Free cash flow
Johnson & Johnson Free cash flow decreased by 73.2% to $1.47B in Q1 2026 compared to the prior quarter. Year-over-year, this metric declined by 56.6%, from $3.38B to $1.47B. Over 4 years (FY 2021 to FY 2025), Free cash flow shows relatively stable performance with a -0.1% 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 | $4.50B | $7.54B | $4.32B | $3.37B | $4.72B | $5.33B | $3.76B | $2.39B | $3.06B | $6.52B | $6.27B | $2.85B | $4.66B | $6.96B | $5.37B | $3.38B | $2.84B | $8.01B | $5.47B | $1.47B |
| QoQ Change | — | +67.6% | -42.8% | -21.9% | +39.9% | +13.0% | -29.4% | -36.4% | +27.7% | +113.3% | -3.8% | -54.6% | +63.4% | +49.5% | -22.9% | -37.1% | -16.1% | +182.6% | -31.7% | -73.2% |
| YoY Change | — | — | — | — | +4.8% | -29.3% | -12.8% | -29.0% | -35.2% | +22.3% | +66.7% | +19.0% | +52.3% | +6.8% | -14.4% | +18.6% | -39.1% | +15.0% | +1.9% | -56.6% |
Free cash flow at Other Companies
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is Johnson & Johnson's free cash flow?
- Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) reported free cash flow of $1.47B in Q1 2026.
- How has Johnson & Johnson's free cash flow changed year-over-year?
- Johnson & Johnson's free cash flow decreased by 56.6% year-over-year, from $3.38B to $1.47B.
- What is the long-term trend for Johnson & Johnson's free cash flow?
- Over 4 years (2021 to 2025), Johnson & Johnson's free cash flow has grown at a -0.1% compound annual growth rate (CAGR), from $19.76B to $19.70B.
- What does free cash flow mean?
- The cash a company has left over after paying for its operating expenses and capital investments.