Crane NXT (CXT) AI Stock Analysis

• Market Cap: $2.43B
• Dividend Yield: 1.42%
• Average Volume (3M): 494.30K
• Price to Earnings (P/E): 18.6
• Beta (1Y): 0.92
• Revenue Growth: 9.30%
• EPS Growth: -12.55%
• Country: US
• Employees: 4,500
• Sector: Industrials
• Sector Strength: 72
• Industry: Industrial - Machinery
• EPS (TTM): 1.27
• Shares Outstanding: 57,443,573
• 10 Day Avg. Volume: 587,344
• 30 Day Avg. Volume: 494,302
• PEG Ratio: -0.87
• Price to Book (P/B): 2.15
• Price to Sales (P/S): 1.63
• P/FCF Ratio: 13.62
• Enterprise Value/Market Cap: 1.37
• Enterprise Value/Revenue: 2.01
• Enterprise Value/Gross Profit: 4.74
• Enterprise Value/Ebitda: 9.84
• 1Y Price Target: $68.25
• Price Target Upside: 61.46% Upside
• Rating Consensus: Moderate Buy
• Number of Analyst Covering: 5
• EPS Forecast (FY): 4.27
• Revenue Forecast (FY): $1.73B

• Rating: 56 Neutral
• Price Target: $46.00 ▲(8.82% Upside)
• Action: Reiterated Date: 03/13/26
• Date: Action: Reiterated 03/13/26

The score is held back primarily by weakening profitability/cash flow and rising leverage, plus a strongly bearish technical setup with the stock well below key moving averages. Offsetting factors include generally constructive 2026 guidance and backlog commentary, and a mid-range valuation with a modest dividend.

Positive Factors

Backlog & product wins

Material new denomination wins and a substantially larger SAT and organic backlog provide multi‑period revenue visibility and scale for micro‑optics production. Durable backlog supports aftermarket/service revenues, ramps manufacturing utilization, and underpins medium‑term growth and margin recovery.

Explicit 2026 guidance & FCF targets

Management's mid‑single‑digit sales target with clear EBITDA and high free‑cash‑flow conversion targets signals disciplined operational planning. High projected FCF conversion strengthens the company's ability to delever, finance capex for capacity expansions, and sustain dividends over the medium term.

Board & leadership refresh

Adding an experienced technology CEO to the board enhances governance and operational oversight. Strong operator expertise is durable: it can improve integration of acquisitions, execution of manufacturing scale‑ups, and strategic decision making, lowering long‑term execution risk.

Negative Factors

Rising leverage

Debt increases from acquisitions and term loan draws materially raise financial leverage and interest exposure. Higher leverage reduces flexibility to absorb cash‑flow volatility, constrains strategic optionality, and makes the company more sensitive to slower cash generation until leverage is meaningfully reduced.

Weakened profitability & cash generation

Significant margin compression and a steep free‑cash‑flow decline point to deteriorating earnings quality from mix shifts, integration costs, and higher operating expense. Persistently weaker cash conversion would limit reinvestment, debt paydown, and dividend sustainability absent margin restoration.

Acquisition & integration risk

Large strategic deals increase complexity, near‑term interest costs, and non‑operating expenses. Integration and consolidation risk can depress margins and cash flow until synergies are realized, making near‑term performance dependent on execution across multiple acquired businesses.

Crane NXT Business Overview & Revenue Model

Company Description

Crane NXT, Co. focuses on payment and merchandising technologies. It indents to offer electronic equipment and associated software leveraging extensive, and proprietary core capabilities, including payment verification and authentication, as well as automation solutions, field service solutions, remote diagnostics, and productivity enhancing software solutions. The company is based in Stamford, Connecticut.

How the Company Makes Money

Crane NXT makes money primarily by selling products and services across payment and security-related markets. A major revenue stream comes from the design, manufacture, and sale of cash-handling and payment-related hardware (e.g., equipment used to validate, accept, dispense, or otherwise process banknotes and coins) to customers such as original equipment manufacturers, integrators, and end users in retail and other cash-intensive environments. The company also generates revenue from aftermarket activity tied to that installed base—such as spare parts, maintenance/repair, and service/support—where applicable. In addition, Crane NXT earns revenue from security and authentication offerings that help customers protect brands and verify authenticity (including technology that can be embedded into physical products and credentials, as well as associated solutions and services). These security solutions can monetize through product sales and, where offered, solution/service delivery. Specific information on the relative contribution of each segment, pricing model details, or named partnerships is null.

Crane NXT Financial Statement Overview

Summary

Revenue is growing (+4.9% TTM), but profitability and cash generation have weakened: gross and net margins declined versus 2024, net income fell ($145.1M TTM vs $184.1M in 2024), operating cash flow and free cash flow dropped (FCF down ~32%), and leverage increased (debt up to $1.14B; debt-to-equity ~0.91). Overall fundamentals are adequate but trending softer.

Income Statement

TTM (Trailing-Twelve-Months) revenue rose 4.9% to $1.66B, showing steady top-line momentum. However, profitability has weakened versus prior years: TTM gross margin fell to ~30.3% (from ~44.7% in 2024) and net margin declined to ~8.8% (from ~12.4% in 2024), with EBIT and EBITDA margins also stepping down. Net income decreased to $145.1M TTM (from $184.1M in 2024), signaling pressure on earnings quality despite continued sales growth.

Balance Sheet

Leverage has increased: total debt rose to $1.14B TTM (from $813.9M in 2024) and debt-to-equity moved up to ~0.91 (from ~0.76). Equity also grew to $1.25B, providing a reasonable capital base, but returns have cooled with return on equity at ~13.6% TTM (down from ~17.3% in 2024). Overall, the balance sheet remains serviceable, but the direction of leverage is a clear risk factor.

Cash Flow

Cash generation has weakened in the most recent period: operating cash flow fell to $160.6M TTM (from $214.1M in 2024) and free cash flow dropped to $117.4M with a sharp -32.0% free-cash-flow decline. Free cash flow covered about 73% of net income TTM, which is decent, but the lower operating cash flow relative to reported profits (coverage ratio ~0.28 TTM vs ~0.38 in 2024) suggests softer cash conversion and less financial flexibility.

Breakdown	Dec 2025	Dec 2024	Dec 2023	Dec 2022	Dec 2021
Income Statement
Total Revenue	1.66B	1.49B	1.39B	1.34B	1.35B
Gross Profit	703.80M	665.10M	654.10M	626.20M	598.90M
EBITDA	347.90M	361.00M	368.00M	383.30M	365.80M
Net Income	145.10M	184.10M	188.30M	204.90M	178.00M
Balance Sheet
Total Assets	3.12B	2.39B	2.13B	2.13B	4.49B
Cash, Cash Equivalents and Short-Term Investments	233.80M	165.80M	227.20M	230.70M	478.60M
Total Debt	1.14B	813.90M	694.70M	881.20M	944.50M
Total Liabilities	1.86B	1.32B	1.17B	1.35B	2.65B
Stockholders Equity	1.26B	1.06B	964.00M	783.80M	1.83B
Cash Flow
Free Cash Flow	198.30M	168.70M	245.20M	284.70M	444.60M
Operating Cash Flow	241.50M	214.10M	276.30M	306.00M	498.50M
Investing Cash Flow	-549.00M	-318.00M	-31.10M	-21.30M	-300.00K
Financing Cash Flow	363.60M	62.10M	-252.50M	-135.00M	-557.90M

Crane NXT Technical Analysis

• Technical Analysis Sentiment: Negative
• Last Price: 42.27
• 50DMA: Negative
• 100DMA: Negative
• 200DMA: Negative
• MACD: Positive
• RSI: Positive
• STOCH: Positive

Evaluating momentum and price trends is crucial in stock analysis to make informed investment decisions. For CXT, the sentiment is Negative. The current price of 42.27 is below the 20-day moving average (MA) of 48.64, below the 50-day MA of 50.00, and below the 200-day MA of 56.19, indicating a bearish trend. The MACD of -2.16 indicates Positive momentum. The RSI at 21.83 is Positive, neither overbought nor oversold. The STOCH value of 4.84 is Positive, not indicating any strong overbought or oversold conditions. Overall, these indicators collectively point to a Negative sentiment for CXT.

Crane NXT Peers Comparison

Name	Overall Rating	Market Cap	P/E Ratio	ROE	Dividend Yield	Revenue Growth	EPS Growth
MWA	78 Outperform	$4.34B	21.55	21.00%	1.09%	8.75%	64.82%
KAI	71 Outperform	$3.58B	33.07	11.32%	0.46%	-0.96%	-11.55%
FELE	70 Outperform	$4.02B	29.38	11.30%	1.06%	5.06%	-22.73%
SXI	68 Neutral	$3.08B	308.57	7.72%	0.57%	18.51%	-28.69%
CSW	66 Neutral	$4.23B	118.57	12.02%	0.26%	14.87%	15.63%
Sector *	63 Neutral	$10.79B	15.43	7.44%	2.01%	2.89%	-14.66%
CXT	56 Neutral	$2.43B	18.62	13.54%	1.42%	9.30%	-12.55%

Crane NXT Corporate Events

Crane NXT Adds Veteran Technology Leader to Board

On March 9, 2026, Crane NXT’s Board of Directors appointed veteran technology executive Jeffrey Benck as a director, effective immediately, with his term running until the next Annual Meeting, where he has been nominated for election. Benck, currently President, CEO, and Director of Benchmark Electronics and a seasoned leader with more than 35 years across software, services, and hardware, will receive compensation aligned with Crane NXT’s standard program for non‑employee directors.

Benck’s appointment, announced publicly on March 12, 2026, brings deep operational and governance experience from roles at Benchmark Electronics, UNS Energy, Lantronix, Emulex, QLogic, and IBM, bolstering Crane NXT’s technology and customer-focused expertise. The board transition also includes the planned departure of director James L.L. Tullis, who informed the company on March 6, 2026, that he will not stand for reelection and will leave the board at the close of the May 21, 2026 Annual Meeting, marking a measured refresh of the company’s board without any related-party concerns disclosed.

The most recent analyst rating on (CXT) stock is a Hold with a $55.00 price target. To see the full list of analyst forecasts on Crane NXT stock, see the CXT Stock Forecast page.

Crane NXT Hosts Investor Day, Updates Strategic Outlook

On February 25, 2026, Crane NXT, Co. held an Investor Day featuring formal presentations from its management team, starting at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time and webcast until approximately noon, with a replay available for one year. In conjunction with the event, the company posted an updated corporate presentation on its investor relations website, offering new information on its business, 2026 financial outlook, and 2028 targets, underscoring its efforts to give investors clearer visibility into its medium-term performance expectations and strategic direction.

The most recent analyst rating on (CXT) stock is a Hold with a $62.00 price target. To see the full list of analyst forecasts on Crane NXT stock, see the CXT Stock Forecast page.