Free cash flow
Nucor Free cash flow increased by 7600.0% to $225.00M in Q1 2026 compared to the prior quarter. Year-over-year, this metric grew by 145.5%, from -$495.00M to $225.00M. Over 2 years (FY 2021 to FY 2025), Free cash flow shows a downward trend with a -79.8% 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 | Q1 '24 | Q2 '24 | Q3 '24 | Q1 '25 | Q2 '25 | Q3 '25 | Q4 '25 | Q1 '26 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Value | $963.91M | $1.23B | $2.20B | $2.02B | $1.74B | $2.34B | $2.02B | $675.44M | $1.40B | -$210.69M | $684.38M | $478.08M | -$495.00M | -$222.00M | $532.00M | -$3.00M | $225.00M |
| QoQ Change | — | +27.9% | +78.1% | -7.8% | -14.0% | +34.6% | -14.0% | -66.5% | +106.5% | -115.1% | +424.8% | -30.1% | -203.5% | +55.2% | +339.6% | -100.6% | >999% |
| YoY Change | — | — | — | — | +80.6% | +90.1% | -8.2% | -66.6% | -19.8% | -131.2% | -50.9% | — | -134.9% | -132.4% | +11.3% | — | +145.5% |
Free cash flow at Other Companies
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is Nucor's free cash flow?
- Nucor (NUE) reported free cash flow of $225.00M in Q1 2026.
- How has Nucor's free cash flow changed year-over-year?
- Nucor's free cash flow increased by 145.5% year-over-year, from -$495.00M to $225.00M.
- What is the long-term trend for Nucor's free cash flow?
- Over 2 years (2021 to 2025), Nucor's free cash flow has grown at a -79.8% compound annual growth rate (CAGR), from $4.61B to -$188.00M.
- What does free cash flow mean?
- The cash a company has left over after paying for its operating expenses and capital investments.