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Card Factory plc (CARD.L)

Consumer Cyclical Dividend payer

Ever wonder how high streets stay cheerful? Card Factory sells millions of birthday greetings, wrapping paper and gifts on a budget.

£0.75
≈ 75p · London-listed shares are usually quoted in pence (GBX) elsewhere; the Almanac shows pounds (£1 = 100p).

Is Card Factory plc a good stock for a UK beginner?

The honest version: Ever wonder how high streets stay cheerful? Card Factory sells millions of birthday greetings, wrapping paper and gifts on a budget.

No rating · no target price · nothing for sale here
Price-37.0%
52-week range-19% past year
£0.75
Low £0.58High £1.16
Where today's price sits versus its past year - context, not a signal.
If you had put £1,000 into Card Factory plc
£630-37%

Over about 2 years to 2026-07-31. This is the share price only - reinvesting the dividends would add to it. Past performance is not a guide to the future, and it could just as easily have fallen.

Market cap: The company's total value on the stock market - share price times the number of shares. Big = 'large-cap', small = 'small-cap'.
£256.45M
Avg volume: How many shares change hands on a typical day. Higher means it's easy to buy or exit without moving the price.
1.31M
Day range: The lowest and highest price the shares traded at during the latest day.
£0.75 – £0.77
52-week range: The lowest and highest the shares have traded over the past year - a sense of how wide the swings have been.
£0.58 – £1.16
P/E ratio: Price-to-earnings: the share price divided by yearly profit per share. Lower can mean cheaper; higher often means investors expect fast growth.
8.4
Dividend yield: The yearly dividend as a percentage of the share price - roughly the income you'd earn from dividends alone.
6.6%
Beta: How bumpy the share price is versus the whole market. Above 1 swings more than the market; below 1 is calmer. It's about the ride, not whether it goes up or down.
1.28
How bumpy is it?Beta: How bumpy the share price is versus the whole market. Above 1 swings more than the market; below 1 is calmer. It's about the ride, not whether it goes up or down. 1.28
Calm
Wild
Roughly in step with the market

Based on beta - how much the price swings versus the whole market. Bumpier isn't bad; it just means a rougher ride, which matters more the sooner you might need the money.

Why has it been moving?▲ +0% past week · ▼ -19% past year

Prices move on results, news and the mood of the whole market - no single headline explains a day, and a quiet week is usually just noise, not a signal.

The bull case

The brand successfully transforms into a dominant multi-channel gifting destination.

The bear case

Shifting consumer habits permanently desert physical shops for digital alternatives.

What does Card Factory plc do?

This high-street stalwart makes its money by selling low-cost greeting cards and party bits directly to shoppers through its sprawling UK store network and growing online shop. While it pockets a decent wedge of profit from what it sells, earnings recently took a knock, leaving many observers watching to see if shoppers keep spending on celebrations during tighter economic times.

VQGMI
Factor profile

On our factor screen it looks strongest on value and income, and weakest on growth.

Value: How cheap the stock looks versus profits, sales and assets (higher = cheaper). 88Quality: How profitable and financially healthy the company is (higher = stronger). 41Growth: How fast revenue and earnings are growing (higher = faster). 39Momentum: How the share price has been trending recently (higher = stronger recent run). 43Income: The dividend income on offer and how sustainable it looks (higher = more/steadier). 71
Quick checks
What's strong
  • Value screens high (88/100)
  • Income screens high (71/100)
  • Familiar household name with a strong high street presence
  • High dividend yield provides regular income potential
  • Low price-to-earnings ratio suggests shares are relatively inexpensive based on past results
What to watch
  • Shoppers cutting back on cards and celebrations during tight financial times
  • Competition from supermarkets and online-only party retailers
  • Share price can swing more wildly than the wider market due to its smaller size

What do Card Factory plc's numbers mean?

P/E
8.4
This shows you are paying £8.40 for every £1 of past yearly profit the company generated, which looks quite low compared to many other businesses.
Dividend yield
6.6%
This tells you the cash payouts relative to the share price, offering a chunky potential income stream if payments continue.
Revenue growth
8.6%
Sales grew by this amount over the past year, showing that tills are still ringing and more money is coming through the doors.
Gross margin
33.2%
For every pound taken at the till, around 33p remains after paying the direct costs of making the cards and gifts.

Does Card Factory plc pay a dividend?

Yes - Card Factory plc currently pays a dividend of about 6.6% a year (the yearly payout as a share of the price). A dividend is a slice of profit handed to shareholders; the yield moves as the price moves, and a company can cut or stop it.

More in Consumer Cyclical

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Appears in
Dividend shares, explained for beginners

What are the scenarios for Card Factory plc?

An illustrative range for the year ahead, with the assumption behind each case — not a prediction or a price target.

£1£1£1today · £1▲ Bull · £1• Base · £1▼ Bear · £1in 1 yearILLUSTRATIVE · NOT A PREDICTION OR PRICE TARGET
Bull
+10% to +20%Stronger than expected festive spending boosts short-term cash flow.
Base
-5% to +5%Trading remains steady as shoppers continue buying budget-friendly greetings.
Bear
-15% to -25%Rising high street costs squeeze profit margins faster than expected.

What are the pros and cons of Card Factory plc?

3bull points
6bear points

How many points the write-up makes each way — a balance check, not a score or verdict.

The bull case3
  • Familiar household name with a strong high street presence
  • High dividend yield provides regular income potential
  • Low price-to-earnings ratio suggests shares are relatively inexpensive based on past results
The catch3
  • Recent earnings dropped significantly year-on-year
  • Heavy reliance on traditional physical retail stores
  • Vulnerable to rising rent and staff costs on the high street
Key risks3
  • Shoppers cutting back on cards and celebrations during tight financial times
  • Competition from supermarkets and online-only party retailers
  • Share price can swing more wildly than the wider market due to its smaller size
What would flip the thesis

The write-up's own warning lights — if these start happening, the case above changes.

Confidence: medium · data: GBP · flags: none · Charts by TradingView Lightweight Charts™
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Built from public filings & market prices, checked for an education-only tone, and never a price target. How we make these →

This plain-English summary was auto-generated on 2026-08-01 from public data and checked for an education-only, no-advice tone (the figures above carry their own, usually fresher, 'as of' date). It's information, never a recommendation.

Figures as of 2026-08-01. Prices may be delayed and numbers can go stale - always double-check before acting.