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CAE

CAE.TO
47
Aerospace & Defense · Industrials
Exchange
Toronto Stock Exchange
Winston Score
47
Winston is serious
Mixed quality — meaningful strengths and weaknesses.
Data as of Aug 23, 2026 · filings through Jun 30, 2026
How the score breaks down
Quality
Mixed
Growth
Mixed
Cash Flow
Exceptional
Stability
Strong
Valuation
Good

Winston Score History

The full picture

CAE Inc. is a Canadian company that builds flight simulators and training systems for pilots and military crews. Its main products are full-motion cockpit simulators that replicate real aircraft, along with training programs and software used by commercial airlines, defense forces, and healthcare organizations. CAE is one of the largest flight simulation companies in the world, with a strong presence in both civilian aviation and military training.

CAE makes money by selling simulators outright and by running long-term training contracts where customers pay to use its facilities and instructors. The company operates in over 40 countries, with major training centers across North America, Europe, and Asia. Its large installed base of simulators and deep relationships with airlines and defense agencies create switching costs that are hard for competitors to overcome. The key growth driver is the global shortage of trained pilots, which is pushing airlines to expand simulator-based training, though defense budget cuts in key markets remain a meaningful risk.

Growth Profile

When traditional metrics don't capture the full picture, these are the signals growth stock investors use instead.

Revenue Growth

+4.0% YoY

YoY Growth Rate

Slow revenue growth

EPS Growth

-45.2% YoY

YoY Growth Rate

Earnings declining

Insider Activity

9.7%ownership

Flat

Insider ownership roughly steady over the past year

Cash Position

Cash flow positive

C$1.4B cash & investments

Quarterly Free Cash Flow

↑ Burn rate improving

Company generates more cash than it spends — no dilution risk from fundraising

Growth context

CAE is growing revenue at 4% year-over-year. The Winston Score measures business quality today — these growth metrics show what could matter tomorrow.

The Winston Score above measures business quality today. Growth stocks often score lower because they invest in the future rather than maximising current profits. These metrics show what matters most for evaluating that future.

Score breakdown

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Quality

Profit per sale
Gross Margin
29.2%
Modest — 29.2% gross margin
Profit after running costs
Operating Margin
10.2%
Modest — 10.2% operating margin
Return on the money invested
ROCE
7.8%
Weak — 7.8% return on capital

ROIC between 5% and 15%. They earn 5 to 15 cents back per year on every dollar invested.

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Growth

Sales growth
Sales YoY
+5.4%
Slow sales growth (+5.4% YoY)
Profit growth
EPS YoY
-30.5%
Earnings shrinking (-30.5% YoY)

Earnings per share down more than 10%. Either a bad year, or a real decline.

How steady the profit is
EPS Consistency
4/8 quarters
Earnings inconsistent quarter-to-quarter

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Cash Flow

Profit that turns into cash
Cash Conversion
334%
Turns 334% of profit into real cash
Spare cash per sale
FCF Margin
14.8%
Converts sales into free cash efficiently (14.8%)

FCF margin between 10% and 20%. Every $100 in sales becomes $10 to $20 in real cash.

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Stability

What it owes vs what it owns
Debt / Equity
0.59
Conservative — low debt load (0.59)
Covers its interest
Interest Cover
4.26x
Adequate interest coverage (4.3x)

Interest coverage between 3 and 8. Profits cover interest several times over.

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Valuation

Price vs profit
P/E Ratio (TTM)
40.1x
no trend
Pricey — P/E 40.1

P/E over 35. The market is pricing in heavy, sustained growth.

Cheaper or dearer next year
P/E vs Forward
+14.0
GROWING
Earnings expected to grow meaningfully — cheaper on forward P/E (40.1 → 26.1)

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Dividends

Not applicable for this business.
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