Free cash flow
Berkshire Hathaway Free cash flow decreased by 33.5% to $5.45B in Q1 2026 compared to the prior quarter. Year-over-year, this metric declined by 17.7%, from $6.62B to $5.45B. Over 3 years (FY 2021 to FY 2024), Free cash flow shows a downward trend with a -22.1% 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 | Q1 '26 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Value | $7.11B | $8.49B | $3.76B | $3.74B | $4.79B | $7.59B | $5.64B | $4.98B | $7.75B | $8.37B | $8.69B | $6.17B | $9.07B | -$2.90B | $0.00 | $6.62B | $5.23B | $8.20B | $5.45B |
| QoQ Change | — | +19.4% | -55.7% | -0.6% | +28.1% | +58.4% | -25.6% | -11.8% | +55.6% | +8.0% | +3.9% | -29.0% | +46.9% | -132.0% | +100.0% | — | -21.1% | +56.9% | -33.5% |
| YoY Change | — | — | — | — | -32.6% | -10.6% | +50.0% | +33.2% | +61.8% | +10.3% | +54.0% | +24.0% | +17.0% | -134.6% | -100.0% | +7.3% | -42.4% | +383.1% | -17.7% |
Free cash flow at Other Companies
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is Berkshire Hathaway's free cash flow?
- Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.B) reported free cash flow of $5.45B in Q1 2026.
- How has Berkshire Hathaway's free cash flow changed year-over-year?
- Berkshire Hathaway's free cash flow decreased by 17.7% year-over-year, from $6.62B to $5.45B.
- What is the long-term trend for Berkshire Hathaway's free cash flow?
- Over 3 years (2021 to 2024), Berkshire Hathaway's free cash flow has grown at a -22.1% compound annual growth rate (CAGR), from $26.15B to $12.34B.
- What does free cash flow mean?
- The cash a company has left over after paying for its operating expenses and capital investments.