Free cash flow
Qualcomm Free cash flow decreased by 56.6% to $1.92B in Q1 2026 compared to the prior quarter. Year-over-year, this metric declined by 18.1%, from $2.34B to $1.92B. Over 4 years (FY 2021 to FY 2025), Free cash flow shows an upward trend with a 10.3% 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.
cf_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 | $2.87B | $647.00M | $1.47B | $2.21B | $2.34B | $812.00M | $2.70B | $1.00B | $2.35B | $3.80B | $2.74B | $3.37B | $2.67B | $2.39B | $4.31B | $2.34B | $2.58B | $3.59B | $4.42B | $1.92B |
| QoQ Change | — | -77.4% | +127.8% | +49.7% | +6.1% | -65.3% | +232.1% | -62.8% | +134.2% | +61.5% | -28.0% | +23.2% | -20.9% | -10.3% | +80.3% | -45.7% | +10.3% | +39.1% | +23.0% | -56.6% |
| YoY Change | — | — | — | — | -18.3% | +25.5% | +83.0% | -54.5% | +0.4% | +367.6% | +1.4% | +235.7% | +13.4% | -37.0% | +57.6% | -30.6% | -3.2% | +50.1% | +2.5% | -18.1% |
Free cash flow at Other Companies
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is Qualcomm's free cash flow?
- Qualcomm (QCOM) reported free cash flow of $1.92B in Q1 2026.
- How has Qualcomm's free cash flow changed year-over-year?
- Qualcomm's free cash flow decreased by 18.1% year-over-year, from $2.34B to $1.92B.
- What is the long-term trend for Qualcomm's free cash flow?
- Over 4 years (2021 to 2025), Qualcomm's free cash flow has grown at a 10.3% compound annual growth rate (CAGR), from $8.65B to $12.82B.
- What does free cash flow mean?
- The cash a company has left over after paying for its operating expenses and capital investments.