Free cash flow
3M Free cash flow decreased by 73.9% to $349.00M in Q1 2026 compared to the prior quarter. Year-over-year, this metric grew by 210.8%, from -$315.00M to $349.00M. Over 4 years (FY 2021 to FY 2025), Free cash flow shows a downward trend with a -30.1% 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.
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 | Q4 '23 | Q1 '24 | Q2 '24 | Q3 '24 | Q4 '24 | Q1 '25 | Q2 '25 | Q3 '25 | Q4 '25 | Q1 '26 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Value | $1.49B | $1.53B | $1.45B | $587.00M | $743.00M | $1.10B | $1.42B | $800.00M | $1.13B | $1.51B | $1.63B | $392.00M | $752.00M | -$2.03B | $1.53B | -$315.00M | -$1.16B | $1.54B | $1.34B | $349.00M |
| QoQ Change | — | +2.5% | -5.4% | -59.5% | +26.6% | +47.5% | +29.2% | -43.5% | +41.5% | +33.0% | +8.2% | -75.9% | +91.8% | -370.3% | +175.1% | -120.6% | -268.9% | +232.4% | -13.2% | -73.9% |
| YoY Change | — | — | — | — | -50.2% | -28.4% | -2.3% | +36.3% | +52.4% | +37.3% | +15.0% | -51.0% | -33.6% | -235.1% | -6.2% | -180.4% | -254.5% | +175.7% | -12.6% | +210.8% |
Free cash flow at Other Companies
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is 3M's free cash flow?
- 3M (MMM) reported free cash flow of $349.00M in Q1 2026.
- How has 3M's free cash flow changed year-over-year?
- 3M's free cash flow increased by 210.8% year-over-year, from -$315.00M to $349.00M.
- What is the long-term trend for 3M's free cash flow?
- Over 4 years (2021 to 2025), 3M's free cash flow has grown at a -30.1% compound annual growth rate (CAGR), from $5.85B to $1.40B.
- What does free cash flow mean?
- The cash a company has left over after paying for its operating expenses and capital investments.