CLAIM #25739 · GD (GD) · 2026Q1 earnings call · Apr 29, 2026 · due Dec 31, 2026
“We continue to expect a free cash flow conversion rate of 100% of net income for the year, but the strong cash acceleration into the first quarter results in a profile that will look a little different than what I provided in January.”
Kimberly Kuryea · CFO
How to check this claim
Look at: Full-year free cash flow as a percentage of net income (free cash flow conversion rate)
It came true if: Full-year free cash flow conversion rate approximately 100% of net income (95%-105%)
Where: Company income statement and cash flow statement (10-K / Q4 2026 earnings release)
In context
“rter was a very strong start to the year with operating cash flow of $2.2 billion. We got out of the gate with our business units overwhelmingly exceeding their planned cash flow and driving operating working capital down. Compared to the first quarter of 2025, capital expenditures were up over 40% to $203 million. While capital expenditures were around 1.5% of sales in the quarter, we continue to expect capital expenditure between 3.5% and 4% of sales for the full year. You should expect the profile of our investment to grow each quarter as we continue to invest, especially in our shipyards to accelerate production and meet demand. After considering capital expenditures, our free cash flow for the quarter was just shy of $2 billion, yielding a cash conversion rate in the quarter of 174%. We continue to expect a free cash flow conversion rate of 100% of net income for the year, but the strong cash acceleration into the first quarter results in a profile that will look a little different than what I provided in January. We now expect the first quarter to represent the largest quarter of free cash flow with positive cash flow in each of the remaining quarters, supporting our continued efforts to drive cash to the left. Also in the quarter, we paid dividends of approximately $400 million and repurchased about $200 million of our common stock to cover dilution. After adding it all up, we ended the quarter with a cash balance of $3.7 billion and a net debt position of $4.4 billion, down $1.3 billion from last quarter. Moving now to orders and backlog. Our order activity and backlog continued to be a strong story and a highlight for us in the first quarter. We received over $26 billion of orders achieving an overall book-to-bill ratio of 2:1 even as revenue grew by over 10% from the year ago quarter. The robu”
Verify independently
SEC filings for GD ↗ · Claim quote is verbatim from the 2026Q1 earnings call.