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CPI Card Group Inc (PMTS)
NASDAQ:PMTS

CPI Card Group (PMTS) AI Stock Analysis

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PMTS

CPI Card Group

(NASDAQ:PMTS)

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Neutral 56 (OpenAI - 5.2)
Rating:56Neutral
Price Target:
$13.50
▲(3.93% Upside)
CPI Card Group's overall stock score is driven by moderate financial performance and valuation, with strong cash flow generation offset by profitability and leverage concerns. Technical indicators suggest potential overbought conditions, while recent corporate events and strategic initiatives provide a positive outlook. However, mixed earnings call results and margin pressures remain significant risks.
Positive Factors
Strong free cash flow growth
Sustained 20%+ TTM free cash flow growth provides durable internal funding for capex, technology investments and debt reduction. Reliable cash generation improves financial flexibility, supports strategic M&A or product development, and reduces reliance on external financing over the medium term.
Recurring SaaS instant-issuance growth
Rapid expansion of the instant-issuance SaaS business diversifies revenue toward higher-margin, recurring streams. SaaS adoption improves customer retention, increases lifetime value, and reduces dependence on one-time card production, bolstering durable revenue visibility and margin resilience.
Board/shareholder alignment and strategic backing
A major shareholder transaction and director nomination agreement signal committed ownership and governance continuity. Strong sponsor support can enable strategic initiatives, access to capital, and long-term planning, reducing execution risk and aiding strategic M&A or operational turnarounds.
Negative Factors
Negative equity and high leverage
Negative equity and extreme leverage materially constrain financial flexibility. Elevated leverage raises refinancing and covenant risks, limits capacity for organic or inorganic growth investments, and leaves the firm sensitive to interest rate or cash-flow shocks over the medium term.
Margin pressure from sales mix and tariffs
Declining adjusted EBITDA driven by sales mix shifts and tariff costs indicates structural margin headwinds. Persistent tariffs and lower-margin product mix can compress operating profit margins, reducing reinvestment capacity and slowing progress on deleveraging and margin improvement initiatives.
Volatility in prepaid sales and sales mix
Material swings in prepaid volumes point to demand volatility and order timing risk. Reliance on volatile prepaid business segments undermines revenue predictability and can exacerbate margin pressure from adverse sales mix, complicating long-term planning and stable cash-flow forecasting.

CPI Card Group (PMTS) vs. SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY)

CPI Card Group Business Overview & Revenue Model

Company DescriptionCPI Card Group Inc., together with its subsidiaries, engages in the design, production, data personalization, packaging, and fulfillment of financial payment cards. It operates through Debit and Credit, and Prepaid Debit segments. The Debit and Credit segment produces financial payment cards and provides integrated card services to card-issuing banks. Its products include Europay, Mastercard, And Visa (EMV) and non-EMV financial payment cards and metal cards, as well as private label credit cards. This segment also provides on-demand services and various integrated card services, including card personalization and fulfillment, and instant issuance services. The Prepaid Debit segment primarily offers integrated card services comprising tamper-evident security packaging services to prepaid debit card providers. It also produces financial payment cards issued on the networks of the payment card brands. It serves issuers of debit and credit cards, Prepaid Debit Card program managers, community banks, credit unions, group service providers, and card transaction processors in the United States. The company was formerly known as CPI Holdings I, Inc. and changed its name to CPI Card Group Inc. in August 2015. CPI Card Group Inc. was incorporated in 2007 and is based in Littleton, Colorado.
How the Company Makes MoneyCPI Card Group generates revenue primarily through the production and personalization of payment cards. Their revenue model consists of several key streams: card production, which includes the manufacturing of plastic cards; personalization services, where cards are customized with customer-specific data; and value-added services such as card design, fulfillment, and digital payment solutions. Additionally, CPI benefits from partnerships with financial institutions and technology companies that expand their service offerings, leading to increased demand for their products. The company may also leverage economies of scale and operational efficiencies to improve profit margins, while ongoing innovation in secure payment technologies helps to drive future revenue growth.

CPI Card Group Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

Any
Any
Revenue by Segment
Revenue by Segment
Chart Insights
Data provided by:The Fly

CPI Card Group Earnings Call Summary

Earnings Call Date:Nov 04, 2025
(Q3-2025)
|
% Change Since: |
Next Earnings Date:Mar 10, 2026
Earnings Call Sentiment Neutral
The earnings call presented a mixed picture. While the company reported an 11% increase in sales, market share gains, and notable progress in strategic initiatives, these positives were tempered by declines in adjusted EBITDA and gross profit margins, as well as challenges from tariffs and prepaid sales declines. The outlook for EBITDA growth was also revised downwards.
Q3-2025 Updates
Positive Updates
Overall Sales Growth
Sales increased 11% for the quarter, driven by the addition of Arroweye and strong growth in the Software-as-a-Service instant issuance business.
Market Share Gains in Debit and Credit Segment
The company believes it gained market share as contactless card volumes increased nicely.
Strategic Initiatives Paying Off
Progress on multiple strategy initiatives, including the expansion of addressable markets and entry into closed-loop prepaid, is starting to yield tangible results.
Record Year for Instant Issuance Business
The Software-as-a-Service instant issuance business is on track for a record year, with growth in new verticals and financial institution penetration.
New Indiana Facility Operational
The new Indiana production facility is fully operational, expected to aid efficiencies in 2026.
Negative Updates
Adjusted EBITDA Decline
Adjusted EBITDA decreased 7% in the quarter due to unfavorable sales mix and tariff expenses.
Gross Profit Margin Decline
Gross profit margin decreased from 35.8% to 29.7%, driven by unfavorable sales mix and increased production costs.
Prepaid Sales Decline
Prepaid sales declined 7%, largely due to timing issues and comparisons to large sales in the prior year period.
Tariff Impact on Costs
Tariff expenses amounted to $1.6 million in the quarter, with an expectation of $4-5 million for the year.
Flat to Low Single-Digit EBITDA Growth Outlook
The company updated its full-year outlook to flat to low single-digit adjusted EBITDA growth due to margin impacts in debit and credit.
Company Guidance
During the CPI Card Group's Third Quarter 2025 Earnings Call, the company provided guidance that reflects a robust strategic focus on growth and innovation, despite facing margin pressures. Net sales for the quarter increased by 11%, driven primarily by the addition of Arroweye and growth in the instant issuance business, although offset by a 7% decline in prepaid sales. The company reported an adjusted EBITDA decrease of 7% due to an unfavorable sales mix and tariff expenses totaling $1.6 million. The guidance for the full year 2025 was adjusted to reflect low double-digit to low teens net sales growth and flat to low single-digit adjusted EBITDA growth, considering ongoing margin impacts in the debit and credit segment. The company also foresees strong year-on-year growth in the fourth quarter for both net sales and adjusted EBITDA. CPI's strategic initiatives include expanding its addressable markets and leveraging new technologies, such as its strategic relationship with Karta to introduce chip technology in prepaid cards, aimed at enhancing fraud prevention.

CPI Card Group Financial Statement Overview

Summary
CPI Card Group shows moderate revenue growth and strong cash flow generation, but faces challenges with profitability margins and a highly leveraged balance sheet. The negative equity position poses a risk, though strong cash flow growth is a positive indicator for future stability.
Income Statement
65
Positive
CPI Card Group shows moderate revenue growth with a TTM increase of 2.23%. However, the gross profit margin has slightly decreased to 33.47% from 35.63% in the previous year. The net profit margin also declined to 2.99% from 4.06%. EBIT and EBITDA margins have decreased, indicating some pressure on operational efficiency.
Balance Sheet
40
Negative
The company has a negative stockholders' equity, resulting in a high and negative debt-to-equity ratio of -10.71. This indicates significant leverage and potential financial instability. Return on equity is also negative, reflecting challenges in generating returns for shareholders.
Cash Flow
70
Positive
CPI Card Group's free cash flow has grown by 20.22% TTM, showing strong cash generation capabilities. The operating cash flow to net income ratio is 0.62, indicating a healthy conversion of income to cash. However, the free cash flow to net income ratio is slightly lower at 0.79.
BreakdownTTMDec 2024Dec 2023Dec 2022Dec 2021Dec 2020
Income Statement
Total Revenue515.58M480.60M444.55M475.75M375.12M312.19M
Gross Profit164.42M171.22M155.49M175.77M141.43M110.31M
EBITDA72.01M79.21M77.31M93.65M74.56M55.11M
Net Income14.37M19.52M23.98M36.54M15.94M16.13M
Balance Sheet
Total Assets407.06M349.66M293.68M296.67M268.14M266.15M
Cash, Cash Equivalents and Short-Term Investments15.96M33.54M12.41M11.04M20.68M57.60M
Total Debt320.74M289.47M272.31M291.22M307.74M341.12M
Total Liabilities432.72M385.28M345.62M378.74M389.16M404.19M
Stockholders Equity-25.66M-35.62M-51.94M-82.08M-121.02M-138.04M
Cash Flow
Free Cash Flow22.43M34.06M27.64M13.47M10.15M14.92M
Operating Cash Flow36.60M43.31M34.04M31.34M20.23M22.01M
Investing Cash Flow-56.53M-9.22M-6.22M-17.77M-9.92M-7.09M
Financing Cash Flow22.40M-12.96M-26.44M-23.16M-47.23M23.98M

CPI Card Group Technical Analysis

Technical Analysis Sentiment
Negative
Last Price12.99
Price Trends
50DMA
14.41
Negative
100DMA
14.82
Negative
200DMA
17.93
Negative
Market Momentum
MACD
-0.45
Positive
RSI
38.13
Neutral
STOCH
16.14
Positive
Evaluating momentum and price trends is crucial in stock analysis to make informed investment decisions. For PMTS, the sentiment is Negative. The current price of 12.99 is below the 20-day moving average (MA) of 13.67, below the 50-day MA of 14.41, and below the 200-day MA of 17.93, indicating a bearish trend. The MACD of -0.45 indicates Positive momentum. The RSI at 38.13 is Neutral, neither overbought nor oversold. The STOCH value of 16.14 is Positive, not indicating any strong overbought or oversold conditions. Overall, these indicators collectively point to a Negative sentiment for PMTS.

CPI Card Group Risk Analysis

CPI Card Group disclosed 40 risk factors in its most recent earnings report. CPI Card Group reported the most risks in the "Finance & Corporate" category.
Finance & Corporate - Financial and accounting risks. Risks related to the execution of corporate activity and strategy
Latest Risks Added 0 New Risks

CPI Card Group Peers Comparison

Overall Rating
UnderperformOutperform
Sector (68)
Financial Indicators
Name
Overall Rating
Market Cap
P/E Ratio
ROE
Dividend Yield
Revenue Growth
EPS Growth
73
Outperform
$343.03M1.9912.53%10.37%10.48%-30.67%
69
Neutral
$479.55M2.0116.09%8.86%-0.60%135.15%
68
Neutral
$18.00B11.429.92%3.81%9.73%1.22%
67
Neutral
$2.98B4.0797.70%10.18%-2.51%17.47%
56
Neutral
$147.92M10.7912.48%-7.47%
56
Neutral
$676.58M-14.33-5.09%23.12%19.37%
* Financial Sector Average
Performance Comparison
Ticker
Company Name
Price
Change
% Change
PMTS
CPI Card Group
12.99
-15.33
-54.13%
GDOT
Green Dot
12.18
3.50
40.32%
WU
Western Union
9.37
0.11
1.19%
YRD
Yiren Digital
3.97
-1.19
-23.06%
LX
Lexinfintech Holdings
2.85
-4.59
-61.70%

CPI Card Group Corporate Events

Business Operations and StrategyExecutive/Board Changes
CPI Card Group’s Major Shareholder Transaction and Board Changes
Positive
Dec 5, 2025

On December 4, 2025, significant stockholders of CPI Card Group, Tricor Pacific Capital Partners, sold 1.9 million shares of the company’s common stock to Tricor PMT25 Holdings Inc., a wholly-owned affiliate of Tricor Pacific Capital Inc., in a privately negotiated transaction. This transaction led to a director nomination agreement allowing Tricor Family Office to nominate individuals to CPI’s board, contingent on holding 10% or more of the company’s shares. Additionally, CPI’s Chairman, Sandy Riley, purchased 0.2 million shares, reflecting confidence in the company’s growth prospects. These transactions reduced Parallel49’s ownership from 42% to 24% and increased Tricor Family Office’s direct ownership to nearly 20%. The move is seen as a commitment to CPI’s strategy and governance continuity, supporting shareholder value and business growth.

The most recent analyst rating on (PMTS) stock is a Hold with a $12.50 price target. To see the full list of analyst forecasts on CPI Card Group stock, see the PMTS Stock Forecast page.

Business Operations and StrategyFinancial Disclosures
CPI Card Group Reports Q3 2025 Financial Results
Neutral
Nov 4, 2025

CPI Card Group Inc. reported an 11% increase in net sales to $138 million for the third quarter of 2025, driven by the acquisition of Arroweye and growth in instant issuance solutions, despite a decline in prepaid sales. The company’s net income rose by 78% to $2.3 million, while Adjusted EBITDA decreased by 7% due to lower gross margins and tariff expenses. CPI updated its 2025 outlook, projecting lower net sales and Adjusted EBITDA growth than previously expected, influenced by sales mix impacts and order timing. The company continues to advance its strategic growth initiatives, including prepaid and instant issuance expansion and digital payment solutions, while focusing on improving margins and reducing net leverage.

The most recent analyst rating on (PMTS) stock is a Hold with a $17.50 price target. To see the full list of analyst forecasts on CPI Card Group stock, see the PMTS Stock Forecast page.

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.Date of analysis: Dec 09, 2025