# Central Securities Corporation (CET) fundamentals

Data as of 2026-09-08. AMEX, United States. Sector: Financial Services / Capital Markets. Price $54.78, market value $1.6 billion.

## Valuation
- **P/E (trailing): 7.3×** (5-yr avg 4.7×, 3-yr avg 4.7×). Central Securities Corporation trades at 7.3× trailing earnings, well above its own five-year average of 4.7×: investors are paying up relative to the company's past. The Financial Services median in the September 2026 study was 13.1×.
- **Price / sales: 5.8×**. Each dollar of revenue is priced at 5.8×.
- **Price / book: 0.9×**. The shares trade below book value, which can signal a bargain or a balance sheet the market doubts.
- **Free-cash-flow yield: 3.0%** (5-yr avg 3.9%). Free cash flow equals 3.0% of the market value, below its five-year average of 3.9%, so the shares are pricier on cash than usual.
- **Earnings yield: 13.6%**. The inverse of the P/E: 13.6% of the price is earned each year.

## Profitability
- **Net margin: 97.2%**. 97.2% of each dollar of sales reaches the bottom line.
- **Return on equity: 14.8%**. 14.8% on shareholders' equity is solid.
- **Return on assets: 14.8%**. Each dollar of assets produces 14.8% of profit; low single digits are normal for banks and insurers.

## Growth
- **Revenue growth (1 yr): -7.9%**. Revenue fell 7.9% over the last year.
- **EPS growth (1 yr): -9.9%**. Earnings per share fell 9.9%, roughly in step with revenue.
- **Free-cash-flow growth (3 yr): 4.5%/yr**. Free cash flow has compounded at 4.5% a year over three years.

## Financial health
- **Piotroski F-score: 2/9**. 2 of 9 checks pass: weak or deteriorating financials.
- **Cash and short-term investments: $49,910**. Leverage ratios are shown differently for banks and insurers, whose balance sheets are built on deposits and reserves; use return on equity and the regulatory capital in the filings instead.

## Dividends
- **Dividend yield: 5.04%** ($2.76 per share, trailing). Central Securities Corporation yields 5.04%, an income-level yield.
- **Payout ratio: 17%** (98% of free cash flow). 17% of earnings goes out as dividends, leaving room to keep raising it.
- **Consecutive years of increases: 2**. 2 straight years of increases.
- **Dividend growth (5 yr): 26.0%/yr** (1-yr 20.0%). The dividend has compounded at 26.0% a year over five years, doubling roughly every 3 years at that pace.
- **Shareholder yield: 5.1%**. Dividends plus net buybacks return 5.1% of the market value a year.

## Price and momentum
- **Total return (1 yr): 14.5%** (YTD 8.7%, 3-mo 5.0%). The shares are up 14.5% over twelve months including dividends.
- **From 52-week high: -2.2%** (14.6% above the low). Trading within 5% of its 52-week high.
- **200-day average: above**. The price sits above its 200-day moving average, the usual definition of an uptrend.
- **RSI (14-day): 55**. An RSI of 55 is neutral.
- **Beta (1 yr): 0.72** (volatility 12%). Beta of 0.72 against the S&P 500: the shares move roughly with the market.

Live score and charts: https://foliofundamentals.com/analyzer?s=CET · Page: https://foliofundamentals.com/stocks/cet

Not investment advice.