Free cash flow
MSCI Free cash flow decreased by 37.8% to $304.00M in Q1 2026 compared to the prior quarter. Year-over-year, this metric grew by 4.8%, from $290.10M to $304.00M. Over 4 years (FY 2021 to FY 2025), Free cash flow shows an upward trend with a 13.8% 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.
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 | $223.25M | $211.25M | $273.27M | $242.93M | $209.21M | $319.79M | $309.82M | $257.92M | $282.65M | $287.57M | $385.14M | $295.87M | $340.63M | $414.98M | $416.39M | $290.10M | $324.83M | $445.51M | $488.69M | $304.00M |
| QoQ Change | — | -5.4% | +29.4% | -11.1% | -13.9% | +52.9% | -3.1% | -16.8% | +9.6% | +1.7% | +33.9% | -23.2% | +15.1% | +21.8% | +0.3% | -30.3% | +12.0% | +37.2% | +9.7% | -37.8% |
| YoY Change | — | — | — | — | -6.3% | +51.4% | +13.4% | +6.2% | +35.1% | -10.1% | +24.3% | +14.7% | +20.5% | +44.3% | +8.1% | -1.9% | -4.6% | +7.4% | +17.4% | +4.8% |
Free cash flow at Other Companies
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is MSCI's free cash flow?
- MSCI (MSCI) reported free cash flow of $304.00M in Q1 2026.
- How has MSCI's free cash flow changed year-over-year?
- MSCI's free cash flow increased by 4.8% year-over-year, from $290.10M to $304.00M.
- What is the long-term trend for MSCI's free cash flow?
- Over 4 years (2021 to 2025), MSCI's free cash flow has grown at a 13.8% compound annual growth rate (CAGR), from $922.56M to $1.55B.
- What does free cash flow mean?
- The cash a company has left over after paying for its operating expenses and capital investments.