Free cash flow
Boston Scientific Free cash flow decreased by 83.1% to $171.00M in Q1 2026 compared to the prior quarter. Year-over-year, this metric declined by 51.7%, from $354.00M to $171.00M. Over 4 years (FY 2021 to FY 2025), Free cash flow shows an upward trend with a 29.1% 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.
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 | $537.00M | $358.00M | $212.00M | -$179.00M | $202.00M | $320.00M | $595.00M | $79.00M | $515.00M | $508.00M | $690.00M | -$15.00M | $658.00M | $823.00M | $1.18B | $354.00M | $1.13B | $1.16B | $1.01B | $171.00M |
| QoQ Change | — | -33.3% | -40.8% | -184.4% | +212.8% | +58.4% | +85.9% | -86.7% | +551.9% | -1.4% | +35.8% | -102.2% | >999% | +25.1% | +43.3% | -70.0% | +218.9% | +2.9% | -12.8% | -83.1% |
| YoY Change | — | — | — | — | -62.4% | -10.6% | +180.7% | +144.1% | +155.0% | +58.8% | +16.0% | -119.0% | +27.8% | +62.0% | +70.9% | >999% | +71.6% | +41.2% | -14.1% | -51.7% |
Free cash flow at Other Companies
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is Boston Scientific's free cash flow?
- Boston Scientific (BSX) reported free cash flow of $171.00M in Q1 2026.
- How has Boston Scientific's free cash flow changed year-over-year?
- Boston Scientific's free cash flow decreased by 51.7% year-over-year, from $354.00M to $171.00M.
- What is the long-term trend for Boston Scientific's free cash flow?
- Over 4 years (2021 to 2025), Boston Scientific's free cash flow has grown at a 29.1% compound annual growth rate (CAGR), from $1.32B to $3.66B.
- What does free cash flow mean?
- The cash a company has left over after paying for its operating expenses and capital investments.