CoreCivic vs KBR
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KIRA’s take AI analyst
I put CoreCivic and KBR side by side, using each one’s latest annual report. Here is what stands out:
- KBR is the larger business, with $7.8B of revenue in fiscal 2025 against $2.2B for CoreCivic, about 3.5 times as much.
- CoreCivic grew revenue faster (12.7%, against 1.0%).
- KBR turned more of its sales into free cash flow (6.6% FCF margin, against 2.4%).
- KBR earned a higher return on the capital invested in it (15.8%, against 6.6%).
- Investors pay more for each dollar of CoreCivic’s earnings: a P/E of 24.1x against 12.0x for KBR.
Who comes out ahead
Of the 9 measures where higher (or lower) is clearly better, how many each company leads.
CoreCivic
CXW
1/9
Revenue growth
KBR
KBR
7/9
5-year growthNet marginFCF marginReturn on capitalReturn on equityNet debt / EBITDAShare count change
Side by side
Best in the row
| Latest fiscal year | CXW FY25 | KBR FY25 |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| Market cap | $3.0B | $5.1B |
| Revenue | $2.2B | $7.8B |
| Free cash flow | $52.8M | $515M |
| Net income | $117M | $415M |
| Growth | ||
| Revenue growth | 12.7% | 1.0% |
| 5-year growth | 3.0% | 6.2% |
| Share count change | −3.5% | −3.7% |
| Profitability | ||
| Gross margin | — | 14.8% |
| Operating margin | — | 10.0% |
| Net margin | 5.3% | 5.3% |
| FCF margin | 2.4% | 6.6% |
| Return on capital | 6.6% | 15.8% |
| Return on equity | 8.0% | 28.1% |
| Balance sheet | ||
| Net debt | $1.1B | $2.1B |
| Net debt / EBITDA | 3.2x | 2.2x |
| Dividends and buybacks | $229M | $413M |
| Valuation & quality | ||
| P/E | 24.1x | 12.0x |
| Piotroski F-score | 7 | 7 |
Ten years
Revenue
Operating margin
Free cash flow
Return on capital
Each company's latest fiscal year; fiscal years end in different months. The best value in each row is highlighted where higher (or lower) is clearly better. Not investment advice.