Operating Cash Flow
Merck & Co. Operating Cash Flow increased by 37.1% to $3.92B in Q1 2026 compared to the prior quarter. Year-over-year, this metric grew by 56.7%, from $2.50B to $3.92B. Over 4 years (FY 2021 to FY 2025), Operating Cash Flow shows an upward trend with a 5.8% CAGR. This is a positive signal — higher values indicate stronger performance for this metric.
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 | $1.44B | $4.80B | $5.10B | $4.76B | $4.30B | $5.60B | $4.43B | $1.34B | $3.70B | $7.72B | $246.00M | $3.09B | $5.64B | $9.29B | $3.45B | $2.50B | $3.29B | $7.82B | $2.86B | $3.92B |
| QoQ Change | — | +233.4% | +6.2% | -6.6% | -9.6% | +30.2% | -20.9% | -69.8% | +176.6% | +108.3% | -96.8% | >999% | +82.4% | +64.8% | -62.9% | -27.5% | +31.7% | +137.5% | -63.5% | +37.1% |
| YoY Change | — | — | — | — | +199.0% | +16.8% | -13.1% | -71.9% | -13.9% | +37.8% | -94.4% | +130.8% | +52.2% | +20.4% | >999% | -19.1% | -41.6% | -15.8% | -17.2% | +56.7% |
Operating Cash Flow at Other Companies
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is Merck & Co.'s operating cash flow?
- Merck & Co. (MRK) reported operating cash flow of $3.92B in Q1 2026.
- How has Merck & Co.'s operating cash flow changed year-over-year?
- Merck & Co.'s operating cash flow increased by 56.7% year-over-year, from $2.50B to $3.92B.
- What is the long-term trend for Merck & Co.'s operating cash flow?
- Over 4 years (2021 to 2025), Merck & Co.'s operating cash flow has grown at a 5.8% compound annual growth rate (CAGR), from $13.12B to $16.47B.
- What does operating cash flow mean?
- The actual amount of cash a company brings in from its day-to-day business activities.