Cricut, Inc. (CRCT)

Executive Summary / Key Takeaways

• Platform-Driven Margin Expansion: Cricut's Platform segment generates 89% gross margins and now represents over 40% of revenue, driving overall gross margins to 55.2% in Q3 2025. This subscription business is the company's primary earnings engine, with 3 million paid subscribers growing 6% year-over-year and ARPU rising to $54.96.

• Quantifiable Tariff Headwind Creates 2026 Earnings Cliff: Management has explicitly quantified the tariff impact: 75% of trailing twelve months COGS is exposed to tariffs across Malaysia, South Korea, Thailand, and China, with an estimated average rate of 20%. The impact begins in Q4 2025 and accelerates through 2026, creating a known margin compression that management can no longer guide around.

• Products Segment at Inflection Point: New machine launches (Explore 4 and Maker 4) drove 12% connected machine revenue growth in Q3 2025, but accessories and materials revenue declined 17% due to competitive pressure from white label brands. The success of the Value line and promotional strategy will determine whether this segment can stabilize before tariff costs overwhelm operational improvements.

• Capital Allocation Signals Confidence Amid Uncertainty: The company returned $202 million in dividends in the first nine months of 2025 and maintains a $50 million active buyback program, yet withdrew operating margin guidance due to tariff uncertainty. This tension reflects management's confidence in cash generation ($264.97 million TTM operating cash flow) paired with acknowledged execution risk.

• Reasonable Valuation Requires Flawless Execution: Trading at 13.7x earnings and 1.2x revenue with an 18.6% free cash flow yield, the stock prices in successful tariff mitigation and sustained platform growth. The investment thesis hinges on whether Cricut can pass through costs, drive subscriber engagement with new AI features, and reverse accessories share loss before the 2026 margin cliff arrives.

Setting the Scene: The Two-Speed Business Model

Cricut, originally incorporated as Provo Craft & Novelty in 1969 and headquartered in South Jordan, Utah, has evolved from a traditional craft company into a connected creativity platform. The business operates in two distinct segments with divergent economics: a high-margin Platform segment that sells subscriptions and digital content, and a lower-margin Products segment that sells cutting machines, accessories, and materials. This bifurcation defines the investment case, as the Platform business generates 89% gross margins while the Products segment struggles with 23% gross margins and mounting tariff pressures.

The company makes money by selling hardware upfront (machines ranging from $179 to $429) and then monetizing users over time through Cricut Access subscriptions ($9.99/month or $95.88/year) and materials purchases. The Platform segment contributed $243.5 million in revenue over the first nine months of 2025, growing 4% year-over-year, while the Products segment contributed $261.7 million, declining 3%. This mix shift toward Platform is intentional and crucial for margin expansion, but the Products segment remains large enough that its tariff exposure threatens overall profitability.

Cricut sits in the $35 billion arts and crafts materials market, which is growing at 5.94% annually. The company holds a leading position in connected cutting machines, competing against Silhouette America (private), Brother Industries (BRTHY), and Glowforge (private, recently restructured). The secular trend toward personalization and handmade goods remains intact, but Cricut faces two structural challenges: engagement erosion from its massive 2020-21 user cohorts, and intensifying competition in accessories from white label brands on Amazon and other marketplaces.

Technology, Products, and Strategic Differentiation

Cricut's core technology is its cloud-based Design Space software, which integrates with cutting machines to create an end-to-end creativity platform. The company is accelerating investments in hardware product development, materials innovation, and AI-driven engagement to address its most critical vulnerability: user engagement. As CEO Ashish Arora stated, "We have a rich road map to continually increase the value proposition for subscribers," with the goal of making it "incredibly compelling to become and remain a subscriber."

The Q3 2025 launch of Create AI, a generative AI feature that produces vector-based images ready to cut, represents a strategic inflection point. This feature moved from beta to production for Cricut Access subscribers, with management reporting positive early results. The AI integration matters because it directly addresses the engagement erosion that threatens subscriber retention. The company is also simplifying the user experience through guided flows for popular projects like vinyl decals and iron-on T-shirts, which moved from beta to production in Q3. These investments are designed to reduce friction for new users, who historically create fewer projects and use fewer material types than the 2020-21 cohorts.

On the hardware side, the February 2025 launch of Cricut Explore 4 and Maker 4 machines drove the 12% year-over-year increase in connected machine revenue in Q3. These machines are faster and include added value through bundles, helping increase average selling prices while reducing legacy machine sales. The Products segment's gross margin expanded from 10.7% in Q3 2024 to 23.1% in Q3 2025, primarily due to lower inventory impairment charges and a favorable mix toward newer products. However, this margin recovery is temporary—management explicitly stated that factors helping Q3 margins, such as monetizing previously reserved inventory, will not carry over into 2026.

The Cricut Value line of materials, launched in early 2024 and expanded with over 100 new SKUs in March 2025, is a direct response to competitive pressure. This line competes on price in online marketplaces where white label brands have gained share. While still a small portion of the portfolio, the Value line's success is critical for stabilizing the accessories and materials business, which declined 17% year-over-year in Q3 2025.

Financial Performance & Segment Dynamics: Evidence of Strategy

Cricut's Q3 2025 results demonstrate the company's two-speed nature. Total revenue grew 2% year-over-year to $170.4 million, marking the second consecutive quarter of positive growth. However, the composition reveals the strategic tension: Platform revenue grew 7% while Products revenue declined 3%. The Platform segment's gross margin held steady at 89.2%, while Products margin jumped to 23.1% from 10.7% a year ago, driving overall gross margin to 55.2% versus 46.1% in Q3 2024.

Operating income surged 114% to $22.7 million, representing 13.3% of revenue compared to 6.3% in the prior year. This expansion was driven by the favorable margin mix and lower inventory costs, but it masks the underlying tariff threat. Net income increased 79% to $20.5 million ($0.10 per diluted share),

yet cash from operations plummeted to $20 million from $70 million in Q3 2024. CFO Kimball Shill explained this decline as a function of working capital changes: a $34.2 million decrease in operating assets and liabilities in 2025 versus a $65.5 million decrease in 2024, plus reduced non-cash adjustments.

The balance sheet remains strong with $187.9 million in cash and $19.2 million in marketable securities, against zero debt and $300 million in available credit. This liquidity supports the capital allocation framework that prioritizes growth investments while returning cash to shareholders. During the first nine months of 2025, Cricut paid $202.1 million in dividends and repurchased $2.3 million in stock, leaving $46.9 million remaining on its $50 million authorization.

Segment-level analysis reveals the strategic priorities. Platform ARPU increased 4% year-over-year to $54.96, driven by a mix shift toward annual subscriptions and international markets. Paid subscribers grew 6% to over 3 million, with management noting positive trends in win-backs from promotional offers. The Products segment's connected machine revenue growth of 12% in Q3 was offset by the 17% decline in accessories and materials, illustrating the competitive pressure in the consumables business.

Outlook, Management Guidance, and Execution Risk

Management's commentary frames 2025 as a transition year with a clear inflection point at risk. The company initially expected to reach a growth inflection in the second half of 2025, but withdrew this guidance in Q1 due to tariff uncertainty. By Q3, the tone remained cautious: "We have more work to do, especially on engagement, international sales and accessories and materials," while noting that "dynamics surrounding tariffs and associated consumer discretionary income impact may put that at risk."

The tariff quantification is the most critical guidance element. CFO Kimball Shill stated that 75% of trailing twelve months COGS is exposed to tariffs across Southeast Asia and China, with an estimated average rate of 20%. Due to inventory turns, the impact starts in Q4 2025 and accelerates through 2026. This creates a known earnings headwind that management plans to mitigate through pricing, promotions, and supply chain cost reductions. However, the company acknowledges that margin pressure is expected next year because of tariffs.

For the Platform segment, management expects continued sequential year-on-year growth in Q4 2025 and full year, driven by paid subscriber growth. The generative AI features are designed to drive engagement and retention, with early results described as positive. The company is expanding its marketing reach to users with greater disposable income and time, resulting in over 20% increase in marketing engagement year-over-year in Q3.

The Products segment outlook is more challenged. While new machines are performing well, accessories and materials face continued competitive pressure. Management is committed to "taking back our share" through refreshed and cost-competitive offerings, but acknowledges this may create near-term margin pressure. The Value line expansion continues, but its impact remains small relative to the overall portfolio.

Risks and Asymmetries: What Could Break the Thesis

The tariff headwind represents the most quantifiable risk to the investment thesis. If Cricut cannot pass through the estimated 20% cost increase through pricing or promotional optimization, Products segment margins could compress by 500-700 basis points in 2026. This would overwhelm Platform segment growth and drive overall operating margins below the 13.3% achieved in Q3 2025. The risk is amplified by consumer survey data showing, for the first time, that Cricut's core demographic is expressing concern about tariff impacts on household spending.

Engagement erosion remains a structural challenge. The company continues to experience "expected engagement erosion from our large user cohorts from 2020 and '21, who age on their engagement curve and are not being replenished with as many new users." More recent users create fewer projects and use fewer material types, reducing lifetime value. If the Create AI feature and guided flows fail to reverse this trend, subscriber growth could decelerate, undermining the Platform segment's revenue trajectory.

Competitive pressure in accessories and materials is intensifying. CEO Ashish Arora noted that "over the last several years, we have lost ground to competition in material types where there are low barriers to entry," with pressure increasing from white label brands and new entrants. If the Value line and promotional strategy fail to recapture share, this segment could continue its 15-20% decline, dragging overall revenue growth negative despite Platform expansion.

International execution presents both opportunity and risk. While international revenue grew 5% in Q3 (including 4% FX benefit), the company is still building distribution in nascent markets like India and Japan. Success in these markets is critical for diversifying away from saturated U.S. growth, but requires sustained marketing investment that could pressure near-term margins.

On the positive side, two asymmetries could drive upside. First, if Create AI drives materially higher engagement and subscriber growth, Platform revenue could accelerate beyond the current 4-7% range, offsetting Products weakness. Second, if supply chain diversification gives Cricut a competitive advantage versus less-prepared rivals during tariff implementation, the company could gain market share even in a pressured environment.

Valuation Context: Pricing in Execution

At $5.06 per share, Cricut trades at 13.7x trailing earnings and 1.2x revenue, with an enterprise value of $881.55 million. The stock offers an 18.6% free cash flow yield (price-to-FCF of 5.39x) and 19.4% return on equity, metrics that suggest reasonable valuation for a profitable, cash-generating business. The balance sheet is pristine with net cash of $207 million and debt-to-equity of just 0.03.

Compared to Brother Industries (BRTHY), Cricut trades at a similar P/E (13.7x vs 13.9x) but higher revenue multiple (1.2x vs 0.8x implied by Brother's metrics). Brother's gross margins are lower at 42.8% versus Cricut's 54.3%, reflecting Cricut's superior platform economics. However, Brother's diversified electronics business provides insulation from tariff pressures that Cricut lacks.

The dividend yield of 3.94% is supported by a 54% payout ratio, but investors should note that the lion's share of distributions are special dividends driven by inventory reduction. The recurring semi-annual dividend of $0.10 per share provides a 2% baseline yield, while special dividends added $0.75 per share in July 2025. Management indicated that inventory reduction-driven special dividends will not continue at the same rate, making future capital returns dependent on sustained free cash flow generation.

Valuation appears reasonable if Cricut can maintain current margins, but the stock prices in successful mitigation of the 2026 tariff cliff. If margins compress by 300-500 basis points due to tariffs, forward earnings would decline by 20-30%, making the current P/E closer to 18-20x on a tariff-impacted basis. The key valuation question is whether Platform growth can outpace Products margin compression.

Conclusion: A Show-Me Story with Quantifiable Headwinds

Cricut has engineered a successful pivot toward a high-margin Platform business that now drives profitability, but this progress faces a quantifiable and severe tariff headwind in 2026. The company's 89% Platform gross margins and 3 million paid subscribers provide a durable earnings foundation, yet the Products segment's 75% tariff exposure on COGS creates a known margin cliff that management must navigate through pricing, cost reduction, and supply chain optimization.

The investment thesis hinges on three execution variables: whether Create AI and guided flows can reverse engagement erosion to sustain subscriber growth, whether the Value line can recapture accessories market share before tariff costs overwhelm operational improvements, and whether international expansion can diversify revenue enough to offset domestic pressures. The stock's reasonable valuation and strong balance sheet provide downside protection, but the tariff timeline is unforgiving—Q4 2025 marks the beginning of margin pressure that accelerates through 2026.

For investors, Cricut is a show-me story. The Platform economics are compelling, the cash generation is real, and the valuation is not demanding. But until the company demonstrates it can pass through tariff costs while maintaining subscriber momentum, the 2026 earnings cliff remains the dominant risk. The next two quarters will reveal whether Cricut's strategic investments in AI, engagement, and supply chain diversification can overcome structural headwinds that are no longer theoretical but precisely quantified.