.4% 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
| Q1 '22 | Q2 '22 | Q3 '22 | Q4 '22 | Q1 '23 | Q2 '23 | Q3 '23 | Q4 '23 | Q1 '24 | Q2 '24 | Q1 '25 | Q2 '25 | Q3 '25 | Q4 '25 | Q1 '26 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Value | $1.11B | $1.11B | $1.11B | $1.11B | $955.25M | $955.25M | $955.25M | $955.25M | -$472.00M | $1.36B | -$1.21B | $1.28B | $1.34B | $2.15B | -$1.09B |
| QoQ Change | — | +0.0% | +0.0% | +0.0% | -13.6% | +0.0% | +0.0% | +0.0% | -149.4% | +387.7% | -188.8% | +205.7% | +4.8% | +60.7% | -150.6% |
| YoY Change | — | — | — | — | -13.6% | -13.6% | -13.6% | -13.6% | -149.4% | +42.2% | -155.5% | -6.1% | — | — | +10.0% |
Free cash flow at Other Companies
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is Blackrock's free cash flow?
- Blackrock (BLK) reported free cash flow of -$1.09B in Q1 2026.
- How has Blackrock's free cash flow changed year-over-year?
- Blackrock's free cash flow increased by 10.0% year-over-year, from -$1.21B to -$1.09B.
- What is the long-term trend for Blackrock's free cash flow?
- Over 2 years (2022 to 2025), Blackrock's free cash flow has grown at a -10.4% compound annual growth rate (CAGR), from $4.42B to $3.55B.
- What does free cash flow mean?
- The cash a company has left over after paying for its operating expenses and capital investments.