Operating Cash Flow
Waste Management Operating Cash Flow decreased by 11.6% to $1.50B in Q1 2026 compared to the prior quarter. Year-over-year, this metric grew by 24.3%, from $1.21B to $1.50B. Over 4 years (FY 2021 to FY 2025), Operating Cash Flow shows an upward trend with a 8.6% 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 | $1.04B | $1.18B | $991.00M | $1.26B | $1.05B | $1.18B | $1.05B | $1.04B | $1.03B | $1.26B | $1.38B | $1.37B | $1.15B | $1.36B | $1.51B | $1.21B | $1.55B | $1.59B | $1.70B | $1.50B |
| QoQ Change | — | +13.5% | -16.3% | +26.9% | -16.8% | +12.9% | -11.3% | -0.5% | -1.3% | +22.6% | +9.4% | -1.1% | -15.6% | +17.7% | +11.3% | -20.1% | +27.9% | +3.0% | +6.7% | -11.6% |
| YoY Change | — | — | — | — | +0.4% | -0.2% | +5.9% | -17.0% | -1.6% | +6.9% | +31.7% | +30.9% | +12.0% | +7.5% | +9.3% | -11.6% | +33.9% | +17.2% | +12.4% | +24.3% |
Operating Cash Flow at Other Companies
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is Waste Management's operating cash flow?
- Waste Management (WM) reported operating cash flow of $1.50B in Q1 2026.
- How has Waste Management's operating cash flow changed year-over-year?
- Waste Management's operating cash flow increased by 24.3% year-over-year, from $1.21B to $1.50B.
- What is the long-term trend for Waste Management's operating cash flow?
- Over 4 years (2021 to 2025), Waste Management's operating cash flow has grown at a 8.6% compound annual growth rate (CAGR), from $4.34B to $6.04B.
- What does operating cash flow mean?
- The actual amount of cash a company brings in from its day-to-day business activities.