Assay
Financial-condition grades for SEC filers
Company Report · as of Oct 9, 2026
|
| Barnes & Noble Education, Inc.BNED · shops | |
|---|---|
| Grade |  Cmiddle fifth of 258 graded peers; percentile 55.3, sampling error 2.9 points; lower is stronger |
| Rank | 143 of 258 |
| Profitability | Cpercentile 45.2 |
| Solvency | Cpercentile 49.1 |
| Growth and financing | C/Dpercentile 57.9 |
| Reliability | 0.91 AUCfailure model, filers with $591M to $2.67B assets; 95% interval 0.88 to 0.94; 160 events, 2020 to 2025 |
| Peer failure rate | 1.01% a yearItem 1.03 bankruptcies, same asset band, 2012 to 2025 |
| Size band | $591M to $2.67B assetstotal assets $739.9M[1] |
| Standard universe | insiderevenue above $1M and assets above $10M[1-2] |
| Warnings | late filernot computable: dilution, distress |
| Inputs computable | 10 of 14 |
| Graded from | filings received through Jul 9, 202692 days before the rescan; every figure keyed to the SEC receipt date |
| Last close | $11.922026-10-08; market equity $413.2M; iex feed |
| Price used in grade | None |
| Share price, twelve months to the rescansplit-adjusted close; a lollipop at every rescan carries the letter held then; baseline ticks are SEC receipt dates of the inputs; ranges and dragging scroll the full history | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Percentile at every rescan on file, Jan 21, 2012 to Oct 9, 2026; stronger toward the top. Hover for the date. Open this report as it stood on | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Each date opens the report as it stood on that rescan. |
Business, in the company's words. Opening of Item 1 of the 10-K received Jul 9, 2026; the document on sec.gov.
Unless the context otherwise indicates, references to “we,” “us,” “our” and “the Company” refer to Barnes & Noble Education, Inc. or “BNED”, a Delaware corporation. References to “Barnes & Noble College” or “BNC” refer to our subsidiary Barnes & Noble College Booksellers, LLC. References to “MBS” refer to our subsidiary MBS Textbook Exchange, LLC. Our fiscal year is comprised of 52 or 53 weeks, ending on the Saturday closest to the last day of April. “Fiscal 2026” means the 52 weeks ended May 2, 2026, and “Fiscal 2025” means the 53 weeks ended May 3, 2025. "Fiscal 2027" means the 52 weeks ended May 1, 2027. Barnes & Noble Education, Inc.
Warnings [top]
7 checks ran; none of them enters the letter. The checks are listed on the warnings screen.
The Fourteen Inputs [top]
Lower percentile is stronger. Source numbers open the SEC filing; a range that spans filings opens the sources table.
| Input | Percentile, 0 to 100 | Value | Source | Peer median | Percentile | Peers | Period end |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Profitability, sleeve percentile 45.2 | |||||||
| Gross profitability | 49.5% | [1,3] | 42.6% | 39.4 | 242 | 2026-05-02 | |
| Return on invested capital | 8.2% | [4-12] | 10.9% | 68.7 | 84 | 2026-05-02 | |
| Accruals ratio | (4.3%) | [1,13-15] | (4.9%) | 59.8 | 287 | 2026-05-02 | |
| Gross margin stability, five years | 0.5 pts | [2-3,16-23] | 1.2 pts | 12.8 | 219 | 2026-05-02 | |
| Solvency, sleeve percentile 49.1 | |||||||
| Twelve-month failure probability | not computable | 0.04% | |||||
| latest liabilities, cash plus short-term investments, book equity, and shares are required | |||||||
| Altman Z double-prime | (0.26) | [1,4,8,24-27] | 1.92 | 69.6 | 208 | 2026-05-02 | |
| Net debt to EBITDA | 1.14x | [4,7,9,28] | 1.84x | 43.4 | 100 | 2026-05-02 | |
| Interest coverage | not computable | 2.26x | |||||
| one or more required annual facts are missing | |||||||
| Current ratio | 1.71x | [24-25] | 1.37x | 34.4 | 295 | 2026-05-02 | |
| Growth and financing, sleeve percentile 57.9 | |||||||
| Revenue growth, three-year compound | 0.5% | [2,17,19,21] | 1.5% | 54.9 | 269 | 2026-05-02 | |
| Free cash flow growth, three-year compound | (20.2%) | [14,29-35] | 5.6% | 87.7 | 147 | 2026-05-02 | |
| Reinvestment rate | 42.6% | [4-6,24-25,28-29,36-37] | 7.3% | 31.1 | 152 | 2026-05-02 | |
| Asset growth, three years | not computable | 3.4% | |||||
| four consecutive annual observations are required | |||||||
| Net share issuance, one year | not computable | (0.6%) | |||||
| prior share count is 226 days earlier | |||||||
Gross profitability. Revenue less cost of goods sold, over total assets.
Accruals ratio. Net income less operating cash flow, over average assets; lower is stronger.
Gross margin stability, five years. Standard deviation of gross margin; lower is stronger.
Twelve-month failure probability. CHS model; lower is stronger.
Net debt to EBITDA. Lower is stronger.
Net share issuance, one year. Split-adjusted; lower is stronger.
Sleeves are equal-weighted; within a sleeve each computable input carries equal weight. Composite 0.016; sampling error 2.9 percentile points on 258 peers.
Among 258 Peers [top]
Composite score of every graded peer, smoothed. Vertical rules are the letter band edges at the 20th, 40th, 60th and 80th percentiles. Small dots are the six largest peers by market equity.
| Rank | Company | Percentile | Letter | Warnings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 138 | Natural Health Trends Corp. (NHTC) Natural Health Trends Corp. (NHTC) Cmiddle fifth; percentile 53.3 Nasdaq · Wholesale-Miscellaneous Nondurable Goods market equity $8.0M; last close $0.99 No active warnings; 9 of 14 inputs | 53.3 | C | |
| 139 | Insight Enterprises Inc. (NSIT) Insight Enterprises Inc. (NSIT) Cmiddle fifth; percentile 53.7 Nasdaq · Retail-Catalog & Mail-Order Houses market equity $4.7B; last close $161.37 No active warnings; 12 of 14 inputs | 53.7 | C | |
| 140 | Lithia Motors Inc. (LAD) Lithia Motors Inc. (LAD) Cmiddle fifth; percentile 54.1 NYSE · Retail-Auto Dealers & Gasoline Stations market equity $6.4B; last close $288.78 No active warnings; 9 of 14 inputs | 54.1 | C | |
| 141 | Climb Global Solutions, Inc. (CLMB) Climb Global Solutions, Inc. (CLMB) Cmiddle fifth; percentile 54.5 Nasdaq · Wholesale-Computers & Peripheral Equipment & Software market equity $608.3M; last close $32.55 Warnings: fortress balance sheet; 8 of 14 inputs | 54.5 | C | fortress balance sheet |
| 142 | Arrow Electronics, Inc. (ARW) Arrow Electronics, Inc. (ARW) Cmiddle fifth; percentile 54.9 NYSE · Wholesale-Electronic Parts & Equipment, NEC market equity $11.5B; last close $226.96 No active warnings; 8 of 14 inputs | 54.9 | C | |
| 143 | Barnes & Noble Education, Inc. (BNED) Barnes & Noble Education, Inc. (BNED) Cmiddle fifth; percentile 55.3 NYSE · Retail-Miscellaneous Shopping Goods Stores market equity $413.9M; last close $11.92 Warnings: late filer; 10 of 14 inputs | 55.3 | C | late filer |
| 144 | Victoria's Secret & Co. (VSXY) Victoria's Secret & Co. (VSXY) Cmiddle fifth; percentile 55.6 NYSE · Retail-Women's Clothing Stores market equity $6.9B; last close $86.53 No active warnings; 10 of 14 inputs | 55.6 | C | |
| 145 | Cheesecake Factory Inc. (CAKE) Cheesecake Factory Inc. (CAKE) Cmiddle fifth; percentile 56.0 Nasdaq · Retail-Eating Places market equity $5.3B; last close $106.85 No active warnings; 8 of 14 inputs | 56.0 | C | |
| 146 | BlueLinx Holdings Inc. (BXC) BlueLinx Holdings Inc. (BXC) Cmiddle fifth; percentile 56.4 NYSE · Wholesale-Lumber, Plywood, Millwork & Wood Panels market equity $560.4M; last close $71.35 No active warnings; 10 of 14 inputs | 56.4 | C | |
| 147 | Grocery Outlet Holding Corp. (GO) Grocery Outlet Holding Corp. (GO) Cmiddle fifth; percentile 56.8 Nasdaq · Retail-Grocery Stores market equity $1.2B; last close $11.93 No active warnings; 10 of 14 inputs | 56.8 | C | |
| 148 | Distribution Solutions Group, Inc. (DSGR) Distribution Solutions Group, Inc. (DSGR) C/Don the C/D boundary; percentile 57.2 Nasdaq · Wholesale-Machinery, Equipment & Supplies market equity $1.6B; last close $35.07 No active warnings; 11 of 14 inputs | 57.2 | C/D |
| Peer policy | Letter | Percentile | Peers |
|---|---|---|---|
| all graded filers, equal sleeves | C | 48.7 | 2204 |
| sector peers, equal sleeves (the grade) | C | 55.3 | 258 |
| same exchange, equal sleeves | C | 47.8 | 984 |
| sector peers, equal inputs | C | 55.3 | 258 |
Each letter is one fifth of the 258 graded peers, about 51 companies. A boundary letter (A/B, B/C, C/D, D/E) marks a percentile within one sampling error of a band edge.
What the Price Implies [top]
Market measures at the 2026-10-08 close. None enters the grade. Percentile among graded peers with the same measure.
| Measure | Value | Peer median | Percentile | Reading |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Twelve-month price change, skipping the latest month | 22.4% | (0.1%) | 70 | hotter than 70 of 100 peers |
| Distance from 52-week high | (13.1%) | (24.1%) | 72 | closer to its high than 72 of 100 peers |
| EBIT to enterprise value | 6.9% | 5.3% | 68 | pricier than 32 of 100 peers |
| Free cash flow yield | 8.2% | 4.2% | 77 | pricier than 23 of 100 peers |
| Book value to price | 0.67 | 0.36 | 71 | pricier than 29 of 100 peers |
| Sales to price | 3.78 | 1.75 | 76 | pricier than 24 of 100 peers |
| Composite equity issuance, five years | 420.5% | (16.7%) | 98 | more equity-funded than 98 of 100 peers |
| Relative strength against the sector, log excess return | 0.23 | 0.02 | 70 | ahead of 70 of 100 peers |
Inputs: market equity $413.9M; EBIT $36.5M; free cash flow $33.9M; book equity $278.4M; sales $1.6B; debt $123.5M; cash $7.8M[38].
Diagnostics [top]
Diagnostics do not feed the grade.
| Piotroski F-score: None of 9, period end 2026-05-02 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Return on assets above zero | 2.1% | ✓ pass[13,15] |
| Operating cash flow above zero | $50.1M | ✓ pass[14] |
| Return on assets improved | n/a[13,15,39] | |
| Operating cash flow exceeds net income | $33.2M | ✓ pass[13-14] |
| Long-term leverage fell | n/a[1,7,10,15] | |
| Current ratio improved | 4.2 pts | ✓ pass[24-25,36-37] |
| No new shares issued | n/a[40-41] | |
| Gross margin improved | 0.3 pts | ✓ pass[2-3,16-17] |
| Asset turnover improved | n/a[2,15,17] | |
| Cash, filings, liquidity | |
|---|---|
| Cash and equivalents | $7.8M[42] |
| Operating cash flow, four quarters | $64.8M[14,42-46] |
| Months of runway | not finite |
| trailing operating cash flow is nonnegative, so runway is not finite | |
| Late filings, two years | 3 |
| NT 10-K or NT 10-Q | |
| Days since last periodic filing | 31 |
| 10-Q received Sep 8, 2026 | |
| Median daily dollar volume | $2.6M |
| 63 sessions | |
| Days since newest grade input | 92 |
Downloads [top]
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Sources [top]
Every citation on this page. Filing opens the SEC index page for that submission; viewer opens the SEC interactive data for the same filing; series opens the SEC XBRL API record for that tag and company.
| # | Concept | XBRL tag | Value | Period end | Received | Form | Links |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | assets | us-gaap:Assets | $739.9M | 2026-05-02 | 2026-07-09 | 10-K | filing · viewer · series |
| 2 | revenue | us-gaap:RevenueFromContractWithCustomerExcludingAssessedTax | $1.6B | 2026-05-02 | 2026-07-09 | 10-K | filing · viewer · series |
| 3 | gross profit | us-gaap:GrossProfit | $366.2M | 2026-05-02 | 2026-07-09 | 10-K | filing · viewer · series |
| 4 | operating income | us-gaap:OperatingIncomeLoss | $36.5M | 2026-05-02 | 2026-07-09 | 10-K | filing · viewer · series |
| 5 | pretax income | us-gaap:IncomeLossFromContinuingOperationsBeforeIncomeTaxesExtraordinaryItemsNoncontrollingInterest | $20.7M | 2026-05-02 | 2026-07-09 | 10-K | filing · viewer · series |
| 6 | income tax | us-gaap:IncomeTaxExpenseBenefit | $3.8M | 2026-05-02 | 2026-07-09 | 10-K | filing · viewer · series |
| 7 | total debt | us-gaap:LongTermDebt | $71.0M | 2026-05-02 | 2026-07-09 | 10-K | filing · viewer · series |
| 8 | book equity | us-gaap:StockholdersEquity | $294.4M | 2026-05-02 | 2026-07-09 | 10-K | filing · viewer · series |
| 9 | cash | us-gaap:CashAndCashEquivalentsAtCarryingValue | $8.4M | 2026-05-02 | 2026-07-09 | 10-K | filing · viewer · series |
| 10 | total debt | us-gaap:LongTermDebt | $103.1M | 2025-05-03 | 2026-07-09 | 10-K | filing · viewer · series |
| 11 | book equity | us-gaap:StockholdersEquity | $272.2M | 2025-05-03 | 2026-07-09 | 10-K | filing · viewer · series |
| 12 | cash | us-gaap:CashAndCashEquivalentsAtCarryingValue | $9.1M | 2025-05-03 | 2026-07-09 | 10-K | filing · viewer · series |
| 13 | net income | us-gaap:NetIncomeLoss | $16.9M | 2026-05-02 | 2026-07-09 | 10-K | filing · viewer · series |
| 14 | operating cash flow | us-gaap:NetCashProvidedByUsedInOperatingActivities | $50.1M | 2026-05-02 | 2026-07-09 | 10-K | filing · viewer · series |
| 15 | assets | us-gaap:Assets | $790.3M | 2025-05-03 | 2026-07-09 | 10-K | filing · viewer · series |
| 16 | gross profit | us-gaap:GrossProfit | $337.8M | 2025-05-03 | 2026-07-09 | 10-K | filing · viewer · series |
| 17 | revenue | us-gaap:RevenueFromContractWithCustomerExcludingAssessedTax | $1.5B | 2025-05-03 | 2026-07-09 | 10-K | filing · viewer · series |
| 18 | gross profit | us-gaap:GrossProfit | $344.9M | 2024-04-27 | 2025-12-23 | 10-K | filing · viewer · series |
| 19 | revenue | us-gaap:Revenues | $1.6B | 2024-04-27 | 2025-12-23 | 10-K | filing · viewer · series |
| 20 | gross profit | us-gaap:GrossProfit | $349.4M | 2023-04-29 | 2024-07-01 | 10-K | filing · viewer · series |
| 21 | revenue | us-gaap:Revenues | $1.5B | 2023-04-29 | 2024-07-01 | 10-K | filing · viewer · series |
| 22 | gross profit | us-gaap:GrossProfit | $342.8M | 2022-04-30 | 2023-07-31 | 10-K | filing · viewer · series |
| 23 | revenue | us-gaap:Revenues | $1.5B | 2022-04-30 | 2023-07-31 | 10-K | filing · viewer · series |
| 24 | current assets | us-gaap:AssetsCurrent | $484.5M | 2026-05-02 | 2026-07-09 | 10-K | filing · viewer · series |
| 25 | current liabilities | us-gaap:LiabilitiesCurrent | $283.6M | 2026-05-02 | 2026-07-09 | 10-K | filing · viewer · series |
| 26 | retained earnings | us-gaap:RetainedEarningsAccumulatedDeficit | -$695.7M | 2026-05-02 | 2026-07-09 | 10-K | filing · viewer · series |
| 27 | liabilities | us-gaap:Liabilities | $445.5M | 2026-05-02 | 2026-07-09 | 10-K | filing · viewer · series |
| 28 | depreciation amortization | us-gaap:Depreciation | $18.2M | 2026-05-02 | 2026-07-09 | 10-K | filing · viewer · series |
| 29 | capital expenditure | us-gaap:PaymentsToAcquirePropertyPlantAndEquipment | $16.2M | 2026-05-02 | 2026-07-09 | 10-K | filing · viewer · series |
| 30 | operating cash flow | us-gaap:NetCashProvidedByUsedInOperatingActivities | -$85.4M | 2025-05-03 | 2026-07-09 | 10-K | filing · viewer · series |
| 31 | capital expenditure | us-gaap:PaymentsToAcquirePropertyPlantAndEquipment | $12.9M | 2025-05-03 | 2026-07-09 | 10-K | filing · viewer · series |
| 32 | operating cash flow | us-gaap:NetCashProvidedByUsedInOperatingActivities | -$5.1M | 2024-04-27 | 2025-12-23 | 10-K | filing · viewer · series |
| 33 | capital expenditure | us-gaap:PaymentsToAcquirePropertyPlantAndEquipment | $14.1M | 2024-04-27 | 2025-12-23 | 10-K | filing · viewer · series |
| 34 | operating cash flow | us-gaap:NetCashProvidedByUsedInOperatingActivities | $91.7M | 2023-04-29 | 2024-07-01 | 10-K | filing · viewer · series |
| 35 | capital expenditure | us-gaap:PaymentsToAcquirePropertyPlantAndEquipment | $25.1M | 2023-04-29 | 2024-07-01 | 10-K | filing · viewer · series |
| 36 | current assets | us-gaap:AssetsCurrent | $465.4M | 2025-05-03 | 2026-07-09 | 10-K | filing · viewer · series |
| 37 | current liabilities | us-gaap:LiabilitiesCurrent | $279.2M | 2025-05-03 | 2026-07-09 | 10-K | filing · viewer · series |
| 38 | shares outstanding | dei:EntityCommonStockSharesOutstanding | 34,664,980 | 2026-09-03 | 2026-09-08 | 10-Q | filing · viewer · series |
| 39 | net income | us-gaap:NetIncomeLoss | -$65.8M | 2025-05-03 | 2026-07-09 | 10-K | filing · viewer · series |
| 40 | shares outstanding | dei:EntityCommonStockSharesOutstanding | 34,643,372 | 2026-07-03 | 2026-07-09 | 10-K | filing · viewer · series |
| 41 | shares outstanding | dei:EntityCommonStockSharesOutstanding | 34,053,847 | 2025-11-19 | 2025-12-23 | 10-K | filing · viewer · series |
| 42 | cash | us-gaap:CashAndCashEquivalentsAtCarryingValue | $7.8M | 2026-08-01 | 2026-09-08 | 10-Q | filing · viewer · series |
| 43 | operating cash flow | us-gaap:NetCashProvidedByUsedInOperatingActivities | -$52.9M | 2026-08-01 | 2026-09-08 | 10-Q | filing · viewer · series |
| 44 | operating cash flow | us-gaap:NetCashProvidedByUsedInOperatingActivities | -$30.8M | 2026-01-31 | 2026-03-10 | 10-Q | filing · viewer · series |
| 45 | operating cash flow | us-gaap:NetCashProvidedByUsedInOperatingActivities | -$1.4M | 2025-11-01 | 2026-01-20 | 10-Q | filing · viewer · series |
| 46 | operating cash flow | us-gaap:NetCashProvidedByUsedInOperatingActivities | -$67.6M | 2025-08-02 | 2026-09-08 | 10-Q | filing · viewer · series |
Limitations [top]
Grade boundary. Percentile 55.3 is 4.7 points from the nearest band edge; sampling error is 2.9 points.
Peer group. Sector assignment from four-digit SIC codes, hand-tuned and published. The grade under three alternative peer policies is tabled above.
Size. Within a sector the letter tracks size. Among graded filers in the smallest asset band, 72% grade E and 0% grade A; in the largest, 13% grade E and 21% grade A. Universe as of Oct 9, 2026.
Failure model. filings 2012-01-01 to 2019-12-31 fit, filings 2020-01-01 to 2025-12-31 test; status post hoc pending confirmation. pre-registered on 2026 filings once their 12-month outcome windows close; supported if the paired per-quintile gain over the pooled model has a lower bound above 0.05.
Input validity. Revenue or total assets at or below $100,000 sets the degenerate-inputs flag. An input whose denominator is at or below $100,000 is left not computable rather than ranked.
Returns. No input on this page has a post-2015 confidence interval on returns that excludes zero. The grade ranks reported financial condition and is not a return forecast.
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