Clearfield Inc. Common Stock (CLFD)

FairStock Score: 45/100 — MIXED

Key Financials

AI Analysis

AI-generated, general educational analysis — not personal investment advice.

As a Buffett/Graham investor, I first ask whether Clearfield has a durable business. It sells fiber management, protection, and delivery products into communication networks, but with only 243 employees and a $442.2M market cap, it is a small equipment supplier, not a wide-moat franchise. The filed numbers show why the FairStock Lynch category is TURNAROUND — a loss in the latest year after earlier profits. In fiscal Q3 2026, the quarter ended 2026-06-30, revenue was $43.9M, net income $3.0M, and diluted EPS $0.22; in fiscal Q3 2025, the quarter ended 2025-06-30, revenue was $38.8M, net income $1.6M, and diluted EPS $0.11. That is real improvement. But FY2025, ended 2025-09-30, had revenue of $150.1M and a net loss of $8.1M, following a FY2024 net loss of $12.5M on $125.6M of revenue, even though FY2023 earned $32.5M on $225.7M. Financial health is solid: debt-to-equity is 0.04, Piotroski F-score 7/9, Altman Z-score 14.00, and trailing free cash flow $13.3M. Returns, however, are weak: FairStock’s ROE 1.56% and ROCE -0.08%. At the 2026-10-13 close of $32.55, FairStock calculates P/E 112.24, P/B 1.80, EV/EBITDA 44.36, FCF yield 3.0%, PEG 1.29, and Graham Number $10.86 — a margin of safety of -199.72%. The price already discounts a strong recovery. I would need evidence of durable profits before calling it a value.

In plain English: Clearfield makes equipment that helps fiber-optic networks manage and protect cables. The business has little debt and recently returned to a quarterly profit, but it lost money in its latest full year and profits have swung sharply. At $32.55, the price looks expensive compared with its small earnings.

The full AI analysis, bull and bear case and key monitorables are in FairStock Pro.

Data as of 2026-10-13 close · note generated 2026-10-15 · model deepseek-flash

Sources (SEC EDGAR): fiscal Q3 2026 10-Q (period ended 2026-06-30) · fiscal Q2 2026 10-Q (period ended 2026-03-31) · fiscal Q1 2026 10-Q (period ended 2025-12-31) · fiscal Q3 2025 10-Q (period ended 2025-06-30) · FY2025 10-K (period ended 2025-09-30) · FY2024 10-K (period ended 2024-09-30) · FY2023 10-K (period ended 2023-09-30)

Fundamentals from company filings and market-data providers; prices are end-of-day, not real-time. AI-generated analysis is general and educational — not personal investment advice. Scoring methodology · Score test · Disclaimer