Free cash flow
Eli Lilly Free cash flow increased by 343.6% to $3.01B in Q1 2026 compared to the prior quarter. Year-over-year, this metric grew by 1826.3%, from $156.10M to $3.01B. Over 3 years (FY 2021 to FY 2025), Free cash flow shows an upward trend with a 14.7% 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 | Q1 '24 | Q2 '24 | Q3 '24 | Q4 '24 | Q1 '25 | Q2 '25 | Q3 '25 | Q4 '25 | Q1 '26 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Value | $1.39B | $1.29B | $1.87B | $2.13B | $449.70M | $1.57B | $1.08B | $1.06B | -$106.30M | $1.22B | $179.70M | $241.40M | $2.36B | $977.80M | $156.10M | $1.39B | $6.75B | $677.90M | $3.01B |
| QoQ Change | — | -7.2% | +44.1% | +14.4% | -78.9% | +248.6% | -31.2% | -1.6% | -110.0% | >999% | -85.3% | +34.3% | +878.1% | -58.6% | -84.0% | +790.3% | +385.6% | -90.0% | +343.6% |
| YoY Change | — | — | — | — | -67.7% | +21.1% | -42.1% | -50.2% | -123.6% | -22.2% | -83.1% | +327.1% | +93.7% | — | -13.1% | +475.7% | +185.8% | -30.7% | >999% |
Free cash flow at Other Companies
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is Eli Lilly's free cash flow?
- Eli Lilly (LLY) reported free cash flow of $3.01B in Q1 2026.
- How has Eli Lilly's free cash flow changed year-over-year?
- Eli Lilly's free cash flow increased by 1826.3% year-over-year, from $156.10M to $3.01B.
- What is the long-term trend for Eli Lilly's free cash flow?
- Over 3 years (2021 to 2025), Eli Lilly's free cash flow has grown at a 14.7% compound annual growth rate (CAGR), from $5.95B to $8.97B.
- What does free cash flow mean?
- The cash a company has left over after paying for its operating expenses and capital investments.