Free cash flow
CRH Free cash flow decreased by 158.1% to -$1.22B in Q1 2026 compared to the prior quarter. Year-over-year, this metric grew by 6.7%, from -$1.30B to -$1.22B. Over 4 years (FY 2021 to FY 2025), Free cash flow shows an upward trend with a 4.7% 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 | $606.25M | $606.25M | $606.25M | $569.25M | $569.25M | $569.25M | $569.25M | -$1.00B | $1.20B | $1.23B | $1.78B | -$1.22B | $861.00M | $981.00M | $1.79B | -$1.30B | $723.00M | $1.40B | $2.09B | -$1.22B |
| QoQ Change | — | +0.0% | +0.0% | -6.1% | +0.0% | +0.0% | +0.0% | -276.2% | +219.1% | +2.7% | +45.2% | -168.4% | +170.7% | +13.9% | +82.2% | -173.0% | +155.4% | +93.5% | +49.7% | -158.1% |
| YoY Change | — | — | — | — | -6.1% | -6.1% | -6.1% | -276.2% | +109.9% | +115.5% | +212.9% | -21.4% | -27.9% | -20.0% | +0.3% | -7.1% | -16.0% | +42.6% | +17.2% | +6.7% |
Free cash flow at Other Companies
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is CRH's free cash flow?
- CRH (CRH) reported free cash flow of -$1.22B in Q1 2026.
- How has CRH's free cash flow changed year-over-year?
- CRH's free cash flow increased by 6.7% year-over-year, from -$1.30B to -$1.22B.
- What is the long-term trend for CRH's free cash flow?
- Over 4 years (2021 to 2025), CRH's free cash flow has grown at a 4.7% compound annual growth rate (CAGR), from $2.43B to $2.91B.
- What does free cash flow mean?
- The cash a company has left over after paying for its operating expenses and capital investments.