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Barnes & Noble EducationBNED +0.59%51 Cash Ratio is 0.03 as of Apr. 2026, which is at its 10-year median of 0.03. GuruFocus rates BNED with a GF Score™ of 51/100 and a GF Value™ of $2.40 (Significantly Overvalued). The stock has 4 warning signs investors should review. Among 1,115 Retail - Cyclical companies, Barnes & Noble Education ranks worse than 93.81% on this metric.
Barnes & Noble Education has a Cash Ratio of 0.03. It indicates that there are more current liabilities than Cash, Cash Equivalents, Marketable Securities, and the company does not have sufficient cash on hand to pay off its short-term debt.
The historical rank and industry rank for Barnes & Noble Education's Cash Ratio or its related term are showing as below:
BNED'
s Cash Ratio Range Over the Past 10 Years
Min: 0.02 Med: 0.03 Max: 0.05
Current: 0.03
During the past 13 years, Barnes & Noble Education's highest Cash Ratio was 0.05. The lowest was 0.02. And the median was 0.03.
BNED's Cash Ratio is ranked worse than 93.81% of 1115
companies
in the Retail - Cyclical industry
Industry Median: 0.34
vs BNED: 0.03
Barnes & Noble Education (NYSE:BNED) Cash Ratio Explanation
The cash ratio is more conservative than other liquidity ratios, such as Quick Ratio and Current Ratio, because it only considers a company's most liquid resources. The numerator of cash ratio only considers Cash, Cash Equivalents and marketable securities. Other current assets, such as accounts receivable and inventories, are not included. The rationale is that these assets may require time to be transformed into cash, and the amount of money received is also uncertain.
The cash ratio shows a company’s ability to pay all current liabilities immediately without selling or liquidating other assets. Generally speaking, a higher cash ratio suggests the company has a stronger ability to cover its short-term debt. However, a high cash ratio could also indicate inefficient management: the company is inefficient in making full utilization of cash to invest protential profitable project. It may also suggest that the company is not confident about future profitability.
In general, the higher the cash ratio, the better the company's liquidity position.
Barnes & Noble Education Cash Ratio Related Terms
Barnes & Noble Education Cash Ratio Historical Data
* 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 Cash Ratio, along with its competitors' market caps and Cash Ratio 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 Cash Ratio vs Retail - Cyclical Industry
For the Retail - Cyclical industry and Consumer Cyclical sector, Barnes & Noble Education's Cash Ratio distribution charts can be found below:
* The bar in red indicates where Barnes & Noble Education's Cash Ratio falls into.
* 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.
Barnes & Noble Education (BNED) has a Cash Ratio of 0.03 as of Apr. 2026. Cashflow ratio is the ratio of Cash, Cash Equivalents, Marketable Securities to current liabilities. View historical data on Barnes & Noble Education and its competitors. This is near median its historical median of 0.03. Over the past decade, Barnes & Noble Education's Cash Ratio has ranged from 0.02 to 0.05. According to the industry distribution chart, Barnes & Noble Education ranks #1046 out of 1115 companies in the Retail - Cyclical industry, placing it in the top 93.8%.
Is Barnes & Noble Education's Cash Ratio too high?
Barnes & Noble Education's current Cash Ratio of 0.03 is near median its 10-year median of 0.03. Over the past 10 years, this metric has ranged from a low of 0.02 to a high of 0.05. The Retail - Cyclical industry median Cash Ratio is 0.34. Barnes & Noble Education's value of 0.03 is 91.2% below this industry median. Based on the distribution chart, Barnes & Noble Education ranks #1046 out of 1115 companies in the Retail - Cyclical industry, which is in the bottom quartile relative to peers. 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 Cash Ratio compare to BBW and FLWS?
According to the Retail - Cyclical industry distribution chart, Barnes & Noble Education ranks #1046 out of 1115 companies for Cash Ratio. This places Barnes & Noble Education in the lower half of its industry. The industry median Cash Ratio is 0.34. Barnes & Noble Education's value of 0.03 is 91.2% below this benchmark. Historically, Barnes & Noble Education's own Cash Ratio has ranged from 0.02 to 0.05 over the past decade. While the company's 10-year median is 0.03 vs. the industry median of 0.34, Barnes & Noble Education has consistently been below the industry average. See the competitive comparison table and distribution chart on this page for a detailed peer-by-peer breakdown.
What is a good Cash Ratio for a Retail - Cyclical company?
The median Cash Ratio among Retail - Cyclical companies is 0.34, based on 1,115 companies in the industry. Companies in the top quartile (top 25%) have a Cash Ratio significantly above this median, while those in the bottom quartile fall well below. However, Cash Ratio should not be evaluated in isolation — investors should consider it alongside profitability, growth, and financial strength metrics. Barnes & Noble Education's current Cash Ratio of 0.03 is 91.2% below the industry median. Use the industry distribution chart on this page to see where any company falls relative to its peers.
What does a high Cash Ratio mean?
A high Cash Ratio can signal that a stock is expensive relative to its fundamentals. Cashflow ratio is the ratio of Cash, Cash Equivalents, Marketable Securities to current liabilities. View historical data on Barnes & Noble Education and its competitors. For the Retail - Cyclical industry, the median Cash Ratio is 0.34 — values significantly above this may indicate overvaluation, while values below may suggest a bargain or underlying issues. Barnes & Noble Education's current Cash Ratio is 0.03, which is near median its own 10-year median of 0.03. 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 $12.03 — trading 401.3% above its estimated fair value. The current Cash Ratio is 0.03, which is near median its 10-year median of 0.03 and 91.2% below the Retail - Cyclical industry median of 0.34. 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 Cash Ratio calculated?
Cash Ratio is calculated from a company's financial statements. For Barnes & Noble Education (BNED), the current Cash Ratio is 0.03 as of Apr. 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 $12.03 is trading 401.3% above its estimated GF Value™ of $2.40.
GuruFocus considers Barnes & Noble Education to be Significantly Overvalued.
Key valuation signals for BNED:
Cash Ratio: 0.03 (near median its 10-year median of 0.03)
GF Value™: $2.40 vs. price of $12.03 (401.3% above fair value)
Industry Position: 91.2% below the Retail - Cyclical median (#1046 of 1115)
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
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