Free cash flow
Nasdaq, Inc. Free cash flow increased by 17.4% to $629.00M in Q1 2026 compared to the prior quarter. Year-over-year, this metric grew by 2.4%, from $614.00M to $629.00M. Over 4 years (FY 2021 to FY 2025), Free cash flow shows an upward trend with a 21.3% CAGR. This is a positive signal — higher values indicate stronger performance for this metric.
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 | $34.00M | $200.00M | $334.00M | $570.00M | $333.00M | $191.00M | $460.00M | $525.00M | $375.00M | $263.00M | $375.00M | $491.00M | $408.00M | $188.00M | $645.00M | $614.00M | $687.00M | $152.00M | $536.00M | $629.00M |
| QoQ Change | — | +488.2% | +67.0% | +70.7% | -41.6% | -42.6% | +140.8% | +14.1% | -28.6% | -29.9% | +42.6% | +30.9% | -16.9% | -53.9% | +243.1% | -4.8% | +11.9% | -77.9% | +252.6% | +17.4% |
| YoY Change | — | — | — | — | +879.4% | -4.5% | +37.7% | -7.9% | +12.6% | +37.7% | -18.5% | -6.5% | +8.8% | -28.5% | +72.0% | +25.1% | +68.4% | -19.1% | -16.9% | +2.4% |
Free cash flow at Other Companies
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is Nasdaq, Inc.'s free cash flow?
- Nasdaq, Inc. (NDAQ) reported free cash flow of $629.00M in Q1 2026.
- How has Nasdaq, Inc.'s free cash flow changed year-over-year?
- Nasdaq, Inc.'s free cash flow increased by 2.4% year-over-year, from $614.00M to $629.00M.
- What is the long-term trend for Nasdaq, Inc.'s free cash flow?
- Over 4 years (2021 to 2025), Nasdaq, Inc.'s free cash flow has grown at a 21.3% compound annual growth rate (CAGR), from $920.00M to $1.99B.
- What does free cash flow mean?
- The cash a company has left over after paying for its operating expenses and capital investments.