Bowlin Travel CentersBWTL 68 Operating Margin % is -0.62% as of Jan. 2026. GuruFocus rates BWTL with a GF Score™ of 68/100 and a GF Value™ of $6.10 (Significantly Undervalued). The stock has 4 warning signs investors should review. Among 1,128 Retail - Cyclical companies, Bowlin Travel Centers ranks worse than 76.86% on this metric.
Just like Gross Margin %, it is important to see a company maintains its operating margin over time. Among the same industry, a company with higher operating margin is more efficient in its operation. It is also more stable during industry slowdown or recessions. Peter Lynch prefers those with higher margins than those with lower margins.
Be Aware
Operating Margin % can be manipulated by adjusting the rate of depreciation, depletion and amortization (DDA).
If a company is facing competition, its Operating Margin % may decline. Often the Operating Margin % declines well before the company's Revenue or even profit decline. Therefore, Operating Margin % is a very important indicator of whether the company is facing problems.
For instance, by 2012, Nokia (NOK)'s problems were well known and its stock had lost more than 90% of its market value since 2007. But Nokias Operating Margin % had already been in decline since 2002, although its Earnings per Share (Diluted) were still rising. Investors who paid attention to Operating Margin % would have avoided this huge loss. The same can be said for Research-in-Motion (RIMM).
Therefore, Operating Margin % is a very important screening filter for GuruFocus. GuruFocus's Buffett-Munger screener requires that the profit margin is either consistent or expanding. The Model Portfolio of the Buffett-Munger screener has outperformed the market every year since inception in 2009.
Bowlin Travel Centers Operating Margin % Related Terms
Bowlin Travel Centers Operating Margin % Historical Data
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The historical data trend for Bowlin Travel Centers's Operating Margin % can be seen below:
* 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.
BWTL vs CGTL, TLF, RECT: Operating Margin % Comparison
For the Specialty Retail subindustry, Bowlin Travel Centers's Operating Margin %, along with its competitors' market caps and Operating Margin % 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.
Bowlin Travel Centers Operating Margin % vs Retail - Cyclical Industry
For the Retail - Cyclical industry and Consumer Cyclical sector, Bowlin Travel Centers's Operating Margin % distribution charts can be found below:
* The bar in red indicates where Bowlin Travel Centers's Operating Margin % falls into.
Operating Margin % - also known as operating income margin, operating profit margin and return on sales (ROS) - is the ratio of Operating Income divided by net sales or Revenue, usually presented in percent.
Bowlin Travel Centers's Operating Margin % for the fiscal year that ended in Jan. 2026 is calculated as
* 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.
Bowlin Travel Centers (BWTL) has a Operating Margin % of -0.62% as of Jan. 2026. Operating margin is the ratio of total operating income to net sales. View historical data on Bowlin Travel Centers and its competitors. According to the industry distribution chart, Bowlin Travel Centers ranks #867 out of 1128 companies in the Retail - Cyclical industry, placing it in the top 76.9%.
Is Bowlin Travel Centers' Operating Margin % too high?
Bowlin Travel Centers' current Operating Margin % is -0.62%. Based on the distribution chart, Bowlin Travel Centers ranks #867 out of 1128 companies in the Retail - Cyclical industry, which is in the bottom quartile relative to peers. Overall, Bowlin Travel Centers has a GF Score™ of 68/100 and is considered Significantly Undervalued, reflecting its overall financial health beyond just this single metric.
How does Bowlin Travel Centers' Operating Margin % compare to CGTL and TLF?
According to the Retail - Cyclical industry distribution chart, Bowlin Travel Centers ranks #867 out of 1128 companies for Operating Margin %. This places Bowlin Travel Centers in the lower half of its industry. The industry median Operating Margin % is 3.91. See the competitive comparison table and distribution chart on this page for a detailed peer-by-peer breakdown.
What is a good Operating Margin % for a Retail - Cyclical company?
The median Operating Margin % among Retail - Cyclical companies is 3.91, based on 1,128 companies in the industry. Companies in the top quartile (top 25%) have a Operating Margin % significantly above this median, while those in the bottom quartile fall well below. However, Operating Margin % 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 Operating Margin % mean?
A high Operating Margin % can signal that a stock is expensive relative to its fundamentals. Operating margin is the ratio of total operating income to net sales. View historical data on Bowlin Travel Centers and its competitors. For the Retail - Cyclical industry, the median Operating Margin % is 3.91 — values significantly above this may indicate overvaluation, while values below may suggest a bargain or underlying issues. Bowlin Travel Centers's current Operating Margin % is -0.62%. However, context matters — high-growth companies often justify higher valuations. Always evaluate alongside other metrics like GF Score™ and GF Value™.
Is Bowlin Travel Centers stock overvalued right now?
Based on GuruFocus' analysis, Bowlin Travel Centers (BWTL) is currently considered Significantly Undervalued. The stock's GF Value™ is $6.10, compared to a current price of $3.39 — trading 44.4% below its estimated fair value. The current Operating Margin % is -0.62%. Bowlin Travel Centers' overall GF Score™ is 68/100 with 4 warning signs to review. Investors should evaluate multiple metrics — including profitability, growth, and financial strength — before making a decision.
How is Operating Margin % calculated?
Operating Margin % is calculated from a company's financial statements. For Bowlin Travel Centers (BWTL), the current Operating Margin % is -0.62% as of Jan. 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 Bowlin Travel Centers (BWTL) Overvalued in 2026?
Based on GuruFocus' analysis, Bowlin Travel Centers stock appears to be undervalued.
The current stock price of $3.39 is trading 44.4% below its estimated GF Value™ of $6.10.
GuruFocus considers Bowlin Travel Centers to be Significantly Undervalued.
Key valuation signals for BWTL:
Operating Margin %: -0.62%
GF Value™: $6.10 vs. price of $3.39 (44.4% below fair value)
No single metric tells the full story. See the BWTL stock analysis page for a complete view including 30-year financials, guru trades, and insider activity.
Bowlin Travel Centers Inc is engaged in the operation of ten travel centers and five restaurants located along well-traveled interstate highways in New Mexico and Arizona where there are generally few gas stations, convenience stores or restaurants. Few of the company's travel centers offer fuel, and the company operated five full-service restaurants under the Dairy Queen/Brazier or Dairy Queen trade names. The company's travel centers offer a variety of Southwestern merchandise to the traveling public in the Southwestern United States, New Mexico. It also sells convenience store food such as chips, nuts, cookies, prepackaged sandwiches, and drinks.
68GF Score
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