Core & Main (CNM)
Industrials · Specialty distribution - water and infrastructure products · NYSE
A leading specialty distributor of water, wastewater, storm drainage, and fire protection infrastructure products serving municipalities, contractors, and private water companies nationwide.
What Core & Main does
Core & Main is a specialty distributor of water, wastewater, storm drainage, and fire protection products and related services. The company operates over 370 branch locations across the U.S. and Canada, serving as a critical link between approximately 5,000 suppliers and over 60,000 customers. It distributes a comprehensive portfolio of more than 225,000 specialized products designed for aging water infrastructure maintenance, repair, replacement, and new construction. The company serves three primary end markets: municipal (44% of fiscal 2025 sales), non-residential (38%), and residential (18%), with balanced exposure to both new construction and repair/replacement projects.
Themes: water infrastructure modernization, municipal utility spending, construction and building materials supply chain
Fundamentals
- Price$44.88 as of 2026-08-21 close
- Market cap$8.9B as of 2026-08-24
- 1-year return-29.9% 2025-08-21 close $63.98 → 2026-08-21 close $44.88
- P/E19.89 as of 2026-08-24
- Net margin+5.9% as of 2026-08-24
- Gross margin+27.1% as of 2026-08-24
- ROE+22.7% as of 2026-08-24
- Debt / equity1.05 as of 2026-08-24
- Revenue growth (YoY)+0.5% as of 2026-08-24
- Revenue CAGR (3y)+4.8% SEC XBRL
- Beta0.92 as of 2026-08-24
- Last reported earnings2026-06-10 SEC EDGAR Form 8-K (Item 2.02)
How CNM compares in its sector
- price-to-earnings ratiomiddle range 357 covered Industrials peers, as of 2026-08-24
- net profit marginmiddle range 457 covered Industrials peers, as of 2026-08-24
- operating marginmiddle range 457 covered Industrials peers, as of 2026-08-24
- gross marginmiddle range 455 covered Industrials peers, as of 2026-08-24
- return on equitytop 25% 460 covered Industrials peers, as of 2026-08-24
- 3-year revenue CAGRmiddle range 426 covered Industrials peers
- free cash flow (absolute dollars, latest fiscal year)top 25% 414 covered Industrials peers, as of FY2026
Position among covered Industrials companies that report each metric (minimum 5 peers). A relative position within our covered catalog — not a valuation, quality, or investment judgment. A higher percentile is simply a higher value (for P/E, more expensive on earnings — never "better"). Informational only.
Top 10 scores & list membership
CNM is not currently in any published Top 10 list. Its scores are below.
Long-term score
Not scored for the long-term list: no shareholder return data.
Short-term score
48.0 #920 of 1,704 scored · #136 of 283 in Industrials
Setup 82nd: no Elliott-wave labelling currently fits its swings; catalysts 59th: analysts have raised their average price target by 0.2% since the prior reading; weakest is trend 26th: a "death cross" — its 50-day average is below its 200-day.
Scores as of 21 Aug 2026. Each bar is a percentile: how this company ranked against every company the score ranked, 0–100. A list is a published formula and its output, not a recommendation. Method version 2.
How Core & Main looks technically
Core & Main (CNM) is trading 10.6% below its 200-day average, the long-term trend line — a long-term downtrend. Its 50-day average crossed below its 200-day average about 201 trading days ago — a "death cross", a bearish long-term signal. There is no clear trend right now — the price is choppy (ADX, a 0–100 trend-strength gauge, is 11, below the 25 that marks a real trend). Momentum is neutral — its 14-day RSI (a 0–100 momentum gauge) is 46, neither overbought (above 70) nor oversold (below 30). MACD, a trend-momentum gauge, turned bearish about 2 trading days ago (its momentum flipped negative). It made a new 20-day high about 9 trading days ago. It is 33.2% below its highest point of the past year.
Trend
8
| Distance from the 200-day | it is trading 10.6% below its 200-day average, the long-term trend line — a long-term downtrend | -10.7% |
|---|---|---|
| 50-day moving average | its average price over the last 50 trading days — a short-term trend line — is $45.80 | $45.80 |
| 200-day moving average | its average price over the last 200 trading days — the long-term trend line — is $50.23 | $50.23 |
| Swing structure | each recent peak has been lower than the one before it and each dip deeper — the pattern chart-watchers call a downtrend, which describes where price has already been and not where it goes next | lower highs and lower lows |
| Last swing turn | its last significant turn was a swing high 14 calendar days ago — the swings before that are what the structure reading is measured on | 14 sessions |
| Wave structure | its recent swings can be read as a five-part downward sequence — what Elliott-wave chartists call an impulse — now in leg 3 of five; the labelling fails if price closes above 47.24. It is one of several labellings that fit, and it describes the swings already printed, not what comes next. The same swings also read as a three-part correction in leg C. | possible downward five-wave sequence, in wave 3 (one of several readings) |
| Since the 50/200 cross | its 50-day average crossed below its 200-day average about 201 trading days ago — a "death cross", a bearish long-term signal | 201 sessions |
| Trend strength (14-day ADX) | there is no clear trend right now — the price is choppy (ADX, a 0–100 trend-strength gauge, is 11, below the 25 that marks a real trend) | 11.3 |
Momentum
3
| 14-day RSI | momentum is neutral — its 14-day RSI (a 0–100 momentum gauge) is 46, neither overbought (above 70) nor oversold (below 30) | 46.2 |
|---|---|---|
| Position in its 14-day range | it is trading near the bottom of its 14-day range ($44.36 to $47.24) — its "stochastic" reading is 18 out of 100, where 0 would mean closing exactly at the 14-session low and 100 exactly at the high. This measures WHERE the price sits inside its recent range, which is a different question from the RSI beside it: RSI is a momentum gauge, measuring how FAST the price has been moving, so a stock can drift quietly to the bottom of its range with an ordinary RSI, or fall sharply and still sit in the middle. It has been slipping within that range over the last few sessions. | 18.1 |
| Since the MACD crossed zero | MACD, a trend-momentum gauge, turned bearish about 2 trading days ago (its momentum flipped negative) | 2 sessions |
Range
12
| 52-week high | its highest closing price over the past year (about 252 trading days) was $67.18 | $67.18 |
|---|---|---|
| From the 52-week high | it is 33.2% below its 52-week high (its highest price of the past year) | -33.2% |
| Above the 52-week low | it is 7.2% above its 52-week low (its lowest price of the past year) | +7.2% |
| Below the 52-week high | it is 33.2% below its highest point of the past year | 33.2% |
| Since a 20-day breakout | it made a new 20-day high about 9 trading days ago | 9 sessions |
| Since a 55-day breakout | it made a new 55-day low about 18 trading days ago | 18 sessions |
| All-time high | its highest closing price on record is $67.18 (set on 2025-09-05) | $67.18 |
| Given back of the 52-week move | over the past year its closes ranged ($42.37 to $66.98), and it has recovered only a small part of its fall from last year’s high — 10% of it. Chart-watchers call 61.8%-65% given back the "golden pocket" — for this company that is $57.58 to $58.37. It is watched widely enough that orders cluster there, which is the honest reason it matters; it is not a forecast. | 10.2% |
| From the all-time high | it is 33.2% below its all-time high | -33.2% |
| Nearest price level | it is sitting right on a support level at $44.79 — a price it turned at three times since 2025-03-11, most recently on 2026-07-02. Since 2024-08-21 it has 2 such levels below the current price and 11 above. Levels like these describe where the price has reversed or paused before; they are not a forecast of where it will go. | -0.2% |
| All-time low | its lowest closing price on record is $18.75 (set on 2022-12-20) | $18.75 |
| Above the all-time low | it is 139.4% above its all-time low | +139.4% |
Volatility
5
| Band width vs its own 6 months | day-to-day price swings are narrower than usual versus its own recent 6-month history (tighter than about 82% of it) | 18th percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Typical daily range | in a typical session it travels about $1.21 between its high and its low — about 2.7% of its price. That is its "average true range" over the last 14 sessions, which also counts the distance from the previous close, so a day that opens well away from yesterday counts as the large move it was | $1.21 |
| Bollinger bands (20-day, ±2σ) | most of its recent trading has stayed between about $42.88 and $47.58 — the "Bollinger bands", a range drawn two standard deviations either side of its 20-day average price, which widens when the stock gets more volatile and narrows when it settles | $42.88 – $45.23 – $47.58 |
| Typical daily range (% of price) | its price moves about 2.7% in a typical session — calmer than most companies we cover. This is the average gap between a session's high and low over the last 14 sessions, counting overnight moves, expressed against the current price so it can be compared with companies trading at any price | 2.7% |
| Stretch from the 200-day average | it is trading 4.4 daily ranges below its 200-day average price (10.7% below it in plain percentage terms) — a way of asking how far it has stretched from its own average in units of how far it normally moves in a day, so a calm company and a jumpy one can be compared on the same scale | 4.4 daily ranges below its 200-day average |
Volume
1
| Volume vs its 30-day average | trading volume is about normal versus its 30-day average | 0.72× |
|---|
Analyst
2
| Change in the average price target | analysts have raised their average price target by 0.2% since the prior reading | +0.2% |
|---|---|---|
| Change in the consensus rating | the analyst consensus rating is unchanged since the prior reading | unchanged |
Candlestick patterns
2
| Since a doji | 1 session ago it opened and closed at almost the same price after trading through a wider range — a "doji", the classic picture of buyers and sellers finishing the session level | 1 session ago |
|---|---|---|
| Since a bearish engulfing | 7 sessions ago it opened above the previous session's close and finished below that session's open — a "bearish engulfing" pair, where one down day more than undid the up day before it | 7 sessions ago |
Price gaps
3
| Gap at the open | it opened on 2026-08-21 0.4% above the previous session's close — an overnight gap, the part of the move that happened while the market was shut, and had not traded back through that level by the close | +0.4% |
|---|---|---|
| Open gap | it gapped 3.1% below the previous close 49 sessions ago and has not traded back through the level it left behind at 52.18 — an "unfilled gap", which describes a price range no trade has since crossed and is not a forecast that it will be crossed | -3.1% |
| Gap filled | a 2.1% gap up opened on 2026-06-15 has been "filled" 47 sessions ago — price traded back through the level the gap left behind, and it closed again during the very session that opened it | 47 sessions ago |
Price streaks
1
| Closing streak | it closed higher in its latest session, after a session that did not close higher — a single up day rather than a run | 1 session up |
|---|
Relative strength
4
| vs market, 1 month | over the past 1 month this stock beat the market by 1.2 percentage points (the stock gained 3.5% while the market gained 2.3%) | +1.1% |
|---|---|---|
| vs market, 3 months | over the past 3 months this stock lagged the market by 7.9 percentage points (the stock lost 4.8% while the market gained 3.1%) | -7.9% |
| vs market, 6 months | over the past 6 months this stock lagged the market by 31.5 percentage points (the stock lost 20.4% while the market gained 11.1%) | -31.5% |
| vs market, 12 months | over the past 12 months this stock lagged the market by 50.3 percentage points (the stock lost 29.9% while the market gained 20.5%) | -50.3% |
Signal agreement
2
| Bullish technical signals | 1 of the 9 technical signals we can compute for it is currently in a bullish state: near the bottom of its 14-day range (oversold) — these describe past price behaviour, not a forecast | 1 of 9 |
|---|---|---|
| Bearish technical signals | 5 of the 9 technical signals we can compute for it are currently in a bearish state: a "death cross" — its 50-day average is below its 200-day, trading below its 200-day average, MACD momentum is negative, lagging the market over 6 months, trading below the Ichimoku cloud — these describe past price behaviour, not a forecast | 5 of 9 |
Trend (Ichimoku cloud)
1
| Vs the Ichimoku cloud | trading 4.6% below the Ichimoku cloud — a band drawn from where its own highs and lows sat up to 2026-07-16 and projected forward over today's price, the side traders read as an established downtrend, with the band above acting as the level that would have to be cleared. The band itself is moderate, spanning 3.5% of the share price. | -4.6% |
|---|
Volume-weighted price
2
| Vs this year’s average price paid | the price is 10% below the average price paid so far this year, so the typical buyer over that stretch is under water. That average is $50.00 — a volume-weighted average of daily closes over 157 sessions, not a true tick-by-tick VWAP. | -10.2% |
|---|---|---|
| Vs the average paid since it last reported | the price is 3% below the average price paid since it last reported on 2026-06-10 (its 10-Q), so the typical buyer over that stretch is under water. That average is $46.22 — a volume-weighted average of daily closes over 50 sessions, not a true tick-by-tick VWAP. | -2.9% |
Price levels it has turned at before
CNM last closed at $44.88 on 2026-08-21. Since 2024-08-21 it has turned at 2 prices below its last close and 11 above; the 2 nearest below and the 3 nearest above are listed, nearest first.
| Level | Side | Distance | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| $44.79 | Support | 0.2% below the last close | turned there three times · 2025-03-11 to 2026-07-02 |
| $45.62 | Resistance | 1.6% above the last close | turned there twice · 2024-09-19 to 2026-03-24 |
| $47.01 | Resistance | 4.8% above the last close | turned there four times · 2024-09-27 to 2026-08-07 |
| $41.70 | Support | 7.1% below the last close | turned there three times · 2024-10-04 to 2026-07-29 |
| $48.06 | Resistance | 7.1% above the last close | turned there three times · 2024-11-06 to 2026-04-24 |
A level is a price this company reversed or paused at more than once — they describe past behaviour, not a forecast of where the price will go.
Wave structure
Its recent swings can be read as a five-part downward sequence — what Elliott-wave chartists call an impulse — now in leg 3 of five.
This labelling fails — stops being a possible reading at all — if it closes above $47.24.
This is one of several labellings that fit the same swings, so treat it as a reading rather than the reading. It was chosen from 2 labellings that survived the rules, counting shorter readings of the same bars.
On past moves of this shape the leg has usually ended somewhere between $29.40 and $36.22 — that is where it has tended to end if the count holds, not a forecast of where the price goes.
Alternate reading: The same swings also read as a three-part correction in leg C, which fails on a close above $47.24.
This reading has stood for 6 trading days, since 2026-08-14.
Read from daily closes as of 2026-08-21.
An Elliott-wave count describes the swings already printed and the level that would disprove it. It is not a forecast, a target, or advice.
Screens: Trading below the 200-day moving average · Pulled back from the 12-month high · MACD just crossed bearish (12/26/9) · trendless / choppy (low ADX) · lagging the market · At the bottom of its 14-day range (stochastic below 20) | Learn: moving average · golden cross · adx · rsi · macd · breakout · fifty two week high low
Based on daily closing prices as of 2026-08-21. Describes past price behavior only — informational, not financial advice.
Analyst consensus
- Consensus ratingBuy (2.07 mean, 1=Strong Buy…5=Strong Sell) — 15 analysts
- Mean price target$60.40 range $40.00 – $75.00; median $62.00
Analyst estimates, as of 2026-08-19. These are third-party analyst opinions and price targets, aggregated — not a recommendation, prediction, or advice from stocks-llm. Informational only.
Analyst EPS estimate for CNM
- Consensus EPS estimate$0.86 next reporting period, as of 2026-08-19
Change over time is not available yet: it needs two readings of the same reporting period at least 30 days apart, and we have been recording these estimates since 2026-08-04. An estimate for a DIFFERENT quarter is not a revision, so a reading from before the last report is never compared with one after it.
The consensus estimate for the next reporting period, and how it has moved between readings of that SAME period. A change is measured only between readings estimating one period — when a company reports, the consensus moves to the next quarter and the two numbers are not comparable. Informational only, not a forecast and not advice.
Key risks (from latest filing)
["Cyclicality and volatility in U.S. residential and non-residential construction markets.","Dependence on municipal infrastructure spending and federal fund appropriations.","Risks related to identifying, acquiring, and successfully integrating acquisition targets."]
What changed in the latest 10-Q
AI-assisted comparison of CNM's 10-Q filed 2026-06-10 against the prior one filed 2025-12-09.
Management's Discussion & Analysis (MD&A)
- Added:
- Newer filing (2026-06-10) adds: 'and Canada' to describe branch network geographic scope (changed from '49 United States' to 'United States and Canada')
- Newer filing (2026-06-10) adds: reference to 'smart meter systems' and 'smart utility products' in product descriptions
- Newer filing (2026-06-10) adds: 'Significant Events During the Three Months Ended May 3, 2026' section describing April 9, 2026 Senior ABL Credit Facility amendment extending maturity to April 9, 2031
- Newer filing (2026-06-10) adds: discussion of February 2026 U.S. Supreme Court ruling invalidating certain tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act
- Newer filing (2026-06-10) adds: reference to 'The conflicts in the Middle East' as potential cause of supply chain disruptions and price fluctuations
- Removed:
- Older filing (2025-12-09) stated branch network across '49 United States' - newer filing removes this geographic limitation
- Older filing (2025-12-09) referenced 'meter products' - newer filing specifies 'smart meter systems' and 'smart utility products' instead
- Older filing (2025-12-09) included end-market exposure percentages for fiscal 2024 (42% municipal, 38% non-residential, 20% residential) - newer filing updates to fiscal 2025 percentages (44% municipal, 38% non-residential, 18% residential)
- Older filing (2025-12-09) included detailed discussion of IIJA funding, interest rate cuts in second half of 2024, and Trump executive order pause - newer filing removes this discussion entirely
- Older filing (2025-12-09) contained reference to fiscal 2022 price fluctuation discussion - newer filing text appears truncated before this reference
- Reworded:
- Reference date changed from 'fiscal year ended February 2, 2025 (fiscal 2024)' in older filing to 'fiscal year ended February 1, 2026 (fiscal 2025)' in newer filing
- Reference date changed from '2024 Annual Report on Form 10-K' in older filing to '2025 Annual Report on Form 10-K' in newer filing
- Fiscal year description updated from 'The current fiscal year ending February 1, 2026 (fiscal 2025) will include 52 weeks' in older filing to 'The current fiscal year ending January 31, 2027 (fiscal 2026) will include 52 weeks' in newer filing
- Quarter period descriptions changed from November 2, 2025 and October 27, 2024 dates in older filing to May 3, 2026 and May 4, 2025 dates in newer filing
- Notes:
- The newer filing text appears truncated mid-sentence in the Price Fluctuations section regarding tariffs, limiting complete comparison of that section
- The older filing text also appears truncated at the end of the Price Fluctuations section, making full comparison of that discussion area incomplete
Risk Factors
- Reworded:
- Reference to Annual Report fiscal year changed from 'February 2, 2025 (the "2024 Annual Report on Form 10-K")' in older filing to 'February 1, 2026 (the "2025 Annual Report on Form 10-K")' in newer filing (filed 2026-06-10)
- Cross-reference at end of forward-looking statements changed from '2024 Annual Report on Form 10-K' in older filing to '2025 Annual Report on Form 10-K' in newer filing (filed 2026-06-10)
- Table of contents page numbers changed from 37, 37, 37, 37, 38, 39, 40 in older filing to 33, 33, 33, 33, 34, 35, 36 in newer filing (filed 2026-06-10)
- Notes:
- Balance sheet dates and figures differ between filings but are part of financial statements section, not Risk Factors section
- Substantive forward-looking statements risk factor language remains identical between filings
AI-assisted comparison of two SEC filing sections. It describes wording and theme changes only, makes no materiality, legal, or investment judgement, and is not financial advice. Informational only — not financial advice.
Insider activity (SEC Form 4)
1 open-market purchase and 0 open-market sales by insiders in the last 90 days.
- Last 90 days1 buy ($95111) · 0 sells — 1 buying insider
- Last 180 days2 buys ($195081) · 2 sells ($262724) — 1 buying, 1 selling insiders
Activity heuristic: net buying (a transparent product heuristic from the counts above, not a prediction or advice)
Most recent open-market transaction: 2026-07-06. As of 2026-08-25.
View full insider trading history → View SEC Form 3/4/5 filingsAsk about CNM's insider activity →
Only open-market purchases (SEC code P) and sales (code S) are counted here. Option exercises, vesting/awards, gifts, and shares withheld for taxes are excluded — they are compensation or mechanical, not open-market conviction. Sales may be planned and non-discretionary (e.g. a Rule 10b5-1 plan) and are not necessarily bearish; open-market buying is not a recommendation to buy. Informational only — not financial advice.
Congressional trading disclosures
U.S. House members publicly disclose their own, their spouse's, and dependent children's stock transactions under the STOCK Act. We hold 11 matched disclosures for CNM from U.S. House Clerk Periodic Transaction Report filings.
Congressional trading disclosures →Institutional ownership (13F)
5 institutional 13F filers reported holding CNM as of 2026-03-31 (quarter-end position, filed within 45 days).
- Distinct 13F filers 5
- Reported shares held 31,322,829
- Reported value $1,547,347,800
reported quarterly holdings change (2025-12-31 → 2026-03-31): 1 new, 2 increased, 2 decreased, 0 exited. Change counts cover only managers that filed 13F reports in BOTH quarters, derived between two quarter-end snapshots — not same-day trades; a single manager is never said to have "bought" or "sold".
Institutional holdings are quarter-end long positions reported on SEC Form 13F-HR, filed up to 45 days after the quarter ends — they are delayed, are not real-time trades, exclude short positions and most non-US securities, and are not investment advice. Any increase/decrease is a reported change between two quarterly snapshots, not a same-day purchase or sale. These are quarter-end snapshots from the 13F filings on SEC EDGAR, filed within 45 days — not real-time, and any change is a difference between two quarterly reports, not a same-day trade. Informational only — not financial advice.
Short interest (FINRA)
CNM had 11,268,016 shares of reported short interest as of the 2026-07-31 FINRA settlement date (delayed, bi-monthly; not real-time).
Short interest as a percent of shares outstanding is not shown for CNM because we do not hold a verified share count to divide it by. The reported figures above are unaffected.
- Reported short interest (shares) 11,268,016
- Prior settlement (shares) 10,350,272
- Reported change 8.87%
- Days to cover (reported) 6.07
Reported to FINRA as of the 2026-07-31 settlement date. Short interest is reported to FINRA and published on a delayed, bi-monthly schedule (as of a settlement date, disseminated roughly eight business days later) — it is NOT real-time, does not cover every venue or all US trading, and is not a short-squeeze prediction or investment advice. Days-to-cover is the value FINRA reports; percent of float is not shown because the source file carries no share-count denominator — where a percent appears it is of shares OUTSTANDING, the larger base, and is therefore a floor on percent of float. Informational only — not financial advice.
Competitors & peers
- Ferguson (FERG)
- Winsupply
- Fortiline Waterworks
- Core & Main's competitors are typically fragmented local and regional distributors, as well as the national distributor Ferguson.
AI-enriched competitor set. Linked names are companies covered by stocks-llm; other named peers are shown for reference only.
Compare CNM vs…
Frequently asked questions
What does Core & Main (CNM) do?
Core & Main is a specialty distributor of water, wastewater, storm drainage, and fire protection products and related services. The company operates over 370 branch locations across the U.S. and Canada, serving as a critical link between approximately 5,000 suppliers and over 60,000 customers. It distributes a comprehensive portfolio of more than 225,000 specialized products designed for aging water infrastructure maintenance, repair, replacement, and new construction.
What sector is Core & Main (CNM) in?
Core & Main (CNM) is classified in the Industrials sector. Its industry is Specialty distribution - water and infrastructure products. It trades on NYSE.
Who are Core & Main's (CNM) competitors?
Notable peers of Core & Main (CNM) include Ferguson, Winsupply, Fortiline Waterworks and Core & Main's competitors are typically fragmented local and regional distributors, as well as the national distributor Ferguson.. This peer set is informational only — not financial advice.
Has there been recent Congressional stock trading in CNM?
Yes — we hold 11 matched STOCK Act disclosures for CNM from U.S. House Clerk Periodic Transaction Report filings. These are legally-required disclosures (often filed 30–45 days after the trade), may belong to a U.S. House member, their spouse, or a dependent child, and are not an indicator of company performance or investment advice.
Is Core & Main (CNM) overbought or oversold right now?
Core & Main (CNM) is currently neither overbought nor oversold — its 14-day RSI (a 0–100 momentum gauge) is 46, in the neutral middle (as of 2026-08-21). RSI describes recent price momentum, not a forecast — informational only, not financial advice.
Where does stocks-llm's data on CNM come from?
Fundamentals and prices come from market data, as of 2026-08-24; company filings and profile facts come from SEC EDGAR. All figures are delayed daily-close data shown with their as-of date — informational only, not financial advice.
Fundamentals: market data, as of 2026-08-24. Filings: SEC EDGAR. Prices are delayed daily-close data.
Last updated 2026-08-21.
Informational only — NOT financial advice. All figures are delayed daily-close data from SEC EDGAR & market data, shown with their as-of date.