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Barnes & Noble EducationBNED -0.08%51 PE Ratio (TTM) is 25.43 as of Aug. 20, 2026, which is 0% above its 10-year median of 25.37. 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 805 Retail - Cyclical companies, Barnes & Noble Education ranks worse than 69.19% on this metric.
The PE Ratio (TTM), or Price-to-Earnings ratio, or P/E Ratio, is a financial ratio used to compare a company's market price to its Earnings per Share (Diluted). As of today (2026-08-20), Barnes & Noble Education's share price is
$11.95.
Barnes & Noble Education's Earnings per Share (Diluted) for the trailing twelve months (TTM) ended in Apr. 2026 was $0.47. Therefore, Barnes & Noble Education's PE Ratio (TTM) for today is 25.43.
The historical rank and industry rank for Barnes & Noble Education's PE Ratio (TTM) or its related term are showing as below:
BNED'
s PE Ratio (TTM) Range Over the Past 10 Years
Min: 5.19 Med: 25.37 Max: 208.34
Current: 25.43
During the past 13 years, the highest PE Ratio (TTM) of Barnes & Noble Education was 208.34. The lowest was 5.19. And the median was 25.37.
BNED's PE Ratio (TTM) is ranked worse than 69.19% of 805
companies
in the Retail - Cyclical industry
Industry Median: 16.68
vs BNED: 25.43
During the past 13 years, Barnes & Noble Education's highest 3-Year average EPS without NRI Growth Rate was 67.00% per year. The lowest was -39.30% per year. And the median was -5.50% per year.
Barnes & Noble Education (NYSE:BNED) PE Ratio (TTM) Explanation
The PE Ratio (TTM) can be viewed as the number of years it takes for the company to earn back the price you pay for the stock. For example, if a company earns $2 a share per year, and the stock is traded at $30, the PE Ratio (TTM) is 15. Therefore it takes 15 years for the company to earn back the $30 you paid for its stock, assuming the earnings stays constant over the next 15 years.
In real business, earnings never stay constant. If a company can grow its earnings, it takes fewer years for the company to earn back the price you pay for the stock. If a company's earnings decline it takes more years. As a shareholder, you want the company to earn back the price you pay as soon as possible. Therefore, lower P/E stocks are more attractive than higher P/E stocks so long as the PE Ratio (TTM) is positive. Also for stocks with the same PE Ratio (TTM), the one with faster growth business is more attractive.
If a company loses money, the PE Ratio (TTM) becomes meaningless.
To compare stocks with different growth rates, Peter Lynch invented a ratio called PEG Ratio. PEG Ratio is defined as the PE Ratio (TTM) divided by the growth ratio. He thinks a company with a PE Ratio (TTM) equal to its growth rate is fairly valued. Still he said he would rather buy a company growing 20% a year with a PE Ratio (TTM) of 20, instead of a company growing 10% a year with a PE Ratio (TTM) of 10.
Because the PE Ratio (TTM) measures how long it takes to earn back the price you pay, the PE Ratio (TTM) can be applied to the stocks across different industries. That is why it is the one of the most important and widely used indicators for the valuation of stocks.
Investors need to be aware that the PE Ratio (TTM) can be misleading a lot of times, especially when the underlying business is cyclical and unpredictable. As Peter Lynch pointed out, cyclical businesses have higher profit margins at the peaks of the business cycles. Their earnings are high and PE Ratio (TTM)s are artificially low. It is usually a bad idea to buy a cyclical business when the PE Ratio (TTM) is low. A better ratio to identify the time to buy a cyclical businesses is the PS Ratio .
PE Ratio (TTM) can also be affected by non-recurring-items such as the sale of part of businesses. This may increase for the current year or quarter dramatically. But it cannot be repeated over and over. Therefore PE Ratio without NRI is a more accurate indication of valuation than PE Ratio (TTM).
Barnes & Noble Education PE Ratio (TTM) Related Terms
Barnes & Noble Education PE Ratio (TTM) 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: PE Ratio (TTM) Comparison
For the Specialty Retail subindustry, Barnes & Noble Education's PE Ratio (TTM), along with its competitors' market caps and PE Ratio (TTM) 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 PE Ratio (TTM) vs Retail - Cyclical Industry
For the Retail - Cyclical industry and Consumer Cyclical sector, Barnes & Noble Education's PE Ratio (TTM) distribution charts can be found below:
* The bar in red indicates where Barnes & Noble Education's PE Ratio (TTM) falls into.
Barnes & Noble Education PE Ratio (TTM) Calculation
The PE Ratio (TTM), or Price-to-Earnings ratio, or P/E Ratio, is a financial ratio used to compare a company's market price to its Earnings per Share (Diluted). It is the most widely used ratio in the valuation of stocks.
Barnes & Noble Education's Share Price of today is $11.95.
Barnes & Noble Education's Earnings per Share (Diluted) for the trailing twelve months (TTM) ended in Apr. 2026 adds up the quarterly data reported by the company within the most recent 12 months, which was $0.47.
* 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.
It can also be calculated from the numbers for the whole company:
There are at least three kinds of PE Ratio (TTM)s used by different investors. They are Trailing Twelve Month PE Ratio (TTM) or PE Ratio (TTM) (TTM), Forward PE Ratio, or PE Ratio without NRI. A new PE Ratio (TTM) based on inflation-adjusted normalized PE Ratio (TTM) is called Shiller PE Ratio, after Yale professor Robert Shiller.
In the calculation of PE Ratio (TTM), the earnings per share used are the earnings per share over the past 12 months. For Forward PE Ratio, the earnings are the expected earnings for the next twelve months. In the case of PE Ratio without NRI, the reported earnings less the non-recurring items are used.
For Shiller PE Ratio, the earnings of the past 10 years are inflation-adjusted and averaged. Since it looks at the average over the last 10 years, Shiller PE Ratio is also called PE10.
Barnes & Noble Education (BNED) has a PE Ratio (TTM) of 25.43 as of Aug. 20, 2026. Trailing 12-month P/E ratio is the ratio of share price to a company's trailing 12-month earnings per share. View historical data on Barnes & Noble Education and its competitors. This is near median its historical median of 25.37. Over the past decade, Barnes & Noble Education's PE Ratio (TTM) has ranged from 5.19 to 208.34. According to the industry distribution chart, Barnes & Noble Education ranks #557 out of 805 companies in the Retail - Cyclical industry, placing it in the top 69.2%.
Is Barnes & Noble Education's PE Ratio (TTM) too high?
Barnes & Noble Education's current PE Ratio (TTM) of 25.43 is near median its 10-year median of 25.37. Over the past 10 years, this metric has ranged from a low of 5.19 to a high of 208.34. The Retail - Cyclical industry median PE Ratio (TTM) is 16.68. Barnes & Noble Education's value of 25.43 is 52.5% above this industry median. Based on the distribution chart, Barnes & Noble Education ranks #557 out of 805 companies in the Retail - Cyclical industry, which is below the industry midpoint. 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 PE Ratio (TTM) compare to BBW and FLWS?
According to the Retail - Cyclical industry distribution chart, Barnes & Noble Education ranks #557 out of 805 companies for PE Ratio (TTM). This places Barnes & Noble Education in the lower half of its industry. The industry median PE Ratio (TTM) is 16.68. Barnes & Noble Education's value of 25.43 is 52.5% above this benchmark. Historically, Barnes & Noble Education's own PE Ratio (TTM) has ranged from 5.19 to 208.34 over the past decade. While the company's 10-year median is 25.37 vs. the industry median of 16.68, 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 PE Ratio (TTM) for a Retail - Cyclical company?
The median PE Ratio (TTM) among Retail - Cyclical companies is 16.68, based on 805 companies in the industry. Companies in the top quartile (top 25%) have a PE Ratio (TTM) significantly above this median, while those in the bottom quartile fall well below. However, PE Ratio (TTM) should not be evaluated in isolation — investors should consider it alongside profitability, growth, and financial strength metrics. Barnes & Noble Education's current PE Ratio (TTM) of 25.43 is 52.5% 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 PE Ratio (TTM) mean?
A high PE Ratio (TTM) can signal that a stock is expensive relative to its fundamentals. Trailing 12-month P/E ratio is the ratio of share price to a company's trailing 12-month earnings per share. View historical data on Barnes & Noble Education and its competitors. For the Retail - Cyclical industry, the median PE Ratio (TTM) is 16.68 — values significantly above this may indicate overvaluation, while values below may suggest a bargain or underlying issues. Barnes & Noble Education's current PE Ratio (TTM) is 25.43, which is near median its own 10-year median of 25.37. 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 PE Ratio (TTM) is 25.43, which is near median its 10-year median of 25.37 and 52.5% above the Retail - Cyclical industry median of 16.68. 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 PE Ratio (TTM) calculated?
PE Ratio (TTM) is calculated from a company's financial statements. For Barnes & Noble Education (BNED), the current PE Ratio (TTM) is 25.43 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:
PE Ratio (TTM): 25.43 (near median its 10-year median of 25.37)
GF Value™: $2.40 vs. price of $11.95 (397.9% above fair value)
Industry Position: 52.5% above the Retail - Cyclical median (#557 of 805)
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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