Free cash flow
CSX Free cash flow increased by 2.8% to $729.00M in Q1 2026 compared to the prior quarter. Year-over-year, this metric grew by 36.0%, from $536.00M to $729.00M. Over 4 years (FY 2021 to FY 2025), Free cash flow shows a downward trend with a -15.2% CAGR. This is a positive signal — higher values indicate stronger performance for this metric.
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 | $719.00M | $954.00M | $709.00M | $968.00M | $751.00M | $1.10B | $668.00M | $808.00M | $660.00M | $991.00M | $809.00M | $549.00M | $558.00M | $1.06B | $550.00M | $536.00M | -$141.00M | $607.00M | $709.00M | $729.00M |
| QoQ Change | — | +32.7% | -25.7% | +36.5% | -22.4% | +46.3% | -39.2% | +21.0% | -18.3% | +50.2% | -18.4% | -32.1% | +1.6% | +90.1% | -48.2% | -2.5% | -126.3% | +530.5% | +16.8% | +2.8% |
| YoY Change | — | — | — | — | +4.5% | +15.2% | -5.8% | -16.5% | -12.1% | -9.8% | +21.1% | -32.1% | -15.5% | +7.1% | -32.0% | -2.4% | -125.3% | -42.8% | +28.9% | +36.0% |
Free cash flow at Other Companies
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is CSX's free cash flow?
- CSX (CSX) reported free cash flow of $729.00M in Q1 2026.
- How has CSX's free cash flow changed year-over-year?
- CSX's free cash flow increased by 36.0% year-over-year, from $536.00M to $729.00M.
- What is the long-term trend for CSX's free cash flow?
- Over 4 years (2021 to 2025), CSX's free cash flow has grown at a -15.2% compound annual growth rate (CAGR), from $3.31B to $1.71B.
- What does free cash flow mean?
- The cash a company has left over after paying for its operating expenses and capital investments.