CTRN (Citi Trends) Operating Margin %: 3.19% (As of Apr. 2026) — 23% Above Median

Citi Trends  (NAS:CTRN) Operating Margin % Explanation

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 Nokia’s 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.

Citi Trends Operating Margin % Related Terms

The historical data trend for Citi Trends'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.

Citi Trends Operating Margin % Chart

Citi Trends Annual Data
	Trend	Jan17	Jan18	Jan19	Jan20	Jan21	Jan22	Jan23	Jan24	Jan25	Jan26
Operating Margin %		Get a 7-Day Free Trial					8.02	1.41	-2.46	-4.91	-0.86

Citi Trends Quarterly Data
	Jul21	Oct21	Jan22	Apr22	Jul22	Oct22	Jan23	Apr23	Jul23	Oct23	Jan24	Apr24	Jul24	Oct24	Jan25	Apr25	Jul25	Oct25	Jan26	Apr26
Operating Margin %	Get a 7-Day Free Trial															0.27	-3.76	-3.73	3.02	3.19

CTRN vs LE, GCO, ZUMZ: Operating Margin % Comparison

For the Apparel Retail subindustry, Citi Trends'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.

Citi Trends Operating Margin % vs Retail - Cyclical Industry

For the Retail - Cyclical industry and Consumer Cyclical sector, Citi Trends's Operating Margin % distribution charts can be found below:

* The bar in red indicates where Citi Trends's Operating Margin % falls into.

Citi Trends Operating Margin % Calculation

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.

Citi Trends's Operating Margin % for the fiscal year that ended in Jan. 2026 is calculated as

Citi Trends's Operating Margin % for the quarter that ended in Apr. 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.

Citi Trends Business Description