Operating Cash Flow
Caterpillar Operating Cash Flow decreased by 47.9% to $1.87B in Q1 2026 compared to the prior quarter. Year-over-year, this metric grew by 45.1%, from $1.29B to $1.87B. Over 4 years (FY 2021 to FY 2025), Operating Cash Flow shows an upward trend with a 13.0% CAGR. This decline may warrant attention — for this metric, higher values are generally preferred.
Analysis
How to read this metric
Consistently high operating cash flow indicates a healthy, self-sustaining business capable of funding its own growth and returning capital to shareholders.
Detailed definition
Net cash from operating activities measures the total amount of cash generated by a company's core business operations....
Peer comparison
Investors often compare this to capital expenditures to calculate Free Cash Flow, a primary valuation metric for mature tech giants.
net_cash_from_operatingHistorical 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 | $2.12B | $1.74B | $1.41B | $313.00M | $2.23B | $2.48B | $2.74B | $1.57B | $3.25B | $4.06B | $4.00B | $2.05B | $3.02B | $3.57B | $3.39B | $1.29B | $3.12B | $3.74B | $3.59B | $1.87B |
| QoQ Change | — | -17.8% | -18.9% | -77.8% | +613.4% | +11.1% | +10.4% | -42.6% | +106.5% | +25.0% | -1.4% | -48.7% | +47.2% | +18.1% | -4.9% | -62.0% | +142.2% | +19.7% | -3.9% | -47.9% |
| YoY Change | — | — | — | — | +5.4% | +42.6% | +94.0% | +402.6% | +45.5% | +63.6% | +46.1% | +30.5% | -7.0% | -12.1% | -15.2% | -37.2% | +3.3% | +4.7% | +5.8% | +45.1% |
Operating Cash Flow at Other Companies
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is Caterpillar's operating cash flow?
- Caterpillar (CAT) reported operating cash flow of $1.87B in Q1 2026.
- How has Caterpillar's operating cash flow changed year-over-year?
- Caterpillar's operating cash flow increased by 45.1% year-over-year, from $1.29B to $1.87B.
- What is the long-term trend for Caterpillar's operating cash flow?
- Over 4 years (2021 to 2025), Caterpillar's operating cash flow has grown at a 13.0% compound annual growth rate (CAGR), from $7.20B to $11.74B.
- What does operating cash flow mean?
- The actual amount of cash a company brings in from its day-to-day business activities.