Richard Sloan from the University of Michigan was first to document what is referred to as the "accrual anomaly". His 1996 paper found that shares of companies with small or negative accruals vastly outperform (+10%) those of companies with large ones.
Burlington Stores's Sloan Ratio for the quarter that ended in Apr. 2026 was 2.40%.
As of Apr. 2026, Burlington Stores has a Sloan Ratio of 2.40%, indicating the company is in the safe zone and there is no funny business with accruals.
Burlington Stores (NYSE:BURL) Sloan Ratio % Explanation
A former University of Michigan researcher, Richard Sloan's 1996 paper found that shares of companies with small or negative accruals vastly outperform (+10%) those of companies with large ones. In fact, for the 40-year period between 1962 and 2001, buying the lowest accrual companies and shorting the highest accrual companies resulted in an average annual compounded return of 18%, more than double the S&P 500's 7.4% annual return over the same period.
If the Sloan Ratio is between -10% and 10%, the company is in the safe zone and there is no funny business with accruals.
If the Sloan Ratio is less than between -25% and -10% on the negative side, and between 10% and 25% on the positive side, this is a warning stage of accrual build up.
If the Sloan Ratio is less than -25% or greater than 25%, and this ratio is consistent over several quarters or even years, be careful. Earnings are highly likely to be made up of accruals.
As of Apr. 2026, Burlington Stores has a Sloan Ratio of 2.40%, indicating the company is in the safe zone and there is no funny business with accruals.
Burlington Stores Sloan Ratio % Related Terms
Burlington Stores Sloan Ratio % Historical Data
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The historical data trend for Burlington Stores's Sloan Ratio % 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.
For the Apparel Retail subindustry, Burlington Stores's Sloan Ratio %, along with its competitors' market caps and Sloan Ratio % 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.
Burlington Stores Sloan Ratio % vs Retail - Cyclical Industry
For the Retail - Cyclical industry and Consumer Cyclical sector, Burlington Stores's Sloan Ratio % distribution charts can be found below:
* The bar in red indicates where Burlington Stores's Sloan Ratio % falls into.
Earnings contain a lot of non cash earnings which is called accruals. The Sloan ratio is a way to identify firms with low non-cash or accrual-derived earnings relative to their cash flow.
Burlington Stores's Sloan Ratio for the fiscal year that ended in Jan. 2026 is calculated as
Burlington Stores's Net Income for the trailing twelve months (TTM) ended in Apr. 2026 was 94.185 (Jul. 2025 ) + 104.75 (Oct. 2025 ) + 310.385 (Jan. 2026 ) + 114.744 (Apr. 2026 ) = $624 Mil.
Burlington Stores's Cash Flow from Operations for the trailing twelve months (TTM) ended in Apr. 2026 was 179.44 (Jul. 2025 ) + 143.332 (Oct. 2025 ) + 937.518 (Jan. 2026 ) + 61.466 (Apr. 2026 ) = $1,322 Mil.
Burlington Stores's Cash Flow from Investing for the trailing twelve months (TTM) ended in Apr. 2026 was -168.731 (Jul. 2025 ) + -256.399 (Oct. 2025 ) + -217.237 (Jan. 2026 ) + -289.662 (Apr. 2026 ) = $-932 Mil.
* 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.
Burlington Stores (BURL) has a Sloan Ratio % of 2.40% as of Apr. 2026. Sloan ratio measures earnings quality based on the amount of accruals. View historical data on Burlington Stores and its competitors.
Is Burlington Stores' Sloan Ratio % too high?
Burlington Stores' current Sloan Ratio % is 2.40%. Overall, Burlington Stores has a GF Score™ of 84/100 and is considered Fairly Valued, reflecting its overall financial health beyond just this single metric.
How does Burlington Stores' Sloan Ratio % compare to LULU and GAP?
Burlington Stores' Sloan Ratio % of 2.40% can be compared against companies in the Retail - Cyclical industry. See the competitive comparison table and distribution chart on this page for a detailed peer-by-peer breakdown.
What is a good Sloan Ratio % for a Retail - Cyclical company?
A good Sloan Ratio % depends on the Retail - Cyclical industry context. However, Sloan Ratio % 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 Sloan Ratio % mean?
A high Sloan Ratio % can signal that a stock is expensive relative to its fundamentals. Sloan ratio measures earnings quality based on the amount of accruals. View historical data on Burlington Stores and its competitors. Burlington Stores's current Sloan Ratio % is 2.40%. However, context matters — high-growth companies often justify higher valuations. Always evaluate alongside other metrics like GF Score™ and GF Value™.
Is Burlington Stores stock overvalued right now?
Based on GuruFocus' analysis, Burlington Stores (BURL) is currently considered Fairly Valued. The stock's GF Value™ is $292.23, compared to a current price of $313.18 — trading 7.2% above its estimated fair value. The current Sloan Ratio % is 2.40%. Burlington Stores' overall GF Score™ is 84/100 with 3 warning signs to review. Investors should evaluate multiple metrics — including profitability, growth, and financial strength — before making a decision.
How is Sloan Ratio % calculated?
Sloan Ratio % is calculated from a company's financial statements. For Burlington Stores (BURL), the current Sloan Ratio % is 2.40% 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 Burlington Stores (BURL) Overvalued in 2026?
Based on GuruFocus' analysis, Burlington Stores stock appears to be overvalued.
The current stock price of $313.18 is trading 7.2% above its estimated GF Value™ of $292.23.
GuruFocus considers Burlington Stores to be Fairly Valued.
Key valuation signals for BURL:
Sloan Ratio %: 2.40%
GF Value™: $292.23 vs. price of $313.18 (7.2% above fair value)
No single metric tells the full story. See the BURL stock analysis page for a complete view including 30-year financials, guru trades, and insider activity.
Burlington Stores Inc is an off-price retailer offering an extensive selection of in-season, fashion-focused merchandise, including women's ready-to-wear apparel, menswear, youth apparel, baby, beauty, footwear, accessories, home, toys, gifts, and coats. The company sells a broad selection of desirable, first-quality, current-brand, labeled merchandise acquired directly from nationally recognized manufacturers and other suppliers. It sells products in categories such as Ladies apparel, Accessories and shoes, Home, Mens apparel, Kids apparel and baby, and Outerwear.
84GF Score
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