Operating Cash Flow
Waters Corporation Operating Cash Flow decreased by 101.8% to -$3.00M in Q1 2026 compared to the prior quarter. Year-over-year, this metric declined by 101.2%, from $260.00M to -$3.00M. Over 4 years (FY 2021 to FY 2025), Operating Cash Flow shows a downward 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
Consistently high operating cash flow indicates a healthy, self-sustaining business capable of funding its own growth and returning capital to shareholders.
Detailed definition
Net cash from operating activities measures the total amount of cash generated by a company's core business operations....
Peer comparison
Investors often compare this to capital expenditures to calculate Free Cash Flow, a primary valuation metric for mature tech giants.
net_cash_from_operatingHistorical 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 | $143.04M | $167.89M | $217.94M | $197.96M | $56.90M | $158.09M | $198.71M | $196.75M | $18.12M | $157.82M | $230.12M | $262.87M | $54.53M | $204.58M | $240.14M | $260.00M | $40.69M | $187.31M | $164.55M | -$3.00M |
| QoQ Change | — | +17.4% | +29.8% | -9.2% | -71.3% | +177.8% | +25.7% | -1.0% | -90.8% | +771.1% | +45.8% | +14.2% | -79.3% | +275.1% | +17.4% | +8.3% | -84.3% | +360.3% | -12.1% | -101.8% |
| YoY Change | — | — | — | — | -60.2% | -5.8% | -8.8% | -0.6% | -68.2% | -0.2% | +15.8% | +33.6% | +201.0% | +29.6% | +4.4% | -1.1% | -25.4% | -8.4% | -31.5% | -101.2% |
Operating Cash Flow at Other Companies
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is Waters Corporation's operating cash flow?
- Waters Corporation (WAT) reported operating cash flow of -$3.00M in Q1 2026.
- How has Waters Corporation's operating cash flow changed year-over-year?
- Waters Corporation's operating cash flow decreased by 101.2% year-over-year, from $260.00M to -$3.00M.
- What is the long-term trend for Waters Corporation's operating cash flow?
- Over 4 years (2021 to 2025), Waters Corporation's operating cash flow has grown at a -3.3% compound annual growth rate (CAGR), from $747.27M to $652.56M.
- What does operating cash flow mean?
- The actual amount of cash a company brings in from its day-to-day business activities.