# Card Factory plc (CARD.L) fundamentals

Data as of 2026-09-08. LSE, United Kingdom. Sector: Consumer Cyclical / Specialty Retail. Price 71p, market value 236 millionp.

## Valuation
- **P/E (trailing): 7.9×** (5-yr avg 1061.1×, 3-yr avg 700.3×). Card Factory plc trades at 7.9× trailing earnings, well below its own five-year average of 1061.1×: cheap by its own standards. The Consumer Cyclical median in the September 2026 study was 19.5×. Forward P/E is 5.1×, lower than trailing, so analysts expect earnings to grow.
- **Price / sales: 0.2×**. Each dollar of revenue is priced at 0.2×, a low multiple typical of thin-margin businesses or out-of-favour stocks.
- **Price / book: 0.7×**. The shares trade below book value, which can signal a bargain or a balance sheet the market doubts.
- **EV / EBITDA: 2.1×**. Enterprise value is 2.1× operating earnings before depreciation, the multiple that ignores how the company is financed; below 8× is inexpensive for most sectors.
- **Free-cash-flow yield: 71.0%** (5-yr avg 0.3%). Free cash flow equals 71.0% of the market value, above its five-year average of 0.3%, so the shares are cheaper on cash than they have usually been. Above 5% is generally attractive.
- **Earnings yield: 12.7%**. The inverse of the P/E: 12.7% of the price is earned each year.

## Profitability
- **Gross margin: 27.1%**. Card Factory plc keeps 27.1% of revenue after the direct cost of what it sells.
- **Operating margin: 12.5%**. 12.5% of revenue is left after running the business.
- **Net margin: 5.4%**. 5.4% of each dollar of sales reaches the bottom line.
- **Return on equity: 8.8%**. 8.8% on shareholders' equity is weak; the business earns little on the capital its owners have in it.
- **Return on invested capital: 18.9%**. Return on all capital, debt included, is 18.9%: comfortably above what that capital costs.
- **Return on assets: 12.0%**. Each dollar of assets produces 12.0% of profit.

## Growth
- **Revenue growth (1 yr): 7.4%** (3-yr 7.9%/yr, 5-yr 15.4%/yr). Revenue grew 7.4% over the last year, against 15.4% a year compounded over five years: growth is slowing.
- **EPS growth (1 yr): -36.1%** (3-yr -11.7%/yr). Earnings per share fell 36.1%, slower than revenue, so margins compressed.
- **Free-cash-flow growth (3 yr): 7.8%/yr**. Free cash flow has compounded at 7.8% a year over three years, keeping pace with earnings: the growth is real cash.

## Financial health
- **Debt to equity: 0.59**. Debt is 0.59 times equity, moderate leverage.
- **Net debt / EBITDA: 0.9×**. It would take 0.9 years of operating earnings to repay net borrowings, within the comfortable range.
- **Interest coverage: 9.1×**. Operating profit covers interest 9.1× over, a safe margin.
- **Current ratio: 0.89** (quick 0.39). Current liabilities exceed current assets, so the company depends on ongoing cash generation or refinancing to pay the next year's bills.
- **Altman Z-score: 2.38**. A Z-score of 2.38 is in the grey zone; not distressed, not clearly safe.
- **Piotroski F-score: 5/9**. 5 of 9 checks pass: mixed.

## Dividends
- **Dividend yield: 6.99%** (0p per share, trailing). Card Factory plc yields 6.99%, high enough to check carefully: yields this high often precede a cut.
- **Payout ratio: 55%** (22% of free cash flow). 55% of earnings goes out as dividends, leaving room to keep raising it.
- **Shareholder yield: 8.6%**. Dividends plus net buybacks return 8.6% of the market value a year.

## Analyst view
- **Analyst consensus: buy** (7 analysts). 7 analysts cover Card Factory plc; the consensus is buy, with an average price target of 111p (+56% from the current price). Analyst opinion is shown for context; it is not part of the Fundamental Score.

## Price and momentum
- **Total return (1 yr): -30.6%** (YTD 7.4%, 3-mo 10.9%). The shares are down 30.6% over twelve months including dividends.
- **From 52-week high: -38.7%** (21.6% above the low). Trading 39% below its 52-week high, deep in a drawdown.
- **200-day average: above**. The price sits above its 200-day moving average, the usual definition of an uptrend.
- **RSI (14-day): 41**. An RSI of 41 is neutral.
- **Beta (1 yr): 0.91** (volatility 37%). Beta of 0.91 against the FTSE All-Share: the shares move roughly with the market.

Live score and charts: https://foliofundamentals.com/analyzer?s=CARD.L · Page: https://foliofundamentals.com/stocks/card.l

Not investment advice.