CluenexCrane NXT CXT
Crane NXT scores average on business quality (5.3 of 10). Here is why, in plain words, and what our sealed record shows.
Why it matters
- What Crane NXT does
Crane NXT provides specialized technology equipment, security solutions, and payment processing components to commercial and government customers who rely on secure transactions.
- What it does best
Crane NXT leads in gross margin at 42.1%, putting it in the top quartile of its sector at 69%. This margin reflects proprietary security technology that customers cannot easily swap out without risking transaction integrity.
- The main risk
Net debt has climbed to $906 million from $418 million in 2023, expanding financial leverage. If interest rates remain elevated, debt servicing costs will eat into cash available for dividends and buybacks.
Quality, check by check
Scored against its own industry, from company filings.
Operating margin sits at 16.3% with free cash flow at $224 million. Margins are stable, though higher debt loads soften the final return on equity of 11.3%.
Its moat rests on high-security switching costs for payment and authentication tech, landing in the top quartile for gross margin. Rivals face heavy R&D hurdles to match these specifications.
Revenue grew 11.4% to $1.8 billion, accelerating past the 2024 level of $1.5 billion and reversing the flat growth seen in prior years.
Total debt sits at $1.1 billion against $234 million in cash, leaving net debt at $906 million. Free cash flow reached $224 million, covering the $40 million dividend comfortably.
Insiders
Executives and directors, from SEC Form 4 filings we read ourselves. Open market trades only; grants, option exercises and pre-planned sales left out.
No open market buys or unplanned sales by executives or directors.
Our sealed record on CXT
Verdicts appear here 30 days after we publish them; members see today's. Each one is in the nightly ledger, fingerprinted the night it was made.
The first sealed verdicts appear here on Oct 11, 2026.
Questions
Crane NXT scores average on the Cluenex quality check (5.3 of 10), measured against its own industry. Profitability is weak, moat fair, growth steady and financial health fair.
In the last 90 days of SEC Form 4 filings: No open market buys or unplanned sales by executives or directors.
Nov 3, 2026.
See CXT today
- Today's verdict on CXT, and why
- Fair value with cautious, base and optimistic cases
- The exact price that would change the verdict
- Which stocks each signal names, the night it fires
Cite this page: Cluenex, “Crane NXT (CXT)”, https://cluenex.com/stocks/cxt/, data as of Oct 10, 2026.