Operating Cash Flow
CME Group Operating Cash Flow increased by 11.1% to $1.26B in Q1 2026 compared to the prior quarter. Year-over-year, this metric grew by 12.8%, from $1.12B to $1.26B. Over 4 years (FY 2021 to FY 2025), Operating Cash Flow shows an upward trend with a 15.5% CAGR. This is a positive signal — higher values indicate stronger performance for this metric.
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 | $499.80M | $631.60M | $668.30M | $799.10M | $617.60M | $657.80M | $981.50M | $902.40M | $650.40M | $856.70M | $1.04B | $892.70M | $776.90M | $1.00B | $1.02B | $1.12B | $1.06B | $968.10M | $1.13B | $1.26B |
| QoQ Change | — | +26.4% | +5.8% | +19.6% | -22.7% | +6.5% | +49.2% | -8.1% | -27.9% | +31.7% | +21.9% | -14.5% | -13.0% | +29.1% | +1.5% | +9.7% | -5.2% | -8.5% | +17.1% | +11.1% |
| YoY Change | — | — | — | — | +23.6% | +4.1% | +46.9% | +12.9% | +5.3% | +30.2% | +6.4% | -1.1% | +19.4% | +17.1% | -2.5% | +25.1% | +36.2% | -3.5% | +11.4% | +12.8% |
Operating Cash Flow at Other Companies
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is CME Group's operating cash flow?
- CME Group (CME) reported operating cash flow of $1.26B in Q1 2026.
- How has CME Group's operating cash flow changed year-over-year?
- CME Group's operating cash flow increased by 12.8% year-over-year, from $1.12B to $1.26B.
- What is the long-term trend for CME Group's operating cash flow?
- Over 4 years (2021 to 2025), CME Group's operating cash flow has grown at a 15.5% compound annual growth rate (CAGR), from $2.40B to $4.28B.
- What does operating cash flow mean?
- The actual amount of cash a company brings in from its day-to-day business activities.