Chicago Rivet & Machine Co. (CVR)

Chicago Rivet & Machine Co. (CVR) Industrial Operations Profile

Chicago Rivet & Machine Co. (CVR) is a North American manufacturer specializing in fasteners, including traditional rivets and cold-formed parts, alongside automated assembly equipment. Serving primarily the automotive industry and its component manufacturers since 1920, CVR leverages a long operating history and established relationships within the industrial sector, distributing products via independent sales representatives.

What Is the Investment Thesis for CVR?

Chicago Rivet & Machine Co. (CVR) presents a profile rooted in a century of manufacturing experience within the North American fastener and assembly equipment sector. Despite its modest market capitalization of $9.85M, the company benefits from a long operating history dating back to 1920 and established customer relationships, particularly within the automotive industry. A key value driver is its dual expertise in both producing specialized fasteners and manufacturing the automated equipment to set them, offering integrated solutions. However, the company currently faces profitability challenges, evidenced by a negative profit margin of -6.7%, though it maintains a gross margin of 12.5%. The dividend yield of 1.14% may appeal to income-focused investors, while its low beta of 0.31 suggests lower volatility relative to the broader market. Growth catalysts are tied to the stability and potential expansion within the automotive sector, alongside the ongoing demand for specialized cold-formed fasteners and automated assembly solutions. Risks include its smaller scale compared to larger industrial conglomerates, vulnerability to raw material price fluctuations, and the imperative to adapt to evolving manufacturing technologies to maintain competitive relevance.

Based on FMP financials and quantitative analysis

CVR Key Highlights

• Market Capitalization: $0.01 billion, indicating a micro-cap company within the industrials sector.
• Profit Margin: -6.7%, reflecting current unprofitability that warrants close monitoring of operational efficiency.
• Gross Margin: 12.5%, providing insight into the company's cost of goods sold efficiency and pricing structure.
• Dividend Yield: 1.14%, offering income to shareholders despite the current negative profit margin.
• Beta: 0.31, suggesting lower volatility compared to the broader market, which may appeal to risk-averse investors.

Who Are CVR's Competitors?

CVR is benchmarked below against 8 industry peers on price, market cap, and our AI MoonshotScore.

AI Score by Stock Expert AI · Price data: FMP / Yahoo Finance

What Are CVR's Key Strengths?

• Nearly century-long operating history since 1920, demonstrating resilience and experience.
• Established customer relationships, particularly within the automotive industry.
• Dual expertise in manufacturing both fasteners and automated assembly equipment.
• Specialization in high-value cold-formed and precision screw machine products.

What Are CVR's Weaknesses?

• Smaller size compared to larger industrial conglomerates, limiting competitive scale.
• Current negative profit margin of -6.7%, indicating unprofitability.
• Significant concentration on the automotive industry, leading to sector-specific exposure.
• Potential for slower adaptation to rapidly evolving manufacturing technologies due to scale.

What Could Drive CVR Stock Higher?

• Automotive industry production trends, as CVR's primary market, directly influence demand for its fasteners and assembly equipment.
• Stability or decline in raw material prices, which could positively impact CVR's gross and profit margins.
• Potential for new product introductions in specialized cold-formed fasteners or advanced assembly equipment, expanding market reach.
• Efforts to adapt to evolving manufacturing technologies, which could enhance product offerings and operational efficiency.
• Expansion of the customer base beyond the core automotive sector, diversifying revenue streams.

What Are the Key Risks for CVR?

• Negative return on equity (-9.6%) — the business is not currently generating profit on shareholder capital.
• Weak fundamentals — a Piotroski F-Score of 3/9 flags soft profitability, leverage or efficiency.
• Negative profit margin of -6.7%, indicating current unprofitability and potential challenges in sustainable operations.
• Vulnerability to raw material price fluctuations, which directly impact the cost of goods sold and the 12.5% gross margin.
• Competition from larger industrial conglomerates, potentially limiting market share and growth opportunities for CVR.
• Dependence on the automotive industry, making the company susceptible to sector-specific downturns or shifts in demand.
• Challenges in adapting to evolving manufacturing technologies, which could affect product relevance and operational efficiency.

What Are the Growth Opportunities for CVR?

• Automotive Sector Expansion and Innovation: CVR's primary market, the automotive industry, consistently drives demand for fastening solutions. As vehicle production evolves, particularly with the growth of electric vehicles (EVs) and advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS), there's a continuous need for specialized, high-performance fasteners and efficient assembly processes. CVR, with its expertise in cold-formed fasteners and automated equipment, is positioned to capitalize on these trends by supplying components that meet new material and design requirements, ensuring its relevance in a transforming automotive landscape.
• Advanced Fastener Product Development: The company's Fastener segment produces specialized cold-formed fasteners and precision screw machine products. A significant growth opportunity lies in further innovation within this segment, developing new fastener designs and materials that offer superior strength-to-weight ratios, corrosion resistance, or ease of assembly. These advancements could open doors to new applications within the automotive sector or allow CVR to penetrate adjacent high-demand industries requiring custom, high-tolerance joining components, thereby expanding its addressable market over time.
• Increased Automation in Industrial Assembly: CVR's Assembly Equipment division focuses on automated machinery for setting rivets and other industrial assembly systems. The global trend towards increased automation and efficiency in manufacturing processes presents a clear growth avenue. Companies across various industrial sectors are investing in advanced automation to reduce labor costs, improve precision, and increase production speeds. CVR can leverage its expertise to offer upgraded, more sophisticated, or custom-engineered assembly solutions, catering to this ongoing industrial modernization and expanding its equipment sales.
• Diversification into New Industrial Markets: While primarily serving the automotive industry, CVR's capabilities in fasteners and assembly equipment are transferable to other industrial sectors. Potential growth lies in strategically targeting new markets such as aerospace, defense, heavy machinery, or general industrial manufacturing. Each of these sectors requires robust and reliable fastening solutions, and CVR's established product lines and manufacturing expertise could be adapted to meet their specific demands, thereby reducing reliance on a single industry and broadening its revenue streams over the long term.
• Enhanced Aftermarket Support and Services: Beyond initial equipment sales, CVR's Assembly Equipment division supplies crucial parts and tools for its machines. Expanding and enhancing its aftermarket support, maintenance, and spare parts services could represent a stable and recurring revenue stream. Offering comprehensive service contracts, preventative maintenance programs, or rapid-response technical support would not only improve customer loyalty but also capture additional value throughout the lifecycle of its installed equipment base, ensuring long-term customer engagement and profitability.

What Opportunities Does CVR Have?

• Growth in the automotive sector, driven by new vehicle technologies and production demands.
• Increasing demand for advanced automated assembly solutions across industries.
• Potential to diversify into other industrial sectors beyond its core automotive focus.
• Innovation in specialized fastener designs and materials for new applications.

What Threats Does CVR Face?

• Fluctuations in raw material prices directly impacting gross margins and profitability.
• Intense competition from larger, more resource-rich industrial conglomerates.
• Disruptions in the automotive supply chain or production cycles.
• The imperative to continuously adapt to evolving manufacturing technologies to remain relevant.

What Are CVR's Competitive Advantages?

• Long operating history since 1920, indicating deep industry experience and established market presence.
• Established customer relationships, particularly within the automotive industry, fostering loyalty and repeat business.
• Dual expertise in both fastener manufacturing and automated assembly equipment, offering integrated solutions.
• Specialization in specific cold-formed and precision screw machine products, catering to niche, high-tolerance requirements.

What Does CVR Do?

Chicago Rivet & Machine Co. (CRMC), established in 1920, has evolved into a key participant within the North American fastener sector, demonstrating a century-long commitment to industrial manufacturing. Headquartered in Naperville, Illinois, the company's operational framework is strategically divided into two distinct yet complementary divisions: Fasteners and Assembly Equipment. The Fastener segment is responsible for the manufacturing and supply of a diverse array of joining components. This includes traditional rivets, which remain a staple in many industrial applications, alongside more specialized cold-formed fasteners and parts, designed for specific performance requirements. Additionally, this division produces precision screw machine products, catering to intricate and high-tolerance applications across various industries. Complementing its fastener production, CRMC's Assembly Equipment division focuses on the design and fabrication of automated machinery essential for industrial processes. This includes specialized equipment for setting rivets, a core competency, as well as other advanced industrial assembly systems. Crucially, this division also manufactures the necessary parts and tools that support the ongoing operation and maintenance of these sophisticated machines, ensuring a comprehensive solution for its clients. The company's extensive product portfolio is primarily directed towards the robust automotive industry and its vast network of component manufacturers. This strategic focus highlights CRMC's integral role within the automotive supply chain, providing critical fastening and assembly solutions that underpin vehicle production. Sales and distribution efforts are efficiently managed through a well-established network of independent sales representatives, ensuring broad market reach and direct engagement with its industrial customer base across North America. This long-standing operational model, coupled with its specialized product offerings, underscores CRMC's entrenched position in its niche market.

What Products and Services Does CVR Offer?

• Manufactures traditional rivets for various industrial applications.
• Produces specialized cold-formed fasteners and custom parts.
• Creates precision screw machine products for intricate applications.
• Designs and builds automated machinery specifically for setting rivets.
• Develops other industrial assembly systems for manufacturing processes.
• Supplies essential parts and tools required for its assembly machines.
• Primarily markets products to companies within the automotive industry.
• Serves component manufacturers that supply the automotive sector.

How Does CVR Make Money?

• Generates revenue from the manufacturing and sale of various fasteners, including rivets, cold-formed parts, and screw machine products.
• Earns income through the production and sale of automated rivet setting machinery and other industrial assembly equipment.
• Receives revenue from providing crucial parts and tools necessary for the operation and maintenance of its assembly systems.
• Utilizes a network of independent sales representatives to facilitate product sales and market reach, primarily to the automotive sector.

What Industry Does CVR Operate In?

Chicago Rivet & Machine Co. operates within the North American fastener sector, a critical segment of the broader Industrials landscape, specifically manufacturing tools and accessories. The company's positioning is defined by its specialization in traditional rivets, cold-formed fasteners, precision screw machine products, and automated assembly equipment. This niche market is characterized by a constant demand for reliable joining solutions across various manufacturing processes. CVR primarily serves the automotive industry, a sector highly sensitive to economic cycles, technological shifts, and raw material costs. Market trends include the increasing adoption of automation in manufacturing, driving demand for efficient assembly systems, and the continuous need for advanced, lightweight, and durable fasteners in modern vehicle designs. The competitive landscape for CVR is challenging, as it operates alongside much larger industrial conglomerates that possess greater scale, resources, and broader product portfolios, potentially limiting CVR's ability to compete for large-scale contracts.

Who Are CVR's Key Customers?

• Automotive industry manufacturers, including original equipment manufacturers (OEMs).
• Component manufacturers that supply parts to the automotive sector.
• Other industrial companies requiring specialized fastening solutions and assembly equipment across North America.

Chicago Rivet & Machine Co. (CVR) Valuation Context

Valued at $9.85M, CVR is classified as a micro-cap stock. Relative to its peer group, CVR's quantitative score of 38/100 is below the peer average of 49/100.

CVR Revenue & Earnings Trend

In Q1 2026, CVR generated $6.9M in top-line revenue, marking a sequential increase of 14.5%. The company recorded a net loss of $362K, with diluted EPS of $-0.37. Quarter-over-quarter revenue has been mixed, typical for a micro-cap company operating in Industrials. Across the four most recent quarters, CVR averaged $-0.48 in diluted EPS.

Company Profile

Chicago Rivet & Machine Co. operates in the Manufacturing - Tools & Accessories industry within the Industrials sector. It is headquartered in Naperville, US. The company is led by CEO Gregory D. Rizzo. CVR has traded publicly since 1973.

ROE -10%Key Financial Metrics

Return on equity for Chicago Rivet & Machine Co. stands at -9.6%, a gauge of how efficiently it converts shareholder capital into profit. Return on assets is -7.7%, showing how much profit it generates from its asset base. Its free cash flow yield is -2.4%, a gauge of the cash the business throws off relative to its market value. A current ratio of 3.67 indicates the company holds enough short-term assets to cover its near-term obligations. Its earnings yield is -17.8%, the inverse of the P/E and a quick read on earnings relative to price.

F-Score 3/9Financial Health

Chicago Rivet & Machine Co.'s Piotroski F-Score is 3/9, a 9-point checklist of profitability, leverage and efficiency — flagging fundamental weakness worth scrutiny. Its Altman Z-Score of 3.68 places it in the safe zone, indicating low near-term bankruptcy risk.

Net buyingInsider Activity

The most recent 10 insider filings for Chicago Rivet & Machine Co. break down as 8 sales and 2 purchases. On net that is roughly 3K shares acquired (about $45K) — insiders putting money in tends to read as conviction.

CVR Financials

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CVR Analyst Consensus

CVR MoonshotScore

What Investors Ask About Chicago Rivet & Machine Co. (CVR) — Industrials

Disclaimer: This content is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice. Always do your own research and consult a financial advisor.

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