Operating Cash Flow
3M Operating Cash Flow decreased by 63.7% to $574.00M in Q1 2026 compared to the prior quarter. Year-over-year, this metric grew by 826.6%, from -$79.00M to $574.00M. Over 4 years (FY 2021 to FY 2025), Operating Cash Flow shows a downward trend with a -25.4% 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 | $1.89B | $1.87B | $2.01B | $1.01B | $1.13B | $1.53B | $1.92B | $1.28B | $1.51B | $1.91B | $1.99B | $767.00M | $1.02B | -$1.79B | $1.82B | -$79.00M | -$954.00M | $1.76B | $1.58B | $574.00M |
| QoQ Change | — | -0.7% | +7.0% | -49.6% | +11.5% | +35.8% | +25.5% | -33.7% | +18.4% | +26.6% | +4.0% | -61.4% | +33.1% | -275.0% | +201.7% | -104.3% | <-999% | +284.1% | -9.9% | -63.7% |
| YoY Change | — | — | — | — | -40.3% | -18.3% | -4.1% | +26.1% | +33.9% | +24.8% | +3.3% | -39.8% | -32.3% | -193.6% | -8.5% | -110.3% | -193.4% | +198.3% | -12.9% | +826.6% |
Operating Cash Flow at Other Companies
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is 3M's operating cash flow?
- 3M (MMM) reported operating cash flow of $574.00M in Q1 2026.
- How has 3M's operating cash flow changed year-over-year?
- 3M's operating cash flow increased by 826.6% year-over-year, from -$79.00M to $574.00M.
- What is the long-term trend for 3M's operating cash flow?
- Over 4 years (2021 to 2025), 3M's operating cash flow has grown at a -25.4% compound annual growth rate (CAGR), from $7.45B to $2.31B.
- What does operating cash flow mean?
- The actual amount of cash a company brings in from its day-to-day business activities.