Operating Cash Flow
Mastercard Operating Cash Flow decreased by 40.0% to $3.00B in Q1 2026 compared to the prior quarter. Year-over-year, this metric grew by 26.0%, from $2.38B to $3.00B. Over 4 years (FY 2021 to FY 2025), Operating Cash Flow shows an upward trend with a 16.9% CAGR. This decline may warrant attention — for this metric, higher values are generally preferred.
Analysis
How to read this metric
Consistently high operating cash flow indicates a healthy, self-sustaining business capable of funding its own growth and returning capital to shareholders.
Detailed definition
Net cash from operating activities measures the total amount of cash generated by a company's core business operations....
Peer comparison
Investors often compare this to capital expenditures to calculate Free Cash Flow, a primary valuation metric for mature tech giants.
net_cash_from_operatingHistorical 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 | $2.27B | $2.54B | $3.19B | $1.78B | $2.46B | $3.86B | $3.10B | $1.92B | $2.70B | $3.23B | $4.13B | $1.67B | $3.14B | $5.14B | $4.83B | $2.38B | $4.60B | $5.66B | $5.00B | $3.00B |
| QoQ Change | — | +12.1% | +25.4% | -44.1% | +37.9% | +56.9% | -19.6% | -38.1% | +40.6% | +19.8% | +27.7% | -59.5% | +87.7% | +63.7% | -5.9% | -50.8% | +93.4% | +23.0% | -11.7% | -40.0% |
| YoY Change | — | — | — | — | +8.3% | +51.6% | -2.8% | +7.7% | +9.8% | -16.2% | +33.2% | -12.9% | +16.3% | +58.9% | +17.0% | +42.3% | +46.7% | +10.3% | +3.5% | +26.0% |
Operating Cash Flow at Other Companies
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is Mastercard's operating cash flow?
- Mastercard (MA) reported operating cash flow of $3.00B in Q1 2026.
- How has Mastercard's operating cash flow changed year-over-year?
- Mastercard's operating cash flow increased by 26.0% year-over-year, from $2.38B to $3.00B.
- What is the long-term trend for Mastercard's operating cash flow?
- Over 4 years (2021 to 2025), Mastercard's operating cash flow has grown at a 16.9% compound annual growth rate (CAGR), from $9.46B to $17.65B.
- What does operating cash flow mean?
- The actual amount of cash a company brings in from its day-to-day business activities.