Skip to main content

Core & Main, Inc. (CNM) Stock Analysis

Range Bound setup

SellVALUE-TRAP 1/5Moderate Confidence

Industrials · Industrial Distribution

Sell if holding. At $50.09, A.R:R 1.2:1 is below the 1.5:1 minimum. Reward from here is too thin for a buy — the engine flags exit. Additional concerns: Thin upside margin: 8.6%; Leverage penalty (D/E 1.2): -0.5.

Core & Main is a specialty distributor of water, wastewater, storm drainage, and fire protection infrastructure products with over 370 branches across the U.S. and Canada serving more than 60,000 customers. Revenue is split across municipal (44%), non-residential (38%), and... Read more

$50.09+8.6% A.UpsideScore 4.7/10#16 of 17 Industrial Distribution
Stop $46.85Target $54.45(analyst − 10%)A.R:R 1.3:1
Analyst target$60.50+20.8%16 analysts
$54.45our TP
$50.09price
$60.50mean
$40
$75

Sell if holding. At $50.09, A.R:R 1.2:1 is below the 1.5:1 minimum. Reward from here is too thin for a buy — the engine flags exit. Additional concerns: Thin upside margin: 8.6%; Leverage penalty (D/E 1.2): -0.5. Chart setup: RSI 45 mid-range, Bollinger mid-band. Score 4.7/10, moderate confidence.

Passes 5/8 gates (clean insider activity, no SEC red flags, news events none recent, earnings proximity 39d clear, semi cycle peak clear). Fails on weak momentum and favorable risk/reward ratio and death cross (50MA < 200MA). Suitability: moderate.

Thesis

Rewards
No bull case signals
Risks
Thin upside margin: 8.6%
Leverage penalty (D/E 1.2): -0.5
Consecutive earnings misses (2)

Key Metrics

P/E (TTM)21.0
P/E (Fwd)16.2
Mkt Cap$9.5B
EV/EBITDA12.5
Profit Mgn5.8%
ROE24.0%
Rev Growth-6.9%
Beta1.00
DividendNone
Rating analysts19

Quality Signals

Piotroski F6/9

Options Flow

P/C2.50bearish
IV51%elevated

Concentration Risks(10-K Item 1A)

  • MEDIUMCustomermunicipal market44%
    10-K Item 1A: 'Approximately 44% of our net sales in fiscal 2025 were related to the municipal market.'

Material Events(8-K, last 90d)

  • 2026-03-27Item 5.02LOW
    M. Susan Hardwick appointed to Board of Directors effective April 1, 2026, filling a new Class III director vacancy. Former CEO of American Water Works (2022-2025). Also appointed to Talent and Compensation Committee. No prior arrangement cited.
    SEC filing →

Model-generated analysis — not investment advice. Not a registered investment advisor. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Full disclaimer

Rating Breakdown

2 floor-breakers

Price action weak — below key moving averages, no momentum carry. Needs a base before trend-continuation setups apply.static

Volume
0.0
Obv
1.0
Ma Position
1.0
Macd
1.2
Rsi
4.5
Volume distribution (falling OBV)Below 200-MA, MA slope -2.4%/30d — confirmed downtrend

Revenue shrinking — -6.9% YoY. Growth thesis broken unless recovery story develops.static

Revenue Growth
0.8
Earnings Growth
3.8
Declining revenue: -7%
GatesMomentum 1.5<4.5A.R:R 1.2 < 1.5@spotDeath cross (50MA < 200MA)Insider activity: OKNo SEC red flagsNEWS EVENTS NONE RECENTEARNINGS PROXIMITY 39d clearSEMI CYCLE PEAK CLEARRange BoundSuitability: Moderate
RSI
45 · Neutral
20D MA 50D MA 200D MADEATH CROSSSupport $48.30Resistance $54.81

Price Targets

$47
$54
A.Upside+8.7%
A.R:R1.3:1

Position Sizing

ConvictionNone
Suggested %0.5%
Max %1%
RegimeSteady

Risk Alerts

! Momentum score 1.5/10 — below 4.5 minimum
! Reward/Risk 1.2:1 at current price — below 1.5:1 minimum
! Death cross — 50-day MA below 200-day MA

Earnings

B
B
M
M
2/4 beats
Next Earnings2026-06-09 (39d)

Verdict History

reverse chrono — latest first
Loading history...
Verdicts are recorded on every nightly pipeline run. Rows capture transitions (verdict flips, score deltas ≥0.3, entry/TP/SL changes). Rows with a ▶ can be expanded to see the change reason. Aggregate cohort performance is tracked in the recommendation ledger.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CNM stock a buy right now?

Sell if holding. At $50.09, A.R:R 1.2:1 is below the 1.5:1 minimum. Reward from here is too thin for a buy — the engine flags exit. Additional concerns: Thin upside margin: 8.6%; Leverage penalty (D/E 1.2): -0.5. Chart setup: RSI 45 mid-range, Bollinger mid-band. Prior stop was $46.85. Score 4.7/10, moderate confidence.

What is the CNM stock price target?

Take-profit target: $54.45 (+8.6% upside). Prior stop was $46.85. Stop-loss: $46.85.

What are the risks of investing in CNM?

Thin upside margin: 8.6%; Leverage penalty (D/E 1.2): -0.5; Consecutive earnings misses (2).

Is CNM overvalued or undervalued?

Core & Main, Inc. trades at a P/E of 21.0 (forward 16.2). TrendMatrix value score: 6.4/10. Verdict: Sell.

What do analysts say about CNM?

19 analysts cover CNM with a consensus score of 3.8/5. Average price target: $61.

What does Core & Main, Inc. do?Core & Main is a specialty distributor of water, wastewater, storm drainage, and fire protection infrastructure...

Core & Main is a specialty distributor of water, wastewater, storm drainage, and fire protection infrastructure products with over 370 branches across the U.S. and Canada serving more than 60,000 customers. Revenue is split across municipal (44%), non-residential (38%), and residential (18%) end markets within an estimated $44 billion addressable market. It is one of only two national distributors in this fragmented market.

Related stocks: DNOW (DNOW Inc.) · GIC (Global Industrial Company) · XMTR (Xometry, Inc.) · SITE (SiteOne Landscape Supply, Inc.) · AIT (Applied Industrial Technologies)