Free cash flow
Cheniere Energy Free cash flow decreased by 73.8% to $344.00M in Q1 2026 compared to the prior quarter. Year-over-year, this metric declined by 43.1%, from $605.00M to $344.00M. Over 4 years (FY 2021 to FY 2025), Free cash flow shows an upward trend with a 13.1% 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.
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 | $57.00M | $363.00M | $207.00M | $2.48B | $1.67B | $2.08B | $2.46B | $2.71B | $1.25B | $1.31B | $1.03B | $596.00M | $613.00M | $875.00M | $1.07B | $605.00M | -$193.00M | $738.00M | $1.31B | $344.00M |
| QoQ Change | — | +536.8% | -43.0% | >999% | -32.5% | +24.6% | +18.1% | +10.1% | -54.0% | +5.2% | -21.6% | -42.1% | +2.9% | +42.7% | +22.5% | -43.6% | -131.9% | +482.4% | +77.6% | -73.8% |
| YoY Change | — | — | — | — | >999% | +473.8% | >999% | +9.4% | -25.4% | -37.0% | -58.2% | -78.0% | -50.8% | -33.3% | +4.2% | +1.5% | -131.5% | -15.7% | +22.3% | -43.1% |
Free cash flow at Other Companies
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is Cheniere Energy's free cash flow?
- Cheniere Energy (LNG) reported free cash flow of $344.00M in Q1 2026.
- How has Cheniere Energy's free cash flow changed year-over-year?
- Cheniere Energy's free cash flow decreased by 43.1% year-over-year, from $605.00M to $344.00M.
- What is the long-term trend for Cheniere Energy's free cash flow?
- Over 4 years (2021 to 2025), Cheniere Energy's free cash flow has grown at a 13.1% compound annual growth rate (CAGR), from $1.50B to $2.46B.
- What does free cash flow mean?
- The cash a company has left over after paying for its operating expenses and capital investments.