CO
COF
Dec 31, 2025
Quarter ended Dec 31, 2025 · FY2025 Q4

Capital One Financial Corporation stock research

Capital One Financial (COF) Free Cash Flow — Quarter Ended Dec 31, 2025

Free cash flow and margin were lower than the prior quarter but higher than the same quarter last year. The quarter's cash conversion remained strong relative to revenue.

Free cash flow takeaway

A quick read on the company's cash generation and what it means for investors.

Free cash flow and margin were lower than the prior quarter but higher than the same quarter last year. The quarter's cash conversion remained strong relative to revenue.

  • Operating cash flow exceeded revenue, resulting in a free cash flow margin above the prior year's level. Capital expenditure was lower than operating cash flow, supporting a high free cash flow.
  • Compared to the prior quarter, revenue was higher while operating cash flow, free cash flow, and margin were lower. Compared to the same quarter one year ago, all metrics were higher.

FCF snapshot

Quarterly and TTM cash-flow metrics with the minimum valuation context.

TTM free cash flow

$26.1B

Trailing twelve-month free cash flow.

Quarter free cash flow

$7.4B

Free cash flow in the selected fiscal quarter.

Operating cash flow

$7.8B

Cash generated by operations before capital spending.

CapEx

$444.0M

Capital spending and related asset purchases.

FCF margin

302.0%

The share of revenue converted into free cash flow.

Cash flow trend

A short quarterly history shows whether FCF is scaling with revenue or only spiking for one period.

PeriodRevenueOperating CFCapExFCFFCF margin
2025-03-31$1.5B$4.7B$348.0M$4.3B290.1%
2025-06-30$1.8B$6.1B$399.0M$5.7B307.3%
2025-09-30$2.3B$9.2B$387.0M$8.8B384.0%
2025-12-31$2.4B$7.8B$444.0M$7.4B302.0%

Cash conversion quality

Checks that separate high-quality free cash flow from accounting noise or working-capital timing.

FCF / net income346.2%Shows whether accounting earnings convert into cash.
CapEx / revenue18.2%Lower capital intensity usually supports FCF margin.
Net cashn/aCash and equivalents minus total debt.

Recent events shaping cash flow

Near-term business events that help explain the free cash flow result.

Supportive

Year-over-year operating cash flow improvement

Operating cash flow was higher than the prior year quarter, leading to a higher free cash flow and margin. This was the strongest observable driver of the quarter's cash generation.

The higher operating cash flow directly supported a higher free cash flow compared to the year-ago period.

What the cash flow says

How to interpret the company's free cash flow beyond the headline number.

Operating cash flow exceeded revenue, resulting in a free cash flow margin above the prior year's level. Capital expenditure was lower than operating cash flow, supporting a high free cash flow.

Compared to the prior quarter, revenue was higher while operating cash flow, free cash flow, and margin were lower. Compared to the same quarter one year ago, all metrics were higher.

The sequential decline in operating cash flow despite higher revenue is a concrete item to monitor.