Free cash flow
Comcast Free cash flow decreased by 10.8% to $4.54B in Q1 2026 compared to the prior quarter. Year-over-year, this metric declined by 24.9%, from $6.04B to $4.54B. Over 4 years (FY 2021 to FY 2025), Free cash flow shows relatively stable performance with a 2.3% 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 | $5.46B | $3.96B | $4.66B | $5.40B | $3.91B | $4.15B | $2.32B | $4.56B | $4.24B | $4.86B | $2.60B | $5.22B | $2.00B | $4.11B | $4.17B | $6.04B | $5.14B | $5.62B | $5.09B | $4.54B |
| QoQ Change | — | -27.6% | +17.8% | +15.9% | -27.6% | +6.2% | -44.2% | +96.8% | -7.2% | +14.7% | -46.4% | +100.5% | -61.7% | +105.4% | +1.4% | +45.0% | -15.0% | +9.4% | -9.4% | -10.8% |
| YoY Change | — | — | — | — | -28.4% | +5.0% | -50.2% | -15.5% | +8.2% | +16.9% | +12.2% | +14.3% | -52.8% | -15.4% | +60.1% | +15.8% | +156.8% | +36.9% | +22.2% | -24.9% |
Free cash flow at Other Companies
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is Comcast's free cash flow?
- Comcast (CMCSA) reported free cash flow of $4.54B in Q1 2026.
- How has Comcast's free cash flow changed year-over-year?
- Comcast's free cash flow decreased by 24.9% year-over-year, from $6.04B to $4.54B.
- What is the long-term trend for Comcast's free cash flow?
- Over 4 years (2021 to 2025), Comcast's free cash flow has grown at a 2.3% compound annual growth rate (CAGR), from $19.97B to $21.89B.
- What does free cash flow mean?
- The cash a company has left over after paying for its operating expenses and capital investments.