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Card Factory
(LSE:CARD)
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Rating:79Outperform
Price Target:
106.00 p
â–²(38.74% Upside)
Action:Reiterated
Date:10/01/26
The score is driven primarily by solid financial performance (notably the improved balance sheet and still-healthy cash generation) and an attractive valuation (low P/E and high dividend yield). Technicals are supportive due to strong momentum above key moving averages, but elevated RSI/Stoch and the recent 2026 margin and free-cash-flow step-down temper the overall rating.
Positive Factors
Steady Revenue Growth
Sustained revenue growth indicates continued demand for Card Factory’s celebration products across stores, digital channels and wholesale. Although the pace has moderated, ongoing top-line expansion supports the business model and provides a base for maintaining scale and funding future investment.
Negative Factors
Margin Compression
The broad decline in gross, operating and net margins shows that recent revenue growth is producing less profit than in the prior year. If this pressure persists, it could weaken earnings power, reduce the benefit of scale and limit the cash available for reinvestment or distributions.
Read all positive and negative factors
Positive Factors
Negative Factors
Steady Revenue Growth
Sustained revenue growth indicates continued demand for Card Factory’s celebration products across stores, digital channels and wholesale. Although the pace has moderated, ongoing top-line expansion supports the business model and provides a base for maintaining scale and funding future investment.
Read all positive factors
Card Factory (CARD) vs. iShares MSCI United Kingdom ETF (EWC)
Market Cap
£289.98M
Dividend Yield5.62%
Average Volume (3M)2.03M
Price to Earnings (P/E)8.9
Beta (1Y)0.97
Revenue Growth7.12%
EPS Growth-18.46%
CountryUK
Employees8,366
SectorConsumer Cyclical
Sector Strength84
IndustrySpecialty Retail
Share Statistics
EPS (TTM)0.10
Shares Outstanding326,191,200
10 Day Avg. Volume1,191,636
30 Day Avg. Volume2,034,514
Financial Highlights & Ratios
PEG Ratio-0.21
Price to Book (P/B)0.66
Price to Sales (P/S)0.40
P/FCF Ratio2.56
Enterprise Value/Market CapN/A
Enterprise Value/RevenueN/A
Enterprise Value/Gross ProfitN/A
Enterprise Value/EbitdaN/A
Forecast
1Y Price TargetN/A
Price Target UpsideN/A
Rating ConsensusN/A
Number of Analyst Covering0
EPS Forecast (FY)0.13
Revenue Forecast (FY)£610.53M
Card Factory Business Overview & Revenue Model
Company Description
Card Factory plc operates as a specialist retailer of cards, gifts, and celebration essentials in the United Kingdom, South Africa, Republic of Ireland, the United States, and internationally. It operates through four segments: Cardfactory Stores,...
How the Company Makes Money
Card Factory makes money primarily by selling celebration-related products to consumers through its own retail stores and online channels, and by supplying products to other businesses through its wholesale activities. (1) Retail sales: The larges...
Card Factory Earnings Call Summary
Earnings Call Date:Sep 29, 2026
(Q2-2026)
| % Change Since: |
Next Earnings Date:May 04, 2027
Earnings Call Sentiment Positive
The call was predominantly positive. Management reported resilient revenue growth, strong store and partnership performance, successful acquisition integration to date, robust cash generation, low leverage and unchanged full-year guidance. The main challenges were lower first-half profit and margin, substantial cost inflation, softer footfall, online underperformance and a decline in product margin, but management stated that efficiency plans are in motion to offset inflation and remained confident in delivering its full-year expectations.Positive Updates
Resilient Revenue Growth
Total group revenue increased 5.9%, from GBP 233.8 million to GBP 247.6 million, at the top end of the company's guidance for mid-single-digit percentage growth.
Negative Updates
Adjusted Profit Before Tax Declined
Adjusted profit before tax for the first half was down by GBP 1.3 million, reflecting the decision to bring forward efficiency-focused investments, including the point-of-sale till-system upgrade.
Read all updates
Q2-2026 Updates
Positive
Negative
Resilient Revenue Growth
Total group revenue increased 5.9%, from GBP 233.8 million to GBP 247.6 million, at the top end of the company's guidance for mid-single-digit percentage growth.
Read all positive updates
Company Guidance
Full-year FY ’26 expectations remain unchanged, with adjusted PBT expected to deliver mid- to high single-digit percentage growth increase, PBT weighted to the second half with a similar profile to FY ’25, H2 sales anticipated at a similar rate as growth as in H1, excluding the additional sales from Funky Pigeon, and CapEx guidance of GBP 20 million to GBP 25 million; the company remains on track to deliver 25 to 30 net new stores this fiscal year, free cash conversion of 70% to 80%, and fully offset the more than GBP 20 million FY ’26 cost price inflation headwind through Simplify and Scale. Funky Pigeon’s 5.5 months of trading are expected to increase FY ’26 sales by about 3% versus current guidance, with more than GBP 5 million synergies delivered over the next 12 to 18 months and fully materialize from February ’27; leverage at the end of FY ’26 is expected to increase by 0.3x to about 1.0x, still well below the target of 1.5x. Mid- to long-term guidance remains mid- to high single-digit PBT percentage growth every year, with the share purchase program covering 3 million to 4 million shares annually and enhancing EPS by about 1% every year.Card Factory Financial Statement Overview
Summary
Income Statement
72
Positive
Balance Sheet
84
Very Positive
Cash Flow
70
Positive
| Breakdown | TTM | Jan 2027 | Jan 2026 | Jan 2025 | Jan 2024 | Jan 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Income Statement | ||||||
| Total Revenue | 595.90M | 582.70M | 542.50M | 510.90M | 463.40M | 364.40M |
| Gross Profit | 114.80M | 135.20M | 193.80M | 138.60M | 114.70M | 67.40M |
| EBITDA | 115.80M | 114.60M | 127.00M | 125.30M | 108.90M | 70.30M |
| Net Income | 34.80M | 31.20M | 47.80M | 49.50M | 44.20M | 8.10M |
Balance Sheet | ||||||
| Total Assets | 664.20M | 660.90M | 615.60M | 552.10M | 537.20M | 536.00M |
| Cash, Cash Equivalents and Short-Term Investments | 20.90M | 18.80M | 16.50M | 11.30M | 11.70M | 38.30M |
| Total Debt | 223.80M | 208.50M | 184.40M | 145.80M | 172.70M | 230.30M |
| Total Liabilities | 318.00M | 306.40M | 268.70M | 236.30M | 269.00M | 316.40M |
| Stockholders Equity | 346.20M | 354.50M | 346.90M | 315.80M | 268.20M | 219.60M |
Cash Flow | ||||||
| Free Cash Flow | 109.20M | 92.20M | 70.50M | 77.40M | 73.70M | 91.60M |
| Operating Cash Flow | 121.50M | 103.90M | 88.90M | 105.20M | 91.90M | 98.50M |
| Investing Cash Flow | -49.30M | -45.10M | -40.50M | -30.00M | -18.20M | -6.90M |
| Financing Cash Flow | -67.60M | -57.50M | -42.90M | -73.20M | -102.10M | -65.80M |
Card Factory Technical Analysis
Positive
76.40
Price Trends
79.37
Positive
74.82
Positive
69.60
Positive
Market Momentum
3.16
Positive
60.20
Neutral
28.71
Neutral
Evaluating momentum and price trends is crucial in stock analysis to make informed investment decisions. For GB:CARD, the sentiment is Positive. The current price of 76.4 is below the 20-day moving average (MA) of 88.50, below the 50-day MA of 79.37, and above the 200-day MA of 69.60, indicating a bullish trend. The MACD of 3.16 indicates Positive momentum. The RSI at 60.20 is Neutral, neither overbought nor oversold. The STOCH value of 28.71 is Neutral, not indicating any strong overbought or oversold conditions. Overall, these indicators collectively point to a Positive sentiment for GB:CARD.
Card Factory Peers Comparison
UnderperformOutperform
Sector (61)
Name | Overall Rating | Market Cap | P/E Ratio | ROE | Dividend Yield | Revenue Growth | EPS Growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
79 Outperform | £289.98M | 8.86 | 9.93% | 5.62% | 7.12% | -18.46% | |
78 Outperform | £1.75B | 11.26 | 99.65% | 8.13% | 3.08% | -0.16% | |
61 Neutral | $18.38B | 12.79 | -2.54% | 3.03% | 1.52% | -15.83% | |
60 Neutral | £813.74M | 17.36 | -99.49% | 1.34% | 6.54% | ― | |
56 Neutral | £61.12M | 52.58 | 9.46% | 0.04% | -6.13% | -82.79% | |
55 Neutral | £74.40M | -37.38 | -2.17% | 1.20% | ― | ― | |
45 Neutral | £642.36M | -4.19 | -90.46% | 4.05% | -30.52% | -2064.92% |
* Consumer Cyclical Sector Average
GB:CARD
Card Factory
88.90
-8.16
-8.41%
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867.00
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-16.04%
GB:IGR
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28.08
50.66%
GB:SMWH
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427.20
-242.86
-36.24%
GB:WRKS
TheWorks.co.uk plc
97.80
53.90
122.78%
GB:MOON
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279.00
67.57
31.96%
Card Factory Corporate Events
Business Operations and StrategyStock BuybackRegulatory Filings and Compliance
Card Factory Launches Share Buyback to Fund Employee Share Plans
Positive
Oct 21, 2026
Card Factory has launched an irrevocable, non-discretionary share repurchase programme to buy its own shares and hold them in treasury, running from 21 October 2026 to 31 January 2027. The company intends to use the repurchased shares to satisfy a...
Business Operations and StrategyStock BuybackRegulatory Filings and Compliance
Card Factory Cancels Over 1.3 Million Shares in Capital Management Move
Positive
Oct 12, 2026
Card Factory plc has launched a share repurchase programme, buying back and cancelling 1,330,559 ordinary shares between 5 and 9 October 2026 at prices ranging from about 82p to 89p per share. Following these transactions, the company’s issu...
Business Operations and StrategyStock BuybackRegulatory Filings and Compliance
Card Factory Tightens Share Capital with Latest Buyback Tranche
Positive
Oct 5, 2026
Card Factory plc has continued its share repurchase programme, buying back and cancelling hundreds of thousands of ordinary shares between 28 September and 2 October 2026 through UBS AG London Branch. Following these transactions, the company̵...
Business Operations and StrategyStock BuybackDividendsFinancial Disclosures
Card Factory posts higher revenue and cash flow as party range and Funky Pigeon boost growth
Positive
Sep 29, 2026
Card Factory reported interim revenue up 5.3% to £260.8 million and a sharp rise in statutory profit before tax, supported by improved store margins and disciplined working capital that turned traditionally weak first-half cash generation pos...
Stock Buyback
Card Factory Cancels Over 500,000 Shares After Latest Buyback Tranche
Positive
Sep 28, 2026
Card Factory has repurchased and will cancel 524,645 ordinary shares of 1 pence each between 21 and 25 September 2026, with purchases executed via UBS across the LSE and alternative trading venues at prices largely around 70–72 pence per sha...
Stock BuybackRegulatory Filings and Compliance
Card Factory Cancels Repurchased Shares, Updates Share Capital and Free Float
Neutral
Sep 21, 2026
Card Factory plc has executed a series of share repurchases between 14 and 18 September 2026, buying hundreds of thousands of ordinary shares through UBS AG London Branch at prices around the high‑60 pence range. The company stated that all ...
Stock BuybackRegulatory Filings and Compliance
Card Factory Cancels 1.4 Million Shares in Ongoing Buyback Programme
Positive
Sep 14, 2026
Card Factory has continued its share repurchase programme, buying back over 1.4 million ordinary shares between 7 and 11 September 2026 via UBS across the LSE, BATE, CHIX and Aquis, at prices mostly in the low‑70 pence range. The purchased s...
Business Operations and StrategyFinancial Disclosures
Card Factory Sets Date for Interim Results and Investor Presentation
Neutral
Sep 8, 2026
Card Factory will publish its interim results for the six months to 31 July 2026 on 29 September 2026, underscoring the company’s regular financial reporting cadence and transparency to the market. The announcement will be accompanied by an ...
Business Operations and StrategyStock BuybackRegulatory Filings and Compliance
Card Factory Tightens Capital Base with Further Share Buybacks
Positive
Sep 1, 2026
Card Factory has continued its share repurchase programme, buying back and cancelling a total of 710,005 ordinary shares between 24 and 28 August 2026 through UBS AG’s London branch. Prices ranged around the mid-70 pence level, reflecting an...
Stock BuybackRegulatory Filings and Compliance
Card Factory Updates Share Capital After August Buyback
Positive
Aug 24, 2026
Card Factory has repurchased and cancelled a series of its own ordinary shares between 17 and 21 August 2026 through UBS AG’s London Branch, at prices broadly in the mid-70 pence range across LSE and other venues. Following these transaction...
Stock BuybackRegulatory Filings and Compliance
Card Factory Corrects Voting Rights Data and Details Latest Share Buybacks
Neutral
Aug 17, 2026
Card Factory corrected a typographical error in a previous disclosure on its total voting rights, and detailed a series of share buybacks carried out between 10 and 14 August 2026. The retailer repurchased and will cancel hundreds of thousands of ...
Stock BuybackRegulatory Filings and Compliance
Card Factory Updates Market on August Share Buybacks and Capital
Neutral
Aug 17, 2026
Card Factory has continued its share repurchase programme, buying back and cancelling around 827,000 ordinary shares between 10 and 14 August 2026 at prices mostly in the mid-70 pence range. Following these transactions, the company reports an iss...
Business Operations and StrategyStock BuybackRegulatory Filings and Compliance
Card Factory Tightens Share Base with August Buyback
Positive
Aug 10, 2026
Card Factory has continued its share repurchase programme, buying back and cancelling a series of ordinary shares between 3 and 7 August 2026 through UBS AG London Branch. The purchases, executed at prices around the mid‑70 pence range, form...
Business Operations and StrategyStock BuybackRegulatory Filings and Compliance
Card Factory cuts share count with late-July buyback
Positive
Aug 3, 2026
Card Factory has repurchased and cancelled more than 2 million of its own ordinary shares over five trading days in late July, at prices ranging roughly between 71p and 77p per share, as part of its ongoing share buyback programme executed via UBS...
Business Operations and StrategyStock BuybackRegulatory Filings and Compliance
Card Factory tightens free float with latest share buyback and cancellation
Positive
Aug 3, 2026
Card Factory plc has bought back and cancelled around 2 million ordinary shares over the period 27–31 July 2026, executing the transactions via UBS on multiple trading venues at prices largely in the low-to-mid 70 pence range. Following thes...
Business Operations and StrategyStock BuybackRegulatory Filings and Compliance
Card Factory Cancels Newly Repurchased Shares, Updates Voting Capital
Positive
Jul 27, 2026
Card Factory plc has executed a series of share repurchases between 20 and 24 July 2026, buying back just over 600,000 ordinary shares at prices broadly in the 69p–72p range via multiple trading venues including the LSE, BATE, CHIX and Aquis...
Glossary
BuyA stock rated as a "Buy" is expected to perform better than the overall market or a specific benchmark over the near-to-medium term. This rating suggests the stock is likely to deliver higher returns compared to other stocks in the same sector or market index. Note: This is not investment advice; please consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions.
HoldA stock rated as a "Hold" is expected to perform in line with the overall market or a specific benchmark. This rating indicates that the stock is neither particularly compelling nor unfavorable for investment. Note: This is not investment advice; please consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions.
SellA stock rated as a "Sell" is expected to perform worse than the overall market or a specific benchmark over the near-to-medium term. This rating suggests the stock may deliver lower returns compared to other stocks in the same sector or market index. Note: This is not investment advice; please consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions.
Disclaimer
This AI Analyst Stock Report is automatically generated by our AI systems using advanced algorithms and publicly available financial, technical, and market data. While the information provided aims to be accurate and insightful, it is intended for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial advice. Any content created by an AI (Artificial Intelligence) system may contain inaccuracies and/or contain errors. Investing in stocks carries inherent risks, and past performance is not indicative of future results. This report does not account for your personal financial circumstances, objectives, or risk tolerance. Always conduct your own research or consult with a qualified financial advisor before making investment decisions. The analysis and recommendations provided are based on historical and current data and may not fully reflect future market conditions or unexpected developments. Neither the creators of this report nor its affiliated entities guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of the information presented. Use this report at your own discretion and risk.