CDW
CDW's revenue rose 6.8% to $22.4 billion in fiscal 2025. Its operating margin was 7.4%, down from 7.9% a year earlier. Free cash flow was $1.1 billion, down 5.8%. It paid out $982 million in dividends and buybacks, 90% of free cash flow. The diluted share count fell 2.3%.
Operating margin is operating income as a share of revenue. Free cash flow is cash from operations minus capital spending. Return on capital is after-tax operating income as a share of the money invested in the business: debt plus equity, minus cash. Market cap is the last closing share price times the latest diluted share count, so it is approximate. P/E is the last close divided by diluted earnings per share over the last four quarters, or the latest fiscal year where the quarters aren't available; there is none when the company made a loss.
Charts show fiscal years, from the 10-K filings.
Revenue and margins
Net income and earnings per share
From fiscal 2016 to 2025, earnings per share grew 13.6% a year and net income 10.8% a year, as buybacks cut the share count by 20%.
Returns on capital
Cash flow
Payouts and share count
Valuation
Two ways to value CDW yourself, both starting from its filings: a discounted cash flow model and the price-to-earnings method.
Discounted cash flow (DCF)
A discounted cash flow (DCF) model values a business as the cash it may generate in future, discounted back to today. The starting figures come from CDW's 10-K (or, for net cash and shares, its latest 10-Q) and the assumptions are yours: start from one of three example scenarios, then change any figure to see what it implies for a share, and how that compares with the last share price.
Value per share on three example scenarios, from CDW's fiscal 2025 free cash flow of $1.1B, net cash of −$5.0B at December 31, 2025 and 132 million diluted shares, from its filings. The scenarios are fitted to CDW: the base scenario's growth in years 1 to 5 is its revenue growth over the last 3 years, -1.9% a year, kept between 0% and 20%; the cautious and optimistic ones are lower and higher, and growth in years 6 to 10 is halfway to the long-run rate. The base scenario's discount rate is 10%: 9% for a business of moderate risk (Technology Distributors), plus 1 point for unsteady results (revenue fell in two of the last five years); the cautious and optimistic ones use a point more and a point less. Select one to load it into the calculator. These are the model's arithmetic on those assumptions, not a forecast or a price target.
- Last close, October 26, 2026
- $163.23
- Value on these assumptions, against the last close
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- Cash flows in years 1 to 10, valued today
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- Everything after year 10, valued today
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- Plus net cash
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- Share of value from after year 10
How the value changes with two assumptions
Price-to-earnings (P/E) method
Another common way to value a company is to multiply its earnings per share by a price-to-earnings (P/E) multiple: the number of years of today's earnings an investor pays for a share. A higher multiple usually means investors expect earnings to grow. Choose a multiple, for example from similar companies, to see the value it gives.
Value per share on three example scenarios, from CDW's earnings per share of $8.32 (over the last four quarters). Each grows earnings for a year at the cash flow scenarios' rates and applies a multiple to next year's earnings: 19.6×, the middle of CDW's own P/E today, its peers' median and its sector's median (CDW's own P/E today) for the base scenario, 20% less and more for the cautious and optimistic ones. The price is brought back a year at 11%, 10% and 9%. Select one to load it into the calculator. These are the model's arithmetic on those assumptions, not a forecast or a price target.
- Last close, October 26, 2026
- $163.23
- Value at this multiple, against the last close
- —
- CDW's P/E at the last close
- 19.6×
| Company | Last close | Earnings per share | P/E today |
|---|---|---|---|
| AvnetAVT | $89.65 | $4.01 | 22.4× |
| CDWCDW | $163.23 | $8.32 | 19.6× |
| AmphenolAPH | $75.27 | $3.99 | 18.9× |
| TD SynnexSNX | $250.48 | $16.40 | 15.3× |
| Arrow ElectronicsARW | $214.44 | $15.64 | 13.7× |
Balance sheet
| Fiscal year end | FY21 | FY22 | FY23 | FY24 | FY25 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cash and short-term investments | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.6 | 0.7 | 0.6 |
| Debt incl. finance leases | 6.9 | 5.9 | 5.6 | 5.8 | 5.6 |
| Net debt (negative means net cash) | 6.6 | 5.6 | 5.1 | 5.1 | 5.0 |
| Net debt to EBITDA | 4.1x | 2.8x | 2.6x | 2.7x | 2.6x |
| Debt to equity | 9.7x | 3.7x | 2.8x | 2.5x | 2.2x |
| Interest coverage | 10.6x | 7.7x | 7.2x | 7.6x | 7.1x |
| Current ratio | 1.3x | 1.3x | 1.2x | 1.4x | 1.2x |
| Quick ratio | 1.1x | 1.2x | 1.1x | 1.2x | 1.1x |
Insider trades
Over the 12 months between October 27, 2025 and October 26, 2026, 2 insiders bought $2.5 million of CDW shares on the open market, and 2 insiders sold $4.8 million.
| Date | Insider | Trade | Shares | Price | Value | Filing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 7, 2026 | Elizabeth H. ConnellySee Remarks | Sold | 26,695 | $137.62 | $3.7 million | Form 4 |
| May 27, 2026 | David W NelmsDirector | Bought | 18,000 | $111.43 | $2.0 million | Form 4 |
| May 18, 2026 | Christine A LeahySee Remarks, Director | Bought | 4,830 | $103.40 | $499,422 | Form 4 |
| Dec 8, 2025 | Sona ChawlaSee Remarks | Sold | 7,400 | $146.17 | $1.1 million | Form 4 |
Piotroski F-score
The F-score counts how many of nine simple tests of profitability, funding and efficiency a company passed in a year (Piotroski, 2000). The more tests passed, the stronger the year: 8 or 9 is strong, 0 to 2 weak. Companies that report no gross profit are scored on the other eight.
| Test | FY23 | FY24 | FY25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Net income is positive | Pass | Pass | Pass |
| Cash from operations is positive | Pass | Pass | Pass |
| Return on assets rose | Fail | Fail | Fail |
| Cash from operations exceeds net income | Pass | Pass | Pass |
| Debt fell relative to assets | Pass | Pass | Pass |
| Current ratio rose | Fail | Pass | Fail |
| Share count didn't rise | Pass | Pass | Pass |
| Gross margin rose | Pass | Pass | Fail |
| Revenue rose relative to assets | Fail | Fail | Fail |
| F-score | 6 of 9 | 7 of 9 | 5 of 9 |
| Accruals ratio | −3.7% | −1.4% | −0.9% |
Compare
Put CDW side by side with any other company we cover: revenue, growth, margins, cash flow and returns, with ten years of charts.
Similar companies
| Company | Year | Revenue growth | Operating margin | Free cash flow margin | Return on capital | Net debt to EBITDA | F-score | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CDW | FY25 | 6.8% | 7.4% | 4.8% | 16.4% | 2.6x | 5 | |
| Avnet | FY26 | 24.5% | 2.6% | −1.3% | 7.0% | 2.9x | 5 | Compare |
| Arrow Electronics | FY25 | 10.5% | 2.7% | −0.1% | 7.3% | 2.9x | 6 | Compare |
| TD Synnex | FY25 | 6.9% | 2.3% | 2.2% | 10.3% | 1.2x | 7 | Compare |
| Amphenol | FY25 | 51.7% | 25.4% | 19.0% | 29.1% | 0.6x | 7 | Compare |
10 years of figures
| Fiscal year | FY16 | FY17 | FY18 | FY19 | FY20 | FY21 | FY22 | FY23 | FY24 | FY25 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Income statement | ||||||||||
| Revenue | 13.7 | 14.8 | 16.2 | 18.0 | 18.5 | 20.8 | 23.7 | 21.4 | 21.0 | 22.4 |
| Revenue growth | 5.3% | 8.5% | 9.5% | 11.0% | 2.4% | 12.7% | 14.1% | −10.0% | −1.8% | 6.8% |
| Gross profit | 2.3 | 2.5 | 2.7 | 3.0 | 3.2 | 3.6 | 4.7 | 4.7 | 4.6 | 4.9 |
| Research and development | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Operating income | 0.8 | 0.9 | 1.0 | 1.1 | 1.2 | 1.4 | 1.7 | 1.7 | 1.7 | 1.7 |
| Net income | 0.4 | 0.5 | 0.6 | 0.7 | 0.8 | 1.0 | 1.1 | 1.1 | 1.1 | 1.1 |
| Diluted EPS (US$) | 2.56 | 3.31 | 4.19 | 4.99 | 5.45 | 7.04 | 8.13 | 8.10 | 7.97 | 8.08 |
| Diluted shares (millions) | 166 | 158 | 154 | 148 | 145 | 140 | 137 | 136 | 135 | 132 |
| Cash flow | ||||||||||
| Cash from operations | 0.6 | 0.8 | 0.9 | 1.0 | 1.3 | 0.8 | 1.3 | 1.6 | 1.3 | 1.2 |
| Capital expenditure | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 |
| Free cash flow | 0.5 | 0.7 | 0.8 | 0.8 | 1.2 | 0.7 | 1.2 | 1.5 | 1.2 | 1.1 |
| Dividends paid | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.3 |
| Share buybacks | 0.4 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 1.5 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.7 |
| Acquisitions | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 2.7 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.3 | 0.0 |
| Stock-based compensation | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 |
| Balance sheet at fiscal year end | ||||||||||
| Cash and short-term investments | 0.3 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 1.4 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.6 | 0.7 | 0.6 |
| Debt incl. finance leases | 3.2 | 3.2 | 3.2 | 3.3 | 3.9 | 6.9 | 5.9 | 5.6 | 5.8 | 5.6 |
| Total assets | 7.0 | 7.0 | 7.2 | 8.0 | 9.3 | 13.2 | 13.1 | 13.3 | 14.7 | 16.0 |
| Total liabilities | 5.9 | 6.0 | 6.2 | 7.0 | 8.0 | 12.5 | 11.5 | 11.2 | 12.3 | 13.4 |
| Shareholders' equity | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.3 | 0.7 | 1.6 | 2.0 | 2.4 | 2.6 |
| Margins and ratios | ||||||||||
| Gross margin | 17.0% | 16.5% | 16.7% | 16.9% | 17.4% | 17.1% | 19.7% | 21.8% | 21.9% | 21.7% |
| Operating margin | 6.0% | 5.8% | 6.1% | 6.3% | 6.4% | 6.8% | 7.3% | 7.9% | 7.9% | 7.4% |
| Net margin | 3.1% | 3.5% | 4.0% | 4.1% | 4.3% | 4.8% | 4.7% | 5.2% | 5.1% | 4.8% |
| Free cash flow margin | 4.0% | 4.7% | 5.0% | 4.4% | 6.3% | 3.3% | 5.1% | 6.8% | 5.5% | 4.8% |
| Return on capital | 12.4% | 16.9% | 18.8% | 21.7% | 23.4% | 19.4% | 17.9% | 17.9% | 17.0% | 16.4% |
| Return on equity | 39.6% | 51.5% | 65.6% | 76.1% | 69.9% | 98.7% | 96.5% | 60.6% | 49.0% | 43.0% |
| Return on assets | 6.2% | 7.5% | 9.1% | 9.7% | 9.1% | 8.8% | 8.5% | 8.4% | 7.7% | 7.0% |
| Net debt to EBITDA | 2.8x | 2.7x | 2.4x | 2.3x | 1.6x | 4.1x | 2.8x | 2.6x | 2.7x | 2.6x |