NI
NI
Latest · Mar 31, 2026
Quarter ended Mar 31, 2026 · FY2026 Q1

NiSource Inc stock research

NiSource (NI) Free Cash Flow & Quarterly History

Explore NiSource Inc (NI) free cash flow from 2023 through the latest reported quarter, with SEC-sourced operating cash flow, capital expenditures, and period-by-period analysis.

Free cash flow takeaway

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

Operating cash flow was lower than capital expenditure, resulting in negative free cash flow and a weakened free cash flow margin. Revenue was higher than the same quarter last year but lower than the preceding quarter.

  • Operating cash flow did not cover capital expenditure, producing a negative free cash flow and a free cash flow margin that contracted compared to both the prior quarter and the year-ago quarter.
  • Compared to the preceding quarter, operating cash flow decreased and capital expenditure was slightly lower, but free cash flow turned more negative and the margin weakened. Versus the same quarter one year earlier, revenue and capital expenditure increased while operating cash flow and free cash flow decreased, swinging from positive to negative free cash flow.

FCF snapshot

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

TTM free cash flow

-$832.0M

Trailing twelve-month free cash flow.

Quarter free cash flow

-$362.9M

Free cash flow in the selected fiscal quarter.

Operating cash flow

$442.3M

Cash generated by operations before capital spending.

CapEx

$805.2M

Capital spending and related asset purchases.

FCF margin

-15.6%

The share of revenue converted into free cash flow.

TTM FCF yield

-3.8%

TTM FCF divided by market capitalization.

FCF reconciliation

Free cash flow is not a GAAP line item; it should be bridged from the cash flow statement.

Operating cash flow$442.3MCash generated by operations before capital spending.
Capital expenditures$805.2MCapital spending used to bridge CFO to FCF.
Free cash flow-$362.9MOperating cash flow less capital spending.

Cash flow trend

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

PeriodRevenueOperating CFCapExFCFFCF margin
2022-06-30$1.2B$327.4M$466.9M-$139.5M-12.1%
2022-09-30$1.1B$129.0M$606.0M-$477.0M-45.1%
2022-12-31$1.7B$373.2M$680.1M-$306.9M-18.2%
2023-03-31$1.9B$683.4M$557.1M$126.3M6.7%
2023-06-30$1.1B$507.6M$604.8M-$97.2M-9.1%
2023-09-30$1.0B$344.9M$723.7M-$378.8M-37.8%
2023-12-31$1.4B$399.2M$760.2M-$361.0M-26.1%
2024-03-31$1.6B$456.2M$589.5M-$133.3M-8.1%
2024-06-30$1.1B$445.5M$629.8M-$184.3M-17.5%
2024-09-30$1.0B$340.0M$634.7M-$294.7M-28.2%
2024-12-31$5.3B$539.8M$760.0M-$220.2M-4.2%
2025-03-31$2.1B$686.4M$637.3M$49.1M2.3%
2025-06-30$1.2B$495.4M$658.2M-$162.8M-13.1%
2025-09-30$1.2B$467.9M$640.5M-$172.6M-13.9%
2025-12-31$6.5B$712.6M$846.3M-$133.7M-2.0%
2026-03-31$2.3B$442.3M$805.2M-$362.9M-15.6%

Cash conversion quality

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

FCF / net income-71.6%Shows whether accounting earnings convert into cash.
CapEx / revenue34.7%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.

Watch

Capital expenditure outpaced operating cash flow

Capital expenditure was substantially higher than operating cash flow, which is the primary observable driver of the negative free cash flow and margin decline.

This imbalance caused free cash flow to decline from positive a year ago to deeply negative in the current quarter.

What the cash flow says

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

Operating cash flow did not cover capital expenditure, producing a negative free cash flow and a free cash flow margin that contracted compared to both the prior quarter and the year-ago quarter.

Compared to the preceding quarter, operating cash flow decreased and capital expenditure was slightly lower, but free cash flow turned more negative and the margin weakened. Versus the same quarter one year earlier, revenue and capital expenditure increased while operating cash flow and free cash flow decreased, swinging from positive to negative free cash flow.

Monitor whether capital expenditure remains elevated relative to operating cash flow, as the gap widened significantly in the current quarter.

Valuation context

A cash-flow page should show how much investors are paying for the cash stream, without turning into a full DCF.

Market capitalization$22.0BUsed as the denominator for FCF yield.
TTM FCF yield-3.8%TTM free cash flow divided by market capitalization.
EV / TTM FCFn/aA quick valuation bridge, not a full DCF.

Peer context

Free cash flow quality is easier to read against related public companies.

NI
NI

NiSource Inc

FCF margin

-15.6%

FCF yield

-3.8%

Risks and tripwires

Observable signals that would weaken the free cash flow thesis.

RiskTripwireWhy it matters
FCF margin compressionFCF margin falls for two consecutive quarters.Cash conversion may be weakening before earnings show it.
Capital intensity risesCapEx/revenue moves materially above the recent run rate.More operating cash flow would be consumed before becoming FCF.
Working capital dragInventory or receivables grow faster than revenue.Reported growth may not translate into cash.