Free cash flow
Hershey Free cash flow decreased by 55.1% to $354.21M in Q1 2026 compared to the prior quarter. Year-over-year, this metric grew by 41.0%, from $251.16M to $354.21M. Over 4 years (FY 2021 to FY 2025), Free cash flow shows an upward trend with a 3.5% 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.
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 | $294.88M | $266.22M | $530.74M | $515.40M | $357.41M | $327.39M | $608.16M | $579.30M | $140.00M | $297.64M | $535.14M | $355.83M | $195.45M | $567.30M | $807.08M | $251.16M | $27.13M | $755.99M | $788.47M | $354.21M |
| QoQ Change | — | -9.7% | +99.4% | -2.9% | -30.7% | -8.4% | +85.8% | -4.7% | -75.8% | +112.6% | +79.8% | -33.5% | -45.1% | +190.2% | +42.3% | -68.9% | -89.2% | >999% | +4.3% | -55.1% |
| YoY Change | — | — | — | — | +21.2% | +23.0% | +14.6% | +12.4% | -60.8% | -9.1% | -12.0% | -38.6% | +39.6% | +90.6% | +50.8% | -29.4% | -86.1% | +33.3% | -2.3% | +41.0% |
Free cash flow at Other Companies
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is Hershey's free cash flow?
- Hershey (HSY) reported free cash flow of $354.21M in Q1 2026.
- How has Hershey's free cash flow changed year-over-year?
- Hershey's free cash flow increased by 41.0% year-over-year, from $251.16M to $354.21M.
- What is the long-term trend for Hershey's free cash flow?
- Over 4 years (2021 to 2025), Hershey's free cash flow has grown at a 3.5% compound annual growth rate (CAGR), from $1.59B to $1.82B.
- What does free cash flow mean?
- The cash a company has left over after paying for its operating expenses and capital investments.