Free cash flow
PayPal Holdings, Inc. Free cash flow decreased by 58.8% to $903.00M in Q1 2026 compared to the prior quarter. Year-over-year, this metric declined by 6.3%, from $964.00M to $903.00M. Over 4 years (FY 2021 to FY 2025), Free cash flow shows an upward trend with a 3.3% 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 | $1.06B | $1.29B | $1.01B | $1.03B | $1.08B | $1.57B | $1.43B | $1.00B | -$350.00M | $1.10B | $2.47B | $1.76B | $1.37B | $1.45B | $2.19B | $964.00M | $692.00M | $1.72B | $2.19B | $903.00M |
| QoQ Change | — | +21.4% | -21.7% | +1.9% | +4.8% | +46.3% | -8.9% | -30.2% | -135.0% | +414.6% | +124.3% | -28.6% | -22.4% | +5.6% | +51.6% | -56.0% | -28.2% | +148.3% | +27.5% | -58.8% |
| YoY Change | — | — | — | — | +1.5% | +22.3% | +42.3% | -2.5% | -132.6% | -30.0% | +72.3% | +76.3% | +490.9% | +31.2% | -11.3% | -45.3% | -49.4% | +18.9% | -0.0% | -6.3% |
Free cash flow at Other Companies
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is PayPal Holdings, Inc.'s free cash flow?
- PayPal Holdings, Inc. (PYPL) reported free cash flow of $903.00M in Q1 2026.
- How has PayPal Holdings, Inc.'s free cash flow changed year-over-year?
- PayPal Holdings, Inc.'s free cash flow decreased by 6.3% year-over-year, from $964.00M to $903.00M.
- What is the long-term trend for PayPal Holdings, Inc.'s free cash flow?
- Over 4 years (2021 to 2025), PayPal Holdings, Inc.'s free cash flow has grown at a 3.3% compound annual growth rate (CAGR), from $4.89B to $5.56B.
- What does free cash flow mean?
- The cash a company has left over after paying for its operating expenses and capital investments.