Free cash flow
Sherwin-Williams Free cash flow decreased by 99.9% to $800.00K in Q1 2026 compared to the prior quarter. Year-over-year, this metric grew by 100.3%, from -$250.40M to $800.00K. Over 4 years (FY 2021 to FY 2025), Free cash flow shows an upward trend with a 9.1% 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 | $918.50M | $752.70M | $70.00M | -$80.00M | $483.90M | $464.30M | $407.20M | -$121.70M | $1.00B | $1.16B | $599.10M | -$342.70M | $952.00M | $839.40M | $634.50M | -$250.40M | $931.10M | $1.11B | $862.10M | $800.00K |
| QoQ Change | — | -18.1% | -90.7% | -214.3% | +704.9% | -4.1% | -12.3% | -129.9% | +921.9% | +15.5% | -48.2% | -157.2% | +377.8% | -11.8% | -24.4% | -139.5% | +471.8% | +19.3% | -22.4% | -99.9% |
| YoY Change | — | — | — | — | -47.3% | -38.3% | +481.7% | -52.1% | +106.7% | +148.9% | +47.1% | -181.6% | -4.8% | -27.4% | +5.9% | +26.9% | -2.2% | +32.4% | +35.9% | +100.3% |
Free cash flow at Other Companies
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is Sherwin-Williams's free cash flow?
- Sherwin-Williams (SHW) reported free cash flow of $800.00K in Q1 2026.
- How has Sherwin-Williams's free cash flow changed year-over-year?
- Sherwin-Williams's free cash flow increased by 100.3% year-over-year, from -$250.40M to $800.00K.
- What is the long-term trend for Sherwin-Williams's free cash flow?
- Over 4 years (2021 to 2025), Sherwin-Williams's free cash flow has grown at a 9.1% compound annual growth rate (CAGR), from $1.87B to $2.65B.
- What does free cash flow mean?
- The cash a company has left over after paying for its operating expenses and capital investments.