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CPI Card Group Inc.: Q3 FY2026 earnings call

What management said about Q3 FY2026, from the documents filed with the SEC on 4 November 2026: press release. Guidance figures: 2 raised, 2 kept. The quarter’s numbers.

Key takeaways

  • Revenue set quarterly record: Third-quarter revenue increased 15% to $158.4 million, described by the company as a quarterly record. Source
  • Adjusted EBITDA up 17%: Adjusted EBITDA rose 17% to $27.5 million, driven by revenue growth and segment mix, which management says improved profitability across the business. Source
  • Secure Card revenue up 13%: Secure Card Solutions revenue rose 13% to $111.9 million, driven by higher contactless card volumes. Source
  • Arroweye added over 30 wins: Arroweye has secured more than 30 new customer wins since its May 2025 acquisition, including a top 15 issuer not previously a CPI customer. Source
  • Nine-month free cash flow record: Free cash flow was a company record $46.1 million for the first nine months, against $6.1 million a year earlier. Source
  • Net leverage down to 2.6x: Net Leverage Ratio fell to 2.6x from 3.6x in the prior-year third quarter. Source

“We are gaining share while executing on our growth strategy to expand our capabilities, diversify our business and create new avenues for long-term growth and shareholder value creation.”

John Lowe, President and Chief Executive Officer

Guidance

AreaPeriodFigureAgainst last quarter
Revenue growth Source2026 full yearLow-double-digit growthRaised from High-single-digit to low-double-digit growth
Adjusted EBITDA growth Source2026 full yearLow-to-mid single-digit growthKept
Free Cash Flow Source2026 full year$50 million to $55 millionRaised from $45 million to $50 million
Year-end Net Leverage Ratio SourceYear-end 2026Toward the low end of 2.5x to 3.0x rangeKept

What changed from last quarter

  • Guidance raised: Revenue growth guidance raised to low-double-digit, from high-single-digit to low-double-digit. Source
  • Guidance raised: Free Cash Flow guidance raised to $50 million to $55 million from $45 million to $50 million. Source
  • New guidance: Integrated Paytech revenue growth expected to more than double in the fourth quarter versus the third quarter. Source
  • Guidance kept: Adjusted EBITDA growth expectation of low-to-mid single digits kept. Source
  • New: Secondary offering of Parallel49's remaining CPI shares completed, ending its ownership after nearly 20 years. Source

Results and growth drivers

  • Revenue set quarterly record: Third-quarter revenue increased 15% to $158.4 million, described by the company as a quarterly record. Source
  • Net income more than doubled: Net income rose 117% to $5.0 million, or $0.41 diluted EPS, mainly on higher operating income, lower interest expense and a lower tax rate. Source
  • Adjusted EBITDA up 17%: Adjusted EBITDA rose 17% to $27.5 million, driven by revenue growth and segment mix, which management says improved profitability across the business. Source
  • Gross margin up 200 basis points: Gross profit rose 23% to $50.3 million, lifting gross margin by 200 basis points. Source
  • Nine-month revenue record: Nine-month revenue rose 16% to a company record $454.6 million. Source

Segment results

  • Secure Card revenue up 13%: Secure Card Solutions revenue rose 13% to $111.9 million, driven by higher contactless card volumes. Source
  • Prepaid revenue rose on closed loop: Prepaid Solutions revenue rose 15% to $26.9 million, mainly from closed loop prepaid sales, with healthy volumes of higher-value open loop packages. Source
  • Prepaid gross margin up 340 basis points: Prepaid Solutions gross margin rose 340 basis points to 34%, attributed to higher revenue and favorable sales mix. Source
  • Integrated Paytech revenue up 20%: Integrated Paytech revenue rose 20% to $23.5 million, mainly from the TRISM acquisition and Card@Once growth, with gross margin held above 55%. Source

“We are pleased with the benefits we are seeing from the disciplined investments we have made across acquisitions, automation and technology to advance our digital strategy,”

Terra Grantham, Chief Financial Officer

Customers and commercial wins

  • Arroweye added over 30 wins: Arroweye has secured more than 30 new customer wins since its May 2025 acquisition, including a top 15 issuer not previously a CPI customer. Source
  • TRISM retention and early wins: Since the June 2026 TRISM acquisition, customer retention and early commercial wins are building momentum across the pipeline. Source
  • Push provisioning reach expanding: Digital push provisioning is expanding through new go-to-market relationships, bringing tokenization to financial institutions and their customers. Source

Costs and margins

  • SG&A rose to $34.6 million: Selling, general and administrative expenses rose to $34.6 million from $28.0 million in the prior-year quarter. Source
  • Tariff refunds lifted nine-month margin: Nine-month Secure Card gross margin rose 150 basis points, mainly on higher revenue and about $4.0 million of tariff refunds. Source
  • Integrated Paytech operating margin fell: Integrated Paytech operating income fell 12.2% to $7.2 million, with operating margin at 30.8% against 42.2% a year earlier. Source
  • Corporate costs rose 29%: Corporate operating loss widened 29% to $18.2 million, from $14.1 million a year earlier. Source

Cash flow and leverage

  • Nine-month free cash flow record: Free cash flow was a company record $46.1 million for the first nine months, against $6.1 million a year earlier. Source
  • Working capital and lower capex: Management credited working capital gains, including lower inventory purchases, and lower capital spending for the free cash flow increase. Source
  • Net leverage down to 2.6x: Net Leverage Ratio fell to 2.6x from 3.6x in the prior-year third quarter. Source
  • Senior Notes balance lowered: At quarter end the company held $15 million of cash, $15 million of ABL Revolver borrowings and $238.5 million of 10% Senior Secured Notes due 2029, down from $265.0 million at June 30. Source

Shareholder base and offering

  • Offering costs of about $1.0 million: The company sold no shares and received no proceeds from the September 14 offering, but incurred about $1.0 million of offering-related expenses. Source
  • Broader float and institutional reach: The transaction expanded the shareholder base, increased the public float and positions the company to engage more institutional investors. Source
  • Common shares outstanding rose: Common shares outstanding were 11,630,710 at September 30, 2026, up from 11,456,061 at December 31, 2025. Source

Strategy and partnerships

  • Karta relationship progressing: Management says the Karta relationship continues to progress well; Karta is an Australia-based payments technology firm in which CPI holds a minority stake. Source
  • Retailer pilot advancing: The second stage of a pilot with a large U.S. national retailer is being advanced. Source
  • Credential capabilities beyond issuance: Management aims to extend secure payment credential capabilities and value-added solutions beyond initial card issuance. Source

Coming up, as management said on 4 November 2026

  • Karta technology for U.S. market: The companies are working to bring Karta’s chip-embedded payment technology to the U.S. market, with no date given. Source

Figures management reported

FigureReported
New customer wins since Arroweye acquisition (May 2025) SourceMore than 30

Risks management discussed

  • External: Year-to-date tariff expenses of about $1.0 million in non-Secure Card segments, plus higher depreciation, were noted against segment gross profit. Source
  • Operational: Acquisition and integration costs of $1.2 million in the quarter, primarily from TRISM and Arroweye, partly offset the quarter's net income gain. Source
  • Financial: The 20% Karta stake recorded equity losses of $55 thousand in the quarter and $458 thousand for the nine months. Source

Earlier plans management reported on

  • Ahead: Arroweye integration is nearing completion and is performing ahead of the original investment case. Source
  • On track: TRISM has performed on track with the company's expectations since its June 2026 acquisition. Source
  • Ahead: Third-quarter performance exceeded the company's expectations, with revenue up 15%. Source

Other quarters

Summarised with AI from the documents the company filed with the SEC. Every point is checked against the filing before it is shown: management’s own words word for word, figures against the line or table row they come from. A point that fails the check is left out. Source opens the filing at that line.