Operating Cash Flow
McDonald's Operating Cash Flow decreased by 10.6% to $2.41B in Q1 2026 compared to the prior quarter. Year-over-year, this metric declined by 0.7%, from $2.43B to $2.41B. Over 4 years (FY 2021 to FY 2025), Operating Cash Flow shows an upward trend with a 3.6% 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 | $1.73B | $2.62B | $2.67B | $2.13B | $618.10M | $2.43B | $2.20B | $2.42B | $1.67B | $3.03B | $2.49B | $2.39B | $1.69B | $2.74B | $2.63B | $2.43B | $2.00B | $3.43B | $2.70B | $2.41B |
| QoQ Change | — | +51.0% | +1.9% | -20.0% | -71.0% | +293.8% | -9.6% | +10.0% | -30.9% | +81.0% | -17.8% | -4.0% | -29.3% | +62.0% | -3.8% | -7.8% | -17.7% | +71.6% | -21.3% | -10.6% |
| YoY Change | — | — | — | — | -64.3% | -7.0% | -17.4% | +13.5% | +170.7% | +24.5% | +13.1% | -1.3% | +0.9% | -9.7% | +5.7% | +1.6% | +18.3% | +25.3% | +2.5% | -0.7% |
Operating Cash Flow at Other Companies
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is McDonald's's operating cash flow?
- McDonald's (MCD) reported operating cash flow of $2.41B in Q1 2026.
- How has McDonald's's operating cash flow changed year-over-year?
- McDonald's's operating cash flow decreased by 0.7% year-over-year, from $2.43B to $2.41B.
- What is the long-term trend for McDonald's's operating cash flow?
- Over 4 years (2021 to 2025), McDonald's's operating cash flow has grown at a 3.6% compound annual growth rate (CAGR), from $9.14B to $10.55B.
- What does operating cash flow mean?
- The actual amount of cash a company brings in from its day-to-day business activities.