Caterpillar Free Cash Flow (FCF) History (CAT)

Caterpillar reported $8.92B in free cash flow for fiscal 2025, a decrease of 11.24% from the previous fiscal year, with a free cash flow margin of 13.19%.

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Caterpillar free cash flow by year

Caterpillar annual free cash flow

Fiscal yearPeriod endedFree cash flowChangeGrowthFCF margin
20252025-12-31$8.92B−$1.13B−11.24%+13.19%
20242024-12-31$10.05B−$1.24B−10.99%+15.50%
20232023-12-31$11.29B$4.82B+74.47%+16.83%
20222022-12-31$6.47B$365.0M+5.98%+10.89%
20212021-12-31$6.11B$756.0M+14.13%+11.98%
20202020-12-31$5.35B−$507.0M−8.66%+12.81%
20192019-12-31$5.86B$574.0M+10.87%+10.88%
20182018-12-31$5.28B$474.0M+9.86%+9.65%
20172017-12-31$4.81B$278.0M+6.14%+10.58%
20162016-12-31$4.53B−$781.0M−14.71%+11.75%
20152015-12-31$5.31B−$1.21B−18.52%+11.30%
20142014-12-31$6.52B−$1.15B−15.01%+11.81%
20132013-12-31$7.67B$5.83B+318.16%+13.78%
20122012-12-31$1.83B−$2.61B−58.71%+2.78%
20112011-12-31$4.44B$1.01B+29.35%+7.39%
20102010-12-31$3.43B−$1.56B−31.25%+8.06%
20092009-12-31$5.00B$2.64B+112.37%+15.42%
20082008-12-31$2.35B−$3.90B−62.40%+4.58%
20072007-12-31$6.25B+13.91%

Caterpillar free cash flow growth trends

Over the last five reported fiscal years, free cash flow grew from $5.35B to $8.92B, a compound annual growth rate of 10.76%. Caterpillar's latest reported quarter, Q2 2026, generated $3.78B in free cash flow, an increase of 47.41% year over year.

About the metric

What free cash flow means

Free cash flow is the cash a company generates from operations after capital expenditures. Positive FCF can fund dividends, buybacks, debt repayment, or reinvestment; negative FCF means capital spending exceeded operating cash flow for that period.

Calculation and source

How free cash flow is calculated

TickerStat calculates free cash flow as SEC-reported operating cash flow minus capital expenditures. FCF margin equals free cash flow divided by revenue. Fiscal periods can differ from calendar years, so the tables include exact period-end dates.

Review Caterpillar filings at SEC.gov ↗