Carter'sCRI -0.55%78 Altman Z-Score is 2.90 as of Jun. 25, 2026, which is 19% below its 10-year median of 3.60. GuruFocus rates CRI with a GF Score™ of 78/100 and a GF Value™ of $57.76 (Modestly Undervalued). The stock has 7 warning signs investors should review. Among 1,118 Retail - Cyclical companies, Carter's ranks better than 54.2% on this metric.
The Altman Z-Score is a model designed to predict the likelihood of a company going bankrupt within the next two years. Created by American finance professor Edward Altman in 1968, the model is specifically designed for publicly traded manufacturing companies with assets greater than $1 million.
Warning Sign:
Altman Z-score of 2.91 is in the grey area. This implies that the company is under some kind of financial stress. If it is below 1.8, the company may face bankruptcy risk.
Carter's has a Altman Z-Score of 2.90, indicating it is in Grey Zones. This implies that Carter's is in some kind of financial stress. If it is below 1.81, the company may face bankrupcy risk.
The zones of discrimination were as such:
When Altman Z-Score <= 1.8, it is in Distress Zones.
When Altman Z-Score >= 3, it is in Safe Zones.
When Altman Z-Score is between 1.8 and 3, it is in Grey Zones.
The historical rank and industry rank for Carter's's Altman Z-Score or its related term are showing as below:
CRI'
s Altman Z-Score Range Over the Past 10 Years
Min: 2.53 Med: 3.6 Max: 6.16
Current: 2.91
During the past 13 years, Carter's's highest Altman Z-Score was 6.16. The lowest was 2.53. And the median was 3.60.
Carter's (NYSE:CRI) Altman Z-Score Explanation
X1: The Working Capital/Total Assets (WC/TA) ratio is a measure of the net liquid assets of the firm relative to the total capitalization. Working capital is defined as the difference between current assets and current liabilities. Ordinarily, a firm experiencing consistent operating losses will have shrinking current assets in relation to total assets. Altman found this one proved to be the most valuable liquidity ratio comparing with the current ratio and the quick ratio. This is however the least significant of the five factors.
X2: Retained Earnings/Total Assets: the RE/TA ratio measures the leverage of a firm. Retained earnings is the account which reports the total amount of reinvested earnings and/or losses of a firm over its entire life. Those firms with high RE, relative to TA, have financed their assets through retention of profits and have not utilized as much debt.
X3, Earnings Before Interest and Taxes/Total Assets (EBIT/TA): This ratio is a measure of the true productivity of the firm's assets, independent of any tax or leverage factors. Since a firm's ultimate existence is based on the earning power of its assets, this ratio appears to be particularly appropriate for studies dealing with corporate failure. This ratio continually outperforms other profitability measures, including cash flow.
X4, Market Value of Equity/Book Value of Total Liabilities (MVE/TL): The measure shows how much the firm's assets can decline in value (measured by market value of equity plus debt) before the liabilities exceed the assets and the firm becomes insolvent.
X5, Revenue/Total Assets (S/TA): The capital-turnover ratio is a standard financial ratio illustrating the sales generating ability of the firm's assets.
Altman Z-Score does not apply to financial companies.
Carter's Altman Z-Score Related Terms
Carter's Altman Z-Score Historical Data
* Premium members only.
The historical data trend for Carter's's Altman Z-Score can be seen below:
* For Operating Data section: All numbers are indicated by the unit behind each term and all currency related amount are in USD. * For other sections: All numbers are in millions except for per share data, ratio, and percentage. All currency related amount are indicated in the company's associated stock exchange currency.
For the Apparel Retail subindustry, Carter's's Altman Z-Score, along with its competitors' market caps and Altman Z-Score data, can be viewed below:
* Competitive companies are chosen from companies within the same industry, with headquarter located in same country, with closest market capitalization; x-axis shows the market cap, and y-axis shows the term value; the bigger the dot, the larger the market cap. Note that "N/A" values will not show up in the chart.
Carter's Altman Z-Score vs Retail - Cyclical Industry
For the Retail - Cyclical industry and Consumer Cyclical sector, Carter's's Altman Z-Score distribution charts can be found below:
* The bar in red indicates where Carter's's Altman Z-Score falls into.
Altman Z-Score model is an accurate forecaster of failure up to two years prior to distress. It can be considered the assessment of the distress of industrial corporations.
Carter's's Altman Z-Score for today is calculated with this formula:
Z
=
1.2
*
X1
+
1.4
*
X2
+
3.3
*
X3
+
0.6
*
X4
+
1.0
*
X5
=
1.2
*
0.3133
+
1.4
*
0.3762
+
3.3
*
0.0606
+
0.6
*
1.0207
+
1.0
*
1.1874
=
2.90
* For Operating Data section: All numbers are indicated by the unit behind each term and all currency related amount are in USD. * For other sections: All numbers are in millions except for per share data, ratio, and percentage. All currency related amount are indicated in the company's associated stock exchange currency. GuruFocus does not calculate Altman Z-Score when X4 or X5 value is 0.
Carter's (CRI) has a Altman Z-Score of 2.90 as of Jun. 25, 2026. The Altman Z-score measures a company's bankruptcy risk. View historical data on Carter's and its competitors. This is 19% below median its historical median of 3.60. Over the past decade, Carter's' Altman Z-Score has ranged from 2.53 to 6.16. According to the industry distribution chart, Carter's ranks #512 out of 1118 companies in the Retail - Cyclical industry, placing it in the top 45.8%.
Is Carter's' Altman Z-Score too high?
Carter's' current Altman Z-Score of 2.90 is 19% below median its 10-year median of 3.60. Over the past 10 years, this metric has ranged from a low of 2.53 to a high of 6.16. The Retail - Cyclical industry median Altman Z-Score is 2.73. Carter's' value of 2.90 is 6.2% above this industry median. Based on the distribution chart, Carter's ranks #512 out of 1118 companies in the Retail - Cyclical industry, which is above the industry midpoint. Overall, Carter's has a GF Score™ of 78/100 and is considered Modestly Undervalued, reflecting its overall financial health beyond just this single metric.
How does Carter's' Altman Z-Score compare to CAL and SFIX?
According to the Retail - Cyclical industry distribution chart, Carter's ranks #512 out of 1118 companies for Altman Z-Score. This puts Carter's in the upper half of its industry. The industry median Altman Z-Score is 2.73. Carter's' value of 2.90 is 6.2% above this benchmark. Historically, Carter's' own Altman Z-Score has ranged from 2.53 to 6.16 over the past decade. While the company's 10-year median is 3.60 vs. the industry median of 2.73, Carter's has consistently been above the industry average. See the competitive comparison table and distribution chart on this page for a detailed peer-by-peer breakdown.
What is a good Altman Z-Score for a Retail - Cyclical company?
The median Altman Z-Score among Retail - Cyclical companies is 2.73, based on 1,118 companies in the industry. Companies in the top quartile (top 25%) have a Altman Z-Score significantly above this median, while those in the bottom quartile fall well below. However, Altman Z-Score should not be evaluated in isolation — investors should consider it alongside profitability, growth, and financial strength metrics. Carter's's current Altman Z-Score of 2.90 is 6.2% above the industry median. Use the industry distribution chart on this page to see where any company falls relative to its peers.
What does a high Altman Z-Score mean?
A high Altman Z-Score can signal that a stock is expensive relative to its fundamentals. The Altman Z-score measures a company's bankruptcy risk. View historical data on Carter's and its competitors. For the Retail - Cyclical industry, the median Altman Z-Score is 2.73 — values significantly above this may indicate overvaluation, while values below may suggest a bargain or underlying issues. Carter's's current Altman Z-Score is 2.90, which is 19% below median its own 10-year median of 3.60. However, context matters — high-growth companies often justify higher valuations. Always evaluate alongside other metrics like GF Score™ and GF Value™.
Is Carter's stock overvalued right now?
Based on GuruFocus' analysis, Carter's (CRI) is currently considered Modestly Undervalued. The stock's GF Value™ is $57.76, compared to a current price of $43.09 — trading 25.4% below its estimated fair value. The current Altman Z-Score is 2.90, which is 19% below median its 10-year median of 3.60 and 6.2% above the Retail - Cyclical industry median of 2.73. Carter's' overall GF Score™ is 78/100 with 7 warning signs to review. Investors should evaluate multiple metrics — including profitability, growth, and financial strength — before making a decision.
How is Altman Z-Score calculated?
Altman Z-Score is calculated from a company's financial statements. For Carter's (CRI), the current Altman Z-Score is 2.90 as of Jun. 25, 2026. GuruFocus calculates this using data sourced from SEC filings and annual reports. See the calculation section and 30-year financial data on this page for the full breakdown.
Is Carter's (CRI) Overvalued in 2026?
Based on GuruFocus' analysis, Carter's stock appears to be undervalued.
The current stock price of $43.09 is trading 25.4% below its estimated GF Value™ of $57.76.
GuruFocus considers Carter's to be Modestly Undervalued.
Key valuation signals for CRI:
Altman Z-Score: 2.90 (19% below median its 10-year median of 3.60)
GF Value™: $57.76 vs. price of $43.09 (25.4% below fair value)
Industry Position: 6.2% above the Retail - Cyclical median (#512 of 1118)
No single metric tells the full story. See the CRI stock analysis page for a complete view including 30-year financials, guru trades, and insider activity.
Carter's Inc makes apparel for babies and children under brand names including Carter's and OshKosh B'gosh. It sells its products through a multi-channel business model, which includes retail stores, eCommerce, and wholesale sales channels, as well as retail omnichannel capabilities in the United States and Canada, which enables it to reach a broad range of consumers around the world. The company operates in three segments; U.S. Retail, U.S. Wholesale, and International. The majority of revenue is derived from U.S. Wholesale segment. The company predominantly sources products through contract manufacturers in Asia. It has multiple distribution centers in the U.S., in addition to distribution centers in Canada and Asia that serve international customers.
78GF Score
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