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Clearwater Paper Corporation Quality Score

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Quality40

Business quality is the primary weakness (avg 25/100). Valuation is the relative bright spot.

Broad-market heuristics · Not a buy/sell signal

Valuation and growth

Earnings Multiple
40/100
106.9x

Above 30x, priced for sustained outperformance

Cash Flow Multiple
100/100
4.0x

Under 20x cash flow, well covered

Revenue Growth
70/100
6.0%

5–10% CAGR, steady but not exceptional

Cash Flow Growth
0/100
-16.5%

Below 2%, essentially flat

Business Quality & Capital Allocation

Share Dilution
100/100
-6.1%

Shrinking >2%, active buybacks

Margin Trend
0/100
-9.9pp

Contracted >2pp, margin pressure

Capital Structure
0/100
$554M

Net debt/FCF of 9.8x, high leverage

2022
$54.0M
$638M
2023
$42.0M
$551M
2024
$80.0M
$331M
2025
$31.0M
$399M
TTM
$36.0M
$590M
CashDebt
Return on Capital
0/100
-1.5%

Below 8%, may not cover cost of capital

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Clearwater Paper (CLW) quality: score, margins and returns

Clearwater Paper (CLW) scores 40/100 on Intrinsiqq's quality score (a mixed business), a weighted blend of 8 metrics each scored 0 to 100, on -1.6% operating margins and -1.5% ROIC. Every metric is computed from SEC filings; this is analysis, not investment advice.

Frequently asked

Is Clearwater Paper (CLW) a high-quality business?+

Clearwater Paper scores 40 out of 100 on Intrinsiqq's quality score, a weighted blend of 8 metrics each scored 0 to 100, which rates it a mixed business on these measures. Recent figures include a -1.6% operating margin and a -1.5% return on invested capital. Quality and price are separate questions: even a great business can be a poor investment if you overpay, so read this score alongside the valuation. The metric-by-metric breakdown is on this scorecard.

What does Clearwater Paper's quality score measure?+

Intrinsiqq's quality score weighs revenue and free-cash-flow growth, operating margins, return on invested capital, change in share count, and balance-sheet strength, each computed from CLW's SEC filings rather than opinion or sentiment. A higher score means a more durable, capital-efficient business; it is not a buy or sell signal. Open each metric on this page to see exactly where Clearwater Paper scores well and where it falls behind.

What is Clearwater Paper's return on invested capital (ROIC)?+

Clearwater Paper earns about -1.5% on its invested capital, which is weak. ROIC measures how much profit a company generates per dollar put to work; sustained ROIC above its cost of capital is one of the clearest signs of a real competitive moat. Compare it to CLW's margins and growth on this scorecard to judge durability.

How profitable is Clearwater Paper?+

Clearwater Paper runs an operating margin of about -1.6% and a net margin of about 0.2%. Revenue has grown at roughly -3.6% a year recently. High, stable margins usually point to pricing power and operating discipline. Margins are most telling next to growth and returns on capital, all of which feed this quality score. This is analysis from SEC filings, not investment advice.

How the market compares: US profitability statistics

SourceQuality score computed from the 10-Q filed 23 Oct 2026, covering the period ending 30 Sept 2026, as reported to the SEC. Data last refreshed 27 Oct 2026. How this is calculated.

Fiscal year ends Dec. Sector medians are approximate S&P 500 benchmarks and update periodically. Checks use broad-market heuristics, so sector norms may differ, and the valuation checks are more cyclical than the quality checks.

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Held by ETFs

CLW is in 9 US ETFs. The largest of them, with CLW's weight in each:

Spot a number that looks wrong? Check it in CLW's SEC filings or

Download this analysis as a PDF (Pro)

Data sourced from SEC EDGAR filings and third-party price providers. Scores, valuations, and metrics are algorithmic estimates. This is not investment advice. See our Terms and Methodology.

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