WinstonWınston
Back
CPI Card Group logo

CPI Card Group

PMTS
46
Financial - Credit Services · Financial Services
Exchange
NASDAQ
Winston Score
46
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
Weak
Valuation
Strong

Winston Score History

The full picture

CPI Card Group makes the physical debit, credit, and prepaid cards that banks and credit unions hand out to their customers. Their main products include standard plastic cards, metal cards, and eco-friendly cards made from recycled materials. They sell primarily to financial institutions across the United States, making them one of the largest card manufacturers in the country.

The company earns money by producing and personalizing cards for banks, then shipping them directly to cardholders — a service called "instant issuance" that lets some banks print cards on the spot in branches. CPI operates almost entirely within the U.S. market and generates roughly $500 million in annual revenue. Its competitive position relies on long-term contracts with financial institutions and the high cost of switching suppliers, but the business faces a real risk from the long-term shift toward digital wallets and tap-to-pay technology, which could gradually reduce demand for physical payment cards.

Growth Profile

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

Revenue Growth

+15.0% YoY

YoY Growth Rate

Steady revenue growth

EPS Growth

+293.0% YoY

YoY Growth Rate

EPS growth accelerating

Insider Activity

48.0%ownership

Flat

Insider ownership roughly steady over the past year

Cash Position

Cash flow positive

$21M cash & investments

Quarterly Free Cash Flow

↑ Burn rate improving

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

Growth + cash flow

CPI Card Group is a rare growth stock that's already generating positive cash flow while growing at 15%. The Winston Score doesn't fully credit this transition from "burner" to "earner."

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

Every number that matters to educated investors.

Each metric is explained in plain language so you know exactly what you're looking at. Start your free trial now.

Quality

Profit per sale
Gross Margin
32.5%
Modest — 32.5% gross margin
Profit after running costs
Operating Margin
8.0%
Modest — 8.0% operating margin
Return on the money invested
ROCE
4.7%
Weak — 4.7% return on capital

ROIC between 0% and 5%. They earn a few cents back per dollar invested in the business.

Full breakdown available with your free trial

See every metric, trend, and what it means for this stock.

Try free

Growth

Sales growth
Sales YoY
+16.9%
Fast-growing sales (+16.9% YoY)
Profit growth
EPS YoY
+0.4%
Flat earnings

Single-digit earnings growth — steady but not exciting.

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

Full breakdown available with your free trial

See every metric, trend, and what it means for this stock.

Try free

Cash Flow

Profit that turns into cash
Cash Conversion
766%
Turns 766% 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.

Full breakdown available with your free trial

See every metric, trend, and what it means for this stock.

Try free

Stability

What it owes vs what it owns
Debt / Equity
N/A
Data not available
Covers its interest
Interest Cover
1.70x
Dangerous — barely covers interest (1.7x)

Interest coverage between 1 and 3. Profits cover interest, but with little room to spare.

Full breakdown available with your free trial

See every metric, trend, and what it means for this stock.

Try free

Valuation

Price vs profit
P/E Ratio (TTM)
23.4x
no trend
Growth-priced — P/E 23.4

P/E above the market average. People are paying up for expected growth.

Cheaper or dearer next year
P/E vs Forward
+13.2
GROWING
Earnings expected to grow meaningfully — cheaper on forward P/E (23.4 → 10.1)

Full breakdown available with your free trial

See every metric, trend, and what it means for this stock.

Try free

Dividends

Not applicable for this business.
🔒 See full fundamentals and if they are improving or declining — click here for your free trial now.
Start free trial