Free cash flow
Kimberly-Clark Free cash flow decreased by 44.2% to $321.00M in Q1 2026 compared to the prior quarter. Year-over-year, this metric grew by 161.0%, from $123.00M to $321.00M. Over 4 years (FY 2021 to FY 2025), Free cash flow shows relatively stable performance with a -1.2% 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 | $364.00M | $547.00M | $789.00M | -$49.00M | $523.00M | $589.00M | $794.00M | $412.00M | $599.00M | $767.00M | $998.00M | $244.00M | $863.00M | $798.00M | $608.00M | $123.00M | $573.00M | $368.00M | $575.00M | $321.00M |
| QoQ Change | — | +50.3% | +44.2% | -106.2% | >999% | +12.6% | +34.8% | -48.1% | +45.4% | +28.0% | +30.1% | -75.6% | +253.7% | -7.5% | -23.8% | -79.8% | +365.9% | -35.8% | +56.3% | -44.2% |
| YoY Change | — | — | — | — | +43.7% | +7.7% | +0.6% | +940.8% | +14.5% | +30.2% | +25.7% | -40.8% | +44.1% | +4.0% | -39.1% | -49.6% | -33.6% | -53.9% | -5.4% | +161.0% |
Free cash flow at Other Companies
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is Kimberly-Clark's free cash flow?
- Kimberly-Clark (KMB) reported free cash flow of $321.00M in Q1 2026.
- How has Kimberly-Clark's free cash flow changed year-over-year?
- Kimberly-Clark's free cash flow increased by 161.0% year-over-year, from $123.00M to $321.00M.
- What is the long-term trend for Kimberly-Clark's free cash flow?
- Over 4 years (2021 to 2025), Kimberly-Clark's free cash flow has grown at a -1.2% compound annual growth rate (CAGR), from $1.72B to $1.64B.
- What does free cash flow mean?
- The cash a company has left over after paying for its operating expenses and capital investments.