Free cash flow
Waters Corporation Free cash flow decreased by 133.4% to -$42.00M in Q1 2026 compared to the prior quarter. Year-over-year, this metric declined by 117.9%, from $234.00M to -$42.00M. Over 4 years (FY 2021 to FY 2025), Free cash flow shows relatively stable performance with a -2.0% 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 | $105.65M | $128.17M | $173.29M | $170.21M | $9.91M | $119.10M | $136.53M | $162.36M | -$28.49M | $119.77M | $188.53M | $234.22M | $18.43M | $178.96M | $188.04M | $234.00M | $18.36M | $161.87M | $125.58M | -$42.00M |
| QoQ Change | — | +21.3% | +35.2% | -1.8% | -94.2% | >999% | +14.6% | +18.9% | -117.5% | +520.4% | +57.4% | +24.2% | -92.1% | +871.0% | +5.1% | +24.4% | -92.2% | +781.8% | -22.4% | -133.4% |
| YoY Change | — | — | — | — | -90.6% | -7.1% | -21.2% | -4.6% | -387.5% | +0.6% | +38.1% | +44.3% | +164.7% | +49.4% | -0.3% | -0.1% | -0.4% | -9.5% | -33.2% | -117.9% |
Free cash flow at Other Companies
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is Waters Corporation's free cash flow?
- Waters Corporation (WAT) reported free cash flow of -$42.00M in Q1 2026.
- How has Waters Corporation's free cash flow changed year-over-year?
- Waters Corporation's free cash flow decreased by 117.9% year-over-year, from $234.00M to -$42.00M.
- What is the long-term trend for Waters Corporation's free cash flow?
- Over 4 years (2021 to 2025), Waters Corporation's free cash flow has grown at a -2.0% compound annual growth rate (CAGR), from $586.01M to $539.81M.
- What does free cash flow mean?
- The cash a company has left over after paying for its operating expenses and capital investments.