Free cash flow
General Dynamics Free cash flow increased by 105.0% to $1.95B in Q1 2026 compared to the prior quarter. Year-over-year, this metric grew by 773.1%, from -$290.00M to $1.95B. Over 4 years (FY 2021 to FY 2025), Free cash flow shows an upward trend with a 4.0% 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 | $943.00M | $1.28B | $1.30B | $1.83B | $435.00M | $1.03B | $175.00M | $1.30B | $519.00M | $1.09B | $892.00M | -$437.00M | $613.00M | $1.22B | $1.81B | -$290.00M | $1.40B | $1.90B | $952.00M | $1.95B |
| QoQ Change | — | +35.2% | +1.7% | +40.9% | -76.2% | +136.3% | -83.0% | +643.4% | -60.1% | +110.8% | -18.5% | -149.0% | +240.3% | +98.2% | +48.6% | -116.1% | +582.8% | +35.5% | -49.8% | +105.0% |
| YoY Change | — | — | — | — | -53.9% | -19.4% | -86.5% | -28.8% | +19.3% | +6.4% | +409.7% | -133.6% | +18.1% | +11.1% | +102.4% | +33.6% | +128.4% | +56.1% | -47.3% | +773.1% |
Free cash flow at Other Companies
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is General Dynamics's free cash flow?
- General Dynamics (GD) reported free cash flow of $1.95B in Q1 2026.
- How has General Dynamics's free cash flow changed year-over-year?
- General Dynamics's free cash flow increased by 773.1% year-over-year, from -$290.00M to $1.95B.
- What is the long-term trend for General Dynamics's free cash flow?
- Over 4 years (2021 to 2025), General Dynamics's free cash flow has grown at a 4.0% compound annual growth rate (CAGR), from $3.38B to $3.96B.
- What does free cash flow mean?
- The cash a company has left over after paying for its operating expenses and capital investments.