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Joel Greenblatt defined Return on Capital differently in his book The Little Book That Still Beats the Market (Little Books. Big Profits). He defines ROC (Joel Greenblatt) % as EBIT divided by the total of Property, Plant and Equipment and net working capital. Barnes & Noble Education's annualized ROC (Joel Greenblatt) % for the quarter that ended in Apr. 2026 was 0.62%.
The historical rank and industry rank for Barnes & Noble Education's ROC (Joel Greenblatt) % or its related term are showing as below:
BNED'
s ROC (Joel Greenblatt) % Range Over the Past 10 Years
Min: -70.02 Med: -10.92 Max: 8.09
Current: 6.5
During the past 13 years, Barnes & Noble Education's highest ROC (Joel Greenblatt) % was 8.09%. The lowest was -70.02%. And the median was -10.92%.
BNED's ROC (Joel Greenblatt) % is ranked worse than 63.52% of 1132
companies
in the Retail - Cyclical industry
Industry Median: 11.88
vs BNED: 6.50
Barnes & Noble Education's 5-Year average Growth Rate of ROC (Joel Greenblatt) % was 0.00% per year.
The way Joel Greenblatt defines Return on Capital is a more accurate measure of how efficiently the company generates returns onthe capital actually invested in the business. EBIT is used instead of net income because the tax and interest payment may be affected by factors other than the core business operation. Intangible assets are not included in the calculation because they don't need to be replaced.
Barnes & Noble Education ROC (Joel Greenblatt) % Related Terms
Barnes & Noble Education ROC (Joel Greenblatt) % Historical Data
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The historical data trend for Barnes & Noble Education's ROC (Joel Greenblatt) % 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.
BNED vs BBW, FLWS, ONEW: ROC (Joel Greenblatt) % Comparison
For the Specialty Retail subindustry, Barnes & Noble Education's ROC (Joel Greenblatt) %, along with its competitors' market caps and ROC (Joel Greenblatt) % 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 ROC (Joel Greenblatt) % vs Retail - Cyclical Industry
For the Retail - Cyclical industry and Consumer Cyclical sector, Barnes & Noble Education's ROC (Joel Greenblatt) % distribution charts can be found below:
* The bar in red indicates where Barnes & Noble Education's ROC (Joel Greenblatt) % falls into.
Joel Greenblatt defined Return on Capital differently in his book The Little Book That Still Beats the Market (Little Books. Big Profits) . He defines Return on Capital as follows:
EBIT stands for Earnings Before Interest and Taxes.
Fixed Assets are also known as non-current assets. They include the Property, Plant and Equipment that the firm needs in its operation.
GuruFocus calculates net working capital as: (Accounts Receivable + Total Inventories + Other Current Assets) - (Accounts Payable & Accrued Expense + Deferred Revenue + Other Current Liabilities). We're trying to account for OPERATING assets and liabilities (part of daily business) when calculating working capital. Cash and marketable securities are considered NON-OPERATING assets and are not included in calculation. We will also back out all interest bearing debt, short term debt and the portion of long term debt that is due in the current period from the current liabilities. This debt will be considered when computing cost of capital and it would be inappropriate to count it twice.
Note:
The EBIT data used here is four times the quarterly (Apr. 2026) EBIT 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.
What does a ROC (Joel Greenblatt) % of 0.62% mean?
Barnes & Noble Education (BNED) has a ROC (Joel Greenblatt) % of 0.62% as of Apr. 2026. Joel Greenblatt's return on capital is the ratio of EBIT to average fixed assets and net working capital. View historical data on Barnes & Noble Education and its competitors. According to the industry distribution chart, Barnes & Noble Education ranks #719 out of 1132 companies in the Retail - Cyclical industry, placing it in the top 63.5%.
Is Barnes & Noble Education's ROC (Joel Greenblatt) % too high?
Barnes & Noble Education's current ROC (Joel Greenblatt) % is 0.62%. The Retail - Cyclical industry median ROC (Joel Greenblatt) % is 11.88. Barnes & Noble Education's value of 0.62% is 94.8% below this industry median. Based on the distribution chart, Barnes & Noble Education ranks #719 out of 1132 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 ROC (Joel Greenblatt) % compare to BBW and FLWS?
According to the Retail - Cyclical industry distribution chart, Barnes & Noble Education ranks #719 out of 1132 companies for ROC (Joel Greenblatt) %. This places Barnes & Noble Education in the lower half of its industry. The industry median ROC (Joel Greenblatt) % is 11.88. Barnes & Noble Education's value of 0.62% is 94.8% below this benchmark. See the competitive comparison table and distribution chart on this page for a detailed peer-by-peer breakdown.
What is a good ROC (Joel Greenblatt) % for a Retail - Cyclical company?
The median ROC (Joel Greenblatt) % among Retail - Cyclical companies is 11.88, based on 1,132 companies in the industry. Companies in the top quartile (top 25%) have a ROC (Joel Greenblatt) % significantly above this median, while those in the bottom quartile fall well below. However, ROC (Joel Greenblatt) % should not be evaluated in isolation — investors should consider it alongside profitability, growth, and financial strength metrics. Barnes & Noble Education's current ROC (Joel Greenblatt) % of 0.62% is 94.8% 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 ROC (Joel Greenblatt) % mean?
A high ROC (Joel Greenblatt) % can signal that a stock is expensive relative to its fundamentals. Joel Greenblatt's return on capital is the ratio of EBIT to average fixed assets and net working capital. View historical data on Barnes & Noble Education and its competitors. For the Retail - Cyclical industry, the median ROC (Joel Greenblatt) % is 11.88 — values significantly above this may indicate overvaluation, while values below may suggest a bargain or underlying issues. Barnes & Noble Education's current ROC (Joel Greenblatt) % 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 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 ROC (Joel Greenblatt) % is 0.62% and 94.8% below the Retail - Cyclical industry median of 11.88. 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 ROC (Joel Greenblatt) % calculated?
ROC (Joel Greenblatt) % is calculated from a company's financial statements. For Barnes & Noble Education (BNED), the current ROC (Joel Greenblatt) % is 0.62% 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 $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:
ROC (Joel Greenblatt) %: 0.62%
GF Value™: $2.40 vs. price of $11.95 (397.9% above fair value)
Industry Position: 94.8% below the Retail - Cyclical median (#719 of 1132)
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.
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