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Barnes & Noble EducationBNED -0.08%51 Piotroski F-Score is 8 as of Aug. 20, 2026, which is 100% above its 10-year median of 4.00. 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 1,104 Retail - Cyclical companies, Barnes & Noble Education ranks better than 98.37% on this metric.
Good Sign:
Piotroski F-Score is 8, indicates a very healthy situation.
The zones of discrimination were as such:
Good or high score = 7, 8, 9
Bad or low score = 0, 1, 2, 3
Barnes & Noble Education has an F-score of 8. It is a good or high score, which usually indicates a very healthy situation.
The historical rank and industry rank for Barnes & Noble Education's Piotroski F-Score or its related term are showing as below:
BNED'
s Piotroski F-Score Range Over the Past 10 Years
Min: 1 Med: 4 Max: 8
Current: 8
During the past 13 years, the highest Piotroski F-Score of Barnes & Noble Education was 8. The lowest was 1. And the median was 4.
The developer of the system is Joseph D. Piotroski is relatively unknown accounting professor who shuns publicity and rarely gives interviews.
He graduated from the University of Illinois with a B.S. in accounting in 1989, received an M.B.A. from Indiana University in 1994. Five years later, in 1999, after earning a Ph.D. in accounting from the University of Michigan, he became an associate professor of accounting at the University of Chicago.
He wanted to see if he can develop a system (using a simple nine-point scoring system) that can increase the returns of a strategy of investing in low price to book (referred to in the paper as high book to market) value companies.
What he found was something that exceeded his most optimistic expectations.
Buying only those companies that scored highest (8 or 9) on his nine-point scale, or F-Score as he called it, over the 20 year period from 1976 to 1996 led to an average out-performance over the market of 13.4%.
Even more impressive were the results of a strategy of investing in the highest F-Score companies (8 or 9) and shorting companies with the lowest F-Score (0 or 1).
Over the same period from 1976 to 1996 (20 years) this strategy led to an average yearly return of 23%, substantially outperforming the average S&P 500 index return of 15.83% over the same period.
Barnes & Noble Education Piotroski F-Score Related Terms
Barnes & Noble Education Piotroski F-Score 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.
BNED vs BBW, FLWS, ONEW: Piotroski F-Score Comparison
For the Specialty Retail subindustry, Barnes & Noble Education's Piotroski F-Score, along with its competitors' market caps and Piotroski F-Score 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 Piotroski F-Score vs Retail - Cyclical Industry
For the Retail - Cyclical industry and Consumer Cyclical sector, Barnes & Noble Education's Piotroski F-Score distribution charts can be found below:
* The bar in red indicates where Barnes & Noble Education's Piotroski F-Score 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.
*Note: If the latest quarterly/semi-annual/annual total assets data is 0, then we will use previous quarterly/semi-annual/annual data for all the items in the balance sheet.
Profitability
Question 1. Return on Assets (ROA)
Net income before extraordinary items for the year divided by Total Assets at the beginning of the year.
Score 1 if positive, 0 if negative.
Barnes & Noble Education's current Net Income (TTM) was 17.
==> Positive ==> Score 1.
Question 2. Cash Flow Return on Assets (CFROA)
Net cash flow from operating activities (operating cash flow) divided by Total Assets at the beginning of the year.
Score 1 if positive, 0 if negative.
Barnes & Noble Education's current Cash Flow from Operations (TTM) was 50.
==> Positive ==> Score 1.
Question 3. Change in Return on Assets
Compare this year's return on assets (1) to last year's return on assets.
Barnes & Noble Education's return on assets of this year was 0.02134926. Barnes & Noble Education's return on assets of last year was -0.07233922.
==> This year is higher. ==> Score 1.
Question 4. Quality of Earnings (Accrual)
Compare Cash flow return on assets (2) to return on assets (1)
Barnes & Noble Education's gearing of this year was 0.16734211. Barnes & Noble Education's gearing of last year was 0.22558358.
==> This year is lower or equal to last year. ==> Score 1.
Question 6. Change in Working Capital (Liquidity)
Compare this year's current ratio (current assets divided by current liabilities) to last year's current ratio.
Score 1 if this year's current ratio is higher, 0 if it's lower
Barnes & Noble Education's current ratio of this year was 1.70823754. Barnes & Noble Education's current ratio of last year was 1.66670248.
==> This year's current ratio is higher. ==> Score 1.
Question 7. Change in Shares in Issue
Compare the number of shares in issue this year, to the number in issue last year.
Score 0 if there is larger number of shares in issue this year, 1 otherwise.
Barnes & Noble Education's number of shares in issue this year was 34.659. Barnes & Noble Education's number of shares in issue last year was 34.65.
==> There is larger number of shares in issue this year. ==> Score 0.
Efficiency
Question 8. Change in Gross Margin
Compare this year's gross margin (Gross Profit divided by sales) to last year's.
Score 1 if this year's gross margin is higher, 0 if it's lower.
Barnes & Noble Education's gross margin of this year was 0.21353768. Barnes & Noble Education's gross margin of last year was 0.209794.
==> This year's gross margin is higher. ==> Score 1.
Question 9. Change in asset turnover
Compare this year's asset turnover (total sales for the year divided by total assets at the beginning of the year) to last year's asset turnover ratio.
Score 1 if this year's asset turnover ratio is higher, 0 if it's lower
Barnes & Noble Education's asset turnover of this year was 2.16981216. Barnes & Noble Education's asset turnover of last year was 1.76951675.
==> This year's asset turnover is higher. ==> Score 1.
Evaluation
Piotroski F-Score
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Good or high score = 7, 8, 9
Bad or low score = 0, 1, 2, 3
Barnes & Noble Education has an F-score of 8. It is a good or high score, which usually indicates a very healthy situation.
Barnes & Noble Education (BNED) has a Piotroski F-Score of 8 as of Aug. 20, 2026. The Piotroski F-score grades a company's business operating strength from 0-9. View historical data on Barnes & Noble Education and its competitors. This is 100% above median its historical median of 4.00. Over the past decade, Barnes & Noble Education's Piotroski F-Score has ranged from 1.00 to 8.00. According to the industry distribution chart, Barnes & Noble Education ranks #18 out of 1104 companies in the Retail - Cyclical industry, placing it in the top 1.6%.
Is Barnes & Noble Education's Piotroski F-Score too high?
Barnes & Noble Education's current Piotroski F-Score of 8 is 100% above median its 10-year median of 4.00. Over the past 10 years, this metric has ranged from a low of 1.00 to a high of 8.00. The Retail - Cyclical industry median Piotroski F-Score is 6.00. Barnes & Noble Education's value of 8 is 33.3% above this industry median. Based on the distribution chart, Barnes & Noble Education ranks #18 out of 1104 companies in the Retail - Cyclical industry, which is in the top quartile — a strong position 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 Piotroski F-Score compare to BBW and FLWS?
According to the Retail - Cyclical industry distribution chart, Barnes & Noble Education ranks #18 out of 1104 companies for Piotroski F-Score. This places Barnes & Noble Education in the top 2% of its industry — outperforming the majority of peers. The industry median Piotroski F-Score is 6.00. Barnes & Noble Education's value of 8 is 33.3% above this benchmark. Historically, Barnes & Noble Education's own Piotroski F-Score has ranged from 1.00 to 8.00 over the past decade. While the company's 10-year median is 4.00 vs. the industry median of 6.00, Barnes & Noble Education has consistently been above 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 Piotroski F-Score for a Retail - Cyclical company?
The median Piotroski F-Score among Retail - Cyclical companies is 6.00, based on 1,104 companies in the industry. Companies in the top quartile (top 25%) have a Piotroski F-Score significantly above this median, while those in the bottom quartile fall well below. However, Piotroski F-Score should not be evaluated in isolation — investors should consider it alongside profitability, growth, and financial strength metrics. Barnes & Noble Education's current Piotroski F-Score of 8 is 33.3% above 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 Piotroski F-Score mean?
A high Piotroski F-Score can signal that a stock is expensive relative to its fundamentals. The Piotroski F-score grades a company's business operating strength from 0-9. View historical data on Barnes & Noble Education and its competitors. For the Retail - Cyclical industry, the median Piotroski F-Score is 6.00 — values significantly above this may indicate overvaluation, while values below may suggest a bargain or underlying issues. Barnes & Noble Education's current Piotroski F-Score is 8, which is 100% above median its own 10-year median of 4.00. 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 Piotroski F-Score is 8, which is 100% above median its 10-year median of 4.00 and 33.3% above the Retail - Cyclical industry median of 6.00. 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 Piotroski F-Score calculated?
Piotroski F-Score is calculated from a company's financial statements. For Barnes & Noble Education (BNED), the current Piotroski F-Score is 8 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:
Piotroski F-Score: 8 (100% above median its 10-year median of 4.00)
GF Value™: $2.40 vs. price of $11.95 (397.9% above fair value)
Industry Position: 33.3% above the Retail - Cyclical median (#18 of 1104)
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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