Novartis (NVS) Cash Flow: Operating & Free Cash Flow

Novartis (NVS) Cash Flow Statement

In fiscal 2025 (fiscal year ended Dec 31, 2025), Novartis generated $19.14B of operating cash flow and spent $1.55B on capital expenditures. That left free cash flow of $17.60B, up 8.3% from $16.25B a year earlier, or 31.0% of revenue. It returned $17.03B to shareholders through $7.82B in dividends and $9.21B in share buybacks.

Novartis 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 Novartis AG (NVS) - 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	13.97	11.94	8.57	6.05	22.91	8.07	7.15	12.61	7.70
Depreciation & Amortization	5.28	6.11	8.38	6.71	5.56	6.46	5.83	6.89	6.08
Deferred Income Tax	2.39	1.70	0.55	1.13	1.63	1.81	1.79	1.22	1.30
Stock Based Compensation	1.10	1.04	0.87	0.79	0.70	0.74	0.76	0.76	0.68
Change in Working Capital	-3.06	-1.81	-1.90	-0.80	-0.85	-0.29	0.20	0.50	0.24
Change in Accounts Receivable	-1.12	-0.93	-1.50	-0.40	-0.35	0.14	-0.98	-0.57	-0.20
Change in Inventory	0.03	-0.23	-0.55	-0.56	-0.10	-0.54	-0.38	-0.53	-0.25
Change in Accounts Payable	-0.27	-0.11	0.48	-0.18	-0.11	-0.32	0.55	0.31	0.06
Change in Other Working Capital	-0.46	-0.50	-0.13	0.34	-0.18	0.44	1.01	1.29	0.64
Other Operating Activities	0.38	-0.77	-2.99	0.36	-14.02	-3.14	-2.10	-7.71	-3.38
Net Cash from Operating Activities	19.14	17.62	14.46	14.24	15.07	13.65	13.63	14.27	12.62
Investing Activities
Capital Expenditures	-1.55	-1.37	-1.06	-2.24	-1.07	-2.59	-2.26	-3.36	-2.75
Acquisitions	-2.92	-4.02	-3.56	-0.86	-0.21	-9.96	-3.77	-1.07	-0.76
Purchases of Investments	-0.30	-3.65	-0.75	-34.81	-16.59	-2.13	-0.53	-2.70	-1.05
Sales/Maturities of Investments	2.18	3.70	11.60	39.49	2.74	1.22	3.71	0.64	0.88
Other Investing Activities	-0.02	-0.01	-1.13	-1.43	19.98	0.28	-0.26	0.90	0.55
Net Cash from Investing Activities	-4.88	-7.51	5.60	1.47	4.21	-13.18	-2.23	-5.59	-3.12
Financing Activities
Debt Repayment	-3.39	-2.16	-2.22	-2.59	-2.16	7.07	-4.96	4.18	4.10
Common Stock Issued	0.03	0.03	0.15	0.00	0.05	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00
Common Stock Repurchased	-9.21	-8.33	-8.72	-10.65	-3.06	-2.84	-5.53	-2.04	-5.49
Dividends Paid	-7.82	-7.62	-7.26	-7.51	-7.37	-6.99	-6.65	-6.97	-6.50
Other Financing Activities	-0.29	-0.21	3.48	0.18	0.10	0.55	3.51	0.58	0.15
Net Cash from Financing Activities	-14.87	-11.74	-14.28	-20.56	-16.26	-2.21	-13.63	-4.24	-7.73
Summary
Effect of Forex Changes on Cash	0.58	-0.30	0.10	-0.03	-0.27	0.29	0.07	-0.03	0.08
Net Change in Cash	-0.02	-1.93	5.88	-4.89	2.75	-1.45	-2.16	4.41	1.85
Cash at Beginning of Period	11.46	13.39	7.52	12.41	9.66	11.11	13.27	8.86	7.01
Cash at End of Period	11.44	11.46	13.39	7.52	12.41	9.66	11.11	13.27	8.86
Free Cash Flow	17.60	16.25	13.40	12.00	14.01	11.07	11.37	10.92	9.88
Supplemental Disclosures
Interest Paid	0.98	0.86	0.75	0.67	0.64	-	-	-	-
Income Taxes Paid	2.56	2.26	2.79	1.70	1.86	-	-	-	-

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

Frequently Asked Questions About Novartis Cash Flow

What is Novartis's free cash flow?

Novartis generated free cash flow of $17.60B in fiscal 2025 (fiscal year ended Dec 31, 2025), operating cash flow of $19.14B minus $1.55B of capital expenditures. That was up 8.3% from $16.25B a year earlier. Free cash flow equaled 31.0% of revenue.

How much does Novartis spend on capital expenditures?

Novartis spent $1.55B on capital expenditures in fiscal 2025, compared with $1.37B a year earlier. That equals 8.1% of operating cash flow.

Does Novartis pay dividends or buy back shares?

Yes. In fiscal 2025 Novartis returned $7.82B in dividends and $9.21B 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