Free cash flow
W.W. Grainger Free cash flow increased by 111.5% to $569.00M in Q1 2026 compared to the prior quarter. Year-over-year, this metric grew by 9.2%, from $521.00M to $569.00M. Over 4 years (FY 2021 to FY 2025), Free cash flow shows an upward trend with a 18.2% 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 | $195.00M | $111.00M | $155.00M | $286.00M | $144.00M | $335.00M | $312.00M | $356.00M | $355.00M | $398.00M | $477.00M | $542.00M | $335.00M | $523.00M | $170.00M | $521.00M | $202.00M | $339.00M | $269.00M | $569.00M |
| QoQ Change | — | -43.1% | +39.6% | +84.5% | -49.7% | +132.6% | -6.9% | +14.1% | -0.3% | +12.1% | +19.8% | +13.6% | -38.2% | +56.1% | -67.5% | +206.5% | -61.2% | +67.8% | -20.6% | +111.5% |
| YoY Change | — | — | — | — | -26.2% | +201.8% | +101.3% | +24.5% | +146.5% | +18.8% | +52.9% | +52.2% | -5.6% | +31.4% | -64.4% | -3.9% | -39.7% | -35.2% | +58.2% | +9.2% |
Free cash flow at Other Companies
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is W.W. Grainger's free cash flow?
- W.W. Grainger (GWW) reported free cash flow of $569.00M in Q1 2026.
- How has W.W. Grainger's free cash flow changed year-over-year?
- W.W. Grainger's free cash flow increased by 9.2% year-over-year, from $521.00M to $569.00M.
- What is the long-term trend for W.W. Grainger's free cash flow?
- Over 4 years (2021 to 2025), W.W. Grainger's free cash flow has grown at a 18.2% compound annual growth rate (CAGR), from $682.00M to $1.33B.
- What does free cash flow mean?
- The cash a company has left over after paying for its operating expenses and capital investments.