Focused on building reliable datasets, financial models, and research tools for value-minded investors. Committed to turning complex data into practical guidance for value-investing and long-term wealth.
Dr. Charlie Tian is the founder and CEO of GuruFocus.com, a leading global investment research platform established in 2004. With a Ph.D. in physics, Dr. Tian transitioned from science to finance, applying a data-driven, disciplined approach to value investing.
Beta is the sensitivity of the expected excess asset returns to the expected excess market returns. As of today (2026-08-20), Barnes & Noble Education's Beta is 7.7801.
Beta is a measure of the volatility, or systematic risk, of a security or a portfolio in comparison to the market as a whole. We usually compare beta to 1. A beta of 1 indicates that the security's price will move with the market. A beta of less than 1 means that the security will be less volatile than the market. A beta of greater than 1 indicates that the security's price will be more volatile than the market.
Beta is primarily used in the Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM) to calculate the Cost of Equity, which can be used in the calculation of WACC %. The formula of Cost of Equity is:
Cost of Equity = Risk-Free Rate of Return + Beta of Asset * (Expected Return of the Market - Risk-Free Rate of Return)
* 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 Specialty Retail subindustry, Barnes & Noble Education's Beta, along with its competitors' market caps and Beta 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.
Barnes & Noble Education Beta vs Retail - Cyclical Industry
For the Retail - Cyclical industry and Consumer Cyclical sector, Barnes & Noble Education's Beta distribution charts can be found below:
* The bar in red indicates where Barnes & Noble Education's Beta falls into.
Beta is the sensitivity of the expected excess asset returns to the expected excess market returns. A stock's beta can be calculated by dividing the product of the covariance of the individual stock's returns and the market's returns by the variance of the market's returns over a specified period. Basically, GuruFocus uses the returns calculated over three-year period.
Barnes & Noble Education (BNED) has a Beta of 7.7801 as of Aug. 20, 2026. Beta is the sensitivity of the expected excess asset returns to the expected excess market returns. View historical data for Barnes & Noble Education and its competitors.
Is Barnes & Noble Education's Beta too high?
Barnes & Noble Education's current Beta is 7.7801. Overall, Barnes & Noble Education has a GF Score™ of 51/100 and is considered Significantly Overvalued, reflecting its overall financial health beyond just this single metric.
How does Barnes & Noble Education's Beta compare to BBW and FLWS?
Barnes & Noble Education's Beta of 7.7801 can be compared against companies in the Retail - Cyclical industry. See the competitive comparison table and distribution chart on this page for a detailed peer-by-peer breakdown.
What is a good Beta for a Retail - Cyclical company?
A good Beta depends on the Retail - Cyclical industry context. However, Beta should not be evaluated in isolation — investors should consider it alongside profitability, growth, and financial strength metrics. Use the industry distribution chart on this page to see where any company falls relative to its peers.
What does a high Beta mean?
A high Beta can signal that a stock is expensive relative to its fundamentals. Beta is the sensitivity of the expected excess asset returns to the expected excess market returns. View historical data for Barnes & Noble Education and its competitors. Barnes & Noble Education's current Beta is 7.7801. However, context matters — high-growth companies often justify higher valuations. Always evaluate alongside other metrics like GF Score™ and GF Value™.
Is Barnes & Noble Education stock overvalued right now?
Based on GuruFocus' analysis, Barnes & Noble Education (BNED) is currently considered Significantly Overvalued. The stock's GF Value™ is $2.40, compared to a current price of $11.95 — trading 397.9% above its estimated fair value. The current Beta is 7.7801. Barnes & Noble Education's overall GF Score™ is 51/100 with 4 warning signs to review. Investors should evaluate multiple metrics — including profitability, growth, and financial strength — before making a decision.
How is Beta calculated?
Beta is calculated from a company's financial statements. For Barnes & Noble Education (BNED), the current Beta is 7.7801 as of Aug. 20, 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 Barnes & Noble Education (BNED) Overvalued in 2026?
Based on GuruFocus' analysis, Barnes & Noble Education stock appears to be overvalued.
The current stock price of $11.95 is trading 397.9% above its estimated GF Value™ of $2.40.
GuruFocus considers Barnes & Noble Education to be Significantly Overvalued.
Key valuation signals for BNED:
Beta: 7.7801
GF Value™: $2.40 vs. price of $11.95 (397.9% above fair value)
No single metric tells the full story. See the BNED stock analysis page for a complete view including 30-year financials, guru trades, and insider activity.
Barnes & Noble Education Inc is a contract operator of physical and virtual bookstores for college and university campuses and K-12 institutions across the United States. The company is also a textbook wholesaler and inventory management hardware and software provider. It offers course materials through physical and online bookstores, including new and used print textbooks, rental options, digital textbooks, and publisher-hosted digital courseware. Products are also offered directly to students through Textbooks.com. The majority of the company's revenue is derived from the sale of products through its bookstore locations, including virtual bookstores, and the bookstore affiliated e-commerce websites.
51GF Score
Get the complete analysis for BNED
Beta is just one metric. See GF Value™, 30-year financials, guru trades, warning signs, and more.
Quick Browse
Personalize
Premium Gurus 
Create New Portfolio
BNED has been successfully added to your 
