Free cash flow
Coherent Free cash flow decreased by 300.7% to -$383.48M in Q1 2026 compared to the prior quarter. Year-over-year, this metric declined by 849.9%, from $51.14M to -$383.48M. Over 4 years (FY 2021 to FY 2025), Free cash flow shows a downward trend with a -18.0% 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 | $86.50M | $4.77M | $133.63M | -$58.38M | $18.98M | -$59.41M | $113.63M | $55.28M | $88.47M | $136.61M | -$24.30M | $24.19M | $62.42M | $61.00M | $81.70M | $51.14M | $0.00 | -$57.99M | -$95.70M | -$383.48M |
| QoQ Change | — | -94.5% | >999% | -143.7% | +132.5% | -413.0% | +291.2% | -51.3% | +60.0% | +54.4% | -117.8% | +199.5% | +158.0% | -2.3% | +33.9% | -37.4% | -100.0% | — | -65.0% | -300.7% |
| YoY Change | — | — | — | — | -78.1% | <-999% | -15.0% | +194.7% | +366.0% | +329.9% | -121.4% | -56.2% | -29.4% | -55.3% | +436.2% | +111.4% | -100.0% | -195.1% | -217.1% | -849.9% |
Free cash flow at Other Companies
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is Coherent's free cash flow?
- Coherent (COHR) reported free cash flow of -$383.48M in Q1 2026.
- How has Coherent's free cash flow changed year-over-year?
- Coherent's free cash flow decreased by 849.9% year-over-year, from $51.14M to -$383.48M.
- What is the long-term trend for Coherent's free cash flow?
- Over 4 years (2021 to 2025), Coherent's free cash flow has grown at a -18.0% compound annual growth rate (CAGR), from $428.02M to $193.83M.
- What does free cash flow mean?
- The cash a company has left over after paying for its operating expenses and capital investments.