Start here if you're new
what it is
Crown makes the cans, closures, and packaging gear that move drinks and food through stores worldwide.
how it gets paid
Last year Crown made $12.4B in revenue. Americas Beverage was the main engine at $5.5B, or 44% of sales.
why it's growing
Revenue grew 4.8% last year. The key number was $7.79 in full-year EPS because it sets up the path to the 2026 estimate of $8.25 and the 2027 estimate of.
what just happened
Crown's latest quarter showed EPS of $1.74, beating estimates of $1.69.
At a glance
B+ balance sheet — decent shape, but not bulletproof
80/100 earnings predictability — you can trust these numbers
14.9x trailing p/e — the market's not buying it — or you found a deal
1.2% dividend yield — cash in your pocket every quarter
12.0% return on capital — nothing to write home about
xvary composite: 66/100 — average
What they do
Crown makes the cans, closures, and packaging gear that move drinks and food through stores worldwide.
Crown wins on scale. It runs 189 plants in 39 countries, so your soda brand can get cans almost anywhere without rebuilding its supply chain. Return on capital is 12.0% (return on capital → profit earned on money invested → this business still squeezes decent cash from a very physical operation), which helps explain why global customers keep coming back.
How they make money
$12.4B
annual revenue · their business grew +4.8% last year
Americas Beverage
$5.5B
European Beverage
$2.2B
Asia-Pacific
$1.2B
Transit Packaging
$2.2B
Other
$1.3B
The products that matter
manufactures cans and closures
Metal Packaging
$12.4B revenue
it's the disclosed $12.4B business here. that tells you the story is packaging economics, not some hidden high-margin segment doing the heavy lifting.
core
Key numbers
$5.4B
long-term debt
That debt load is the part you watch first because it limits flexibility if volumes soften.
16.0%
operating margin
Operating margin → profit after running the business → so what: Crown is better than a commodity tin-can stereotype.
12.0%
return on capital
Return on capital → cash earned on money invested → so what: the assets are doing real work, not just taking up space.
14.9x
trailing p/e
P/E → price compared with past earnings → so what: you are not paying a hype multiple for this business.
Financial health
B+
strength
- balance sheet grade B+ — solid but not elite
- risk rank 3 — safer than 50% of stocks
- price stability 70 / 100
- long-term debt $5.4B (29% of capital)
- net profit margin 7.3% — keeps 7 cents of every dollar in revenue
- return on equity 18% — $0.18 profit for every $1 investors have put in
B+ — functional but not a standout on the balance sheet.
Total return vs. market
You invested $10,000 in CCK 3 years ago → it's now worth $13,810.
The index would have given you $14,540.
source: institutional data · total return
What just happened
beat estimates
Crown's latest quarter showed EPS of $1.74, beating estimates of $1.69.
Full-year 2025 EPS reached $7.79 versus $6.41 in 2024. Management pointed to stable volumes, better pricing, and improved operating efficiency, while annual revenue reached $12.4 billion, up 4.8%.
$3.13B
revenue
$1.74
eps
22.0%
gross margin
the number that mattered
The key number was $7.79 in full-year EPS because it sets up the path to the 2026 estimate of $8.25 and the 2027 estimate of $8.90.
-
we expect crown holdings' solid year-end performance to carry over into 2026.the core north american and european beverage segments produced better-than-expected top- and bottom-line growth in the fourth quarter.
-
stable volumes, better pricing, and improved operating efficiency combined to post almost 8% revenue growth, which translated into a nearly 10% earnings-per-share gain that surpassed our fourth quarter estimate by $0.04.margins have been under pressure due to rising aluminum costs, which are generally passed through to customers.
-
we expect that trend to continue in the year ahead.
-
the company is generating impressive cash flow.after over investing in the post-pandemic period, capital expenditures dropped dramatically after 2023 and are expected to stay muted in the year ahead. in addition, as the business recovers as some older plants were taken off line, productivity has improved. with volumes returning to normal, the business produced over $1 billion of free cash flow in one year for the first time.
-
management is deleveraging and returning cash to shareholders.
source: company earnings report, 2026
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What could go wrong
the #1 risk is aluminum and steel cost inflation outrunning contract repricing.
high
metal cost inflation
crown sells packaging, but steel and aluminum costs still matter. if inputs rise faster than customer pricing resets, margins get squeezed.
with a 7.2% net margin, there is not much room for a few bad quarters
med
customer volume slowdown
this is still a volume business tied to food and beverage demand. if customers order fewer cans and closures, plant utilization falls and fixed costs hurt more.
all $12.4B of revenue depends on packaging still moving through the system
med
balance sheet drag
$5.4B of long-term debt is manageable with a B+ balance sheet, but it gives crown less flexibility than a net-cash business if the cycle turns.
debt equals 29% of capital, so capital allocation still matters
low
multiple ceiling
packaging companies can be very good businesses without getting premium valuations. if you buy at 14.9x earnings, most of the upside still has to come from earnings growth.
this is a business that needs execution more than narrative
with a 7.2% net margin and $5.4B of long-term debt, crown has less cushion than a software company if packaging volumes soften or metal costs rise.
source: institutional data · regulatory filings · risk analysis
Pay attention to
key metric
revenue growth at +4.8%
that is enough to support the story. if it slows toward zero, the stock starts looking like a plain packaging cyclical.
risk
metal costs versus pricing
watch whether input inflation starts hitting that 7.2% net margin. low-margin businesses feel pressure quickly.
earnings
next report after q4 2025
the last print was $1.90 EPS on $3.2B revenue. the follow-up matters because one strong quarter does not make a trend.
trend
institutional buying streak
three straight quarters of net buying is supportive. if that reverses while fundamentals flatten, sentiment can cool fast.
Analyst rankings
short-term outlook
top 20%
momentum score 2 — analysts expect above-average price performance in the year ahead. in human-speak, they like the setup.
risk profile
average
stability score 3 — this sits in the middle of the pack on risk. not especially safe, not especially fragile.
chart momentum
below average
technical score 4 — the fundamentals look steadier than the chart right now.
earnings predictability
80 / 100
results tend to be more dependable than dramatic. that matters when you are buying a business at an ordinary multiple.
source: institutional data
Institutional activity
institutions have been net buying for 3 consecutive quarters — 258 buyers vs. 235 sellers in 4q2025. total institutional holdings: 0.1B shares. net buying for 3 quarters.
source: institutional data
Price targets
3-5 year target range
$78
$135
$116
current price
$107
target midpoint · 8% from current · 3-5yr high: $190 (+65% · 14% ann'l return)
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