McDonald's (MCD) Cash Flow: Operating & Free Cash Flow

McDonald's (MCD) Cash Flow Statement

In fiscal 2025 (fiscal year ended Dec 31, 2025), McDonald's generated $10.55B of operating cash flow and spent $3.37B on capital expenditures. That left free cash flow of $7.19B, up 7.7% from $6.67B a year earlier, or 26.7% of revenue. It returned $7.17B to shareholders through $5.12B in dividends and $2.06B in share buybacks.

McDonald's Cash Flow Statement Analysis

Values in billions USD

Income Statement Balance Sheet Cash Flow Ratios

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Cash flow statement showing operating, investing, and financing activities for McDonald's Corporation (MCD) - Annual data in billions USD
Breakdown	FY 2025	FY 2024	FY 2023	FY 2022	FY 2021	FY 2020	FY 2019	FY 2018	FY 2017
Period ending	Dec 2025	Dec 2024	Dec 2023	Dec 2022	Dec 2021	Dec 2020	Dec 2019	Dec 2018	Dec 2017
Operating Activities
Net Income	8.56	8.22	8.47	6.18	7.55	4.73	6.03	5.92	5.19
Depreciation & Amortization	2.20	2.10	1.98	1.87	1.87	1.75	1.62	1.48	1.36
Deferred Income Tax	-0.13	-0.57	-0.69	-0.35	-0.43	0.01	0.15	0.10	-0.04
Stock Based Compensation	0.00	0.17	0.18	0.17	0.14	0.09	0.11	0.13	0.12
Change in Working Capital	0.11	-0.44	-0.11	-0.64	0.45	-0.21	0.30	-0.47	-0.98
Change in Accounts Receivable	0.23	0.01	-0.16	-0.26	0.31	-0.01	0.03	-0.48	-0.34
Change in Inventory	0.00	0.07	0.02	0.01	-0.06	-0.07	0.13	0.00	-0.04
Change in Accounts Payable	0.10	-0.01	0.05	0.03	-0.08	-0.14	-0.03	0.13	-0.06
Change in Other Working Capital	-0.23	-0.51	0.02	-0.42	-0.34	0.00	0.17	-0.12	-0.54
Other Operating Activities	-0.19	-0.03	-0.90	0.16	-0.34	-0.10	-0.08	-0.19	-0.11
Net Cash from Operating Activities	10.55	9.45	9.61	7.39	9.14	6.27	8.12	6.97	5.55
Investing Activities
Capital Expenditures	-3.37	-2.78	-2.36	-1.90	-2.04	-1.64	-2.39	-2.74	-1.85
Acquisitions	0.24	-2.20	-0.44	-0.32	-0.37	0.04	-0.05	0.59	2.49
Other Investing Activities	-0.70	-0.38	-0.68	-0.46	-0.05	0.06	-0.63	-0.30	-0.08
Net Cash from Investing Activities	-3.82	-5.35	-3.19	-2.68	-2.17	-1.55	-3.07	-2.46	0.56
Financing Activities
Debt Repayment	-0.07	-0.07	-2.44	1.20	-2.24	2.24	3.24	2.13	2.03
Common Stock Issued	0.29	0.00	0.26	0.00	0.29	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00
Common Stock Repurchased	-2.06	-2.82	-3.05	-3.90	-0.85	-0.91	-4.98	-5.21	-4.69
Dividends Paid	-5.12	-4.87	-4.53	-4.17	-3.92	-3.75	-3.58	-3.26	-3.09
Other Financing Activities	-0.17	0.27	-0.04	0.29	-0.05	0.17	0.33	0.38	0.44
Net Cash from Financing Activities	-7.13	-7.50	-4.37	-6.58	-5.60	-2.25	-4.99	-5.95	-5.31
Summary
Effect of Forex Changes on Cash	0.09	-0.10	-0.06	-0.25	-0.12	0.08	-0.02	-0.16	0.26
Net Change in Cash	-0.31	-3.49	2.00	-2.13	1.38	2.55	0.03	-1.60	1.24
Cash at Beginning of Period	1.09	4.58	2.58	4.71	3.45	0.90	0.87	2.46	1.22
Cash at End of Period	0.77	1.09	4.58	2.58	4.71	3.45	0.90	0.87	2.46
Free Cash Flow	7.19	6.67	7.26	5.49	7.10	4.62	5.73	4.23	3.70
Supplemental Disclosures
Interest Paid	-	1.52	1.29	1.18	1.20	-	-	-	-
Income Taxes Paid	-	2.97	2.99	3.02	2.40	-	-	-	-

Source: Company financial statements from annual and quarterly filings. Data as of Jun 30, 2026. Data sources and methodology

Frequently Asked Questions About McDonald's Cash Flow

What is McDonald's's free cash flow?

McDonald's generated free cash flow of $7.19B in fiscal 2025 (fiscal year ended Dec 31, 2025), operating cash flow of $10.55B minus $3.37B of capital expenditures. That was up 7.7% from $6.67B a year earlier. Free cash flow equaled 26.7% of revenue.

How much does McDonald's spend on capital expenditures?

McDonald's spent $3.37B on capital expenditures in fiscal 2025, compared with $2.77B a year earlier. That equals 31.9% of operating cash flow.

Does McDonald's pay dividends or buy back shares?

Yes. In fiscal 2025 McDonald's returned $5.12B in dividends and $2.06B in share buybacks to shareholders, according to its cash flow statement.

What is free cash flow?

Free cash flow is operating cash flow minus capital expenditures. It is the cash a company has left for dividends, buybacks, debt repayment or acquisitions after funding its operations and investment. Full definition