Barnes & Noble Education, Inc (BNED)

NYSE: BNED · Retail-Miscellaneous Shopping Goods Stores · Basking Ridge, NJ · filing with the SEC since 2015

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Grade4.5

◀ Past 1.4● Present 5.0▶ Future 6.3

2 est.

Overview Business Financials Grade Forecast Sentiment Ownership People Filings Patents Chart

The grade of Barnes & Noble Education, Inc

Nine metrics read from its own filings, by tense

Headline grade

4.5/10

◀ Past1.425% of the headline

● Present5.045% of the headline

▶ Future6.330% of the headline

All three tenses have at least two readings, so the archetype blend applies as printed.

Of the nine metrics, 7 read as filed from the record and 2 are SI estimates, each with its reasoning, its confidence and what would change it on its card.

◀ Past

What did they actually do?

1.4/1025% of the headline grade · 2 of 3 filed, 1 estimated

Surviving crises

as filed

0.6/10

Has it survived what it has been through?

12 warning events since 2017; the latest 2025-12-12.

weight 45% of this tense · 6th percentile among 18 sector filers · read for itself

From the record

Barnes & Noble Education, Inc's filings since 2017 show 12 warning events of 4 kinds: a notice about its exchange listing (8-K item 3.01, 2 times, the latest 2025-08-08); a warning not to rely on past financial statements (8-K item 4.02, 3 times, the latest 2025-11-25); an auditor change (8-K item 4.01, 2 times, the latest 2024-07-17); a late-report notice (Form NT 10-K or NT 10-Q, 5 times, the latest 2025-12-12) (its current reports).

A production reading, recomputed from the filings on every data build, read from EDGAR Nov 13, 2026.

Track record

as filed

3.0/10

What has it actually done, year after year?

-1% a year over 10 filed years; profitable in 2 of 10.

weight 33% of this tense · 30th percentile among 16 sector filers · read for its customers

From the record

Barnes & Noble Education, Inc's 10 filed years say what it did: revenue went from $1.9 billion in fiscal 2017 to $1.7 billion in fiscal 2026, down 1% a year; it rose in 6 of 9 years; the deepest fall was 36% from fiscal 2018 to fiscal 2021; net income was positive in 2 of 10 of those years (its annual reports).

What it rests on

revenue growth over the filed span-1.0%bottom 28% of its family
the share of years revenue rosebottom 47% of its family
the share of filed years with a profitbottom 22% of its family
the deepest fall from a revenue peak36.2%bottom 22% of its family

A production reading, recomputed from the filings on every data build, read from EDGAR Nov 13, 2026.

Shareholder treatment

SI estimate

0.9/10

How has it treated the people who own it?

SI estimate 0.9/10, confidence 35 of 100 (one part).

weight 22% of this tense · 9th percentile among 18 sector filers · read for its shareholders

SI estimate Inferred, not read as filed

Why it is an estimate: Read from one part only, the share count over the years, which ranks in the bottom 9% of 18 in its family; fewer than two of the parts can be read: the share count over the years, and the cash returned against a positive operating cash flow or net income.
What the record cannot read: Fewer than two of the parts can be read: the share count over the years, and the cash returned against a positive operating cash flow or net income.
How it was reasoned: one part: the share count over the years, the one part on file, ranked among 18 in its family.
Confidence: 35 of 100
What would change it: A filing that carries the missing parts replaces this estimate with the filed reading.

From the record

SI estimate, not a filed reading: Barnes & Noble Education, Inc's shareholder treatment is put at 0.9 of 10 with a confidence of 35 of 100, because read from one part only, the share count over the years, which ranks in the bottom 9% of 18 in its family; fewer than two of the parts can be read: the share count over the years, and the cash returned against a positive operating cash flow or net income. A filing that carries the missing parts replaces this estimate with the filed reading.

● Present

What are they doing right now?

5.0/1045% of the headline grade · 2 of 3 filed, 1 estimated

Financial health

as filed

4.4/10

Is it financially healthy right now?

ROE 6%: 6¢ of profit per shareholder dollar. Leverage 60%: owes 60¢ per asset dollar.

weight 45% of this tense · 44th percentile among 18 sector filers · read for itself

From the record

Return on equity: in the fiscal year ended 2026-05-02, Barnes & Noble Education, Inc earned about 6 cents of profit for every dollar of shareholders' money, and gross profitability: its products earned about 49 cents per dollar of everything the company owns. Leverage: it owed about 60 cents per dollar of assets, and net share issuance: its share count grew 31.6% over the year (the filed statements).

What it rests on

what it owes per dollar of assetstop 47% of its family
return on equitybottom 47% of its family
gross profit against assetstop 38% of its family
the share count against the year beforebottom 15% of its family

A production reading, recomputed from the filings on every data build, read from EDGAR Nov 13, 2026.

Industry position

as filed

6.5/10

How strong is its position in its industry?

top 35% of 18 in its family; net margin 1%.

weight 33% of this tense · 65th percentile among 18 sector filers · read for its customers

From the record

Barnes & Noble Education, Inc's standing among 18 graded names in its industry family: revenue of $1.7 billion in fiscal 2026 ranks in the top 28% by size; a net margin of 1% ranks in the top 42%; revenue growth of 3.6% a year over the last 3 filed years ranks in the top 36% (its annual reports).

What it rests on

revenue against the family$1.71Btop 28% of its family
net margin1.0%top 42% of its family
three-year revenue growth3.6%top 36% of its family

A production reading, recomputed from the filings on every data build, read from EDGAR Nov 13, 2026.

Leadership

SI estimate

4.1/10

What are the people in charge doing?

SI estimate 4.1/10, confidence 35 of 100 (one part).

weight 22% of this tense · 41st percentile among 12 sector filers · read for its shareholders

SI estimate Inferred, not read as filed

Why it is an estimate: Read from one part only, officer and director changes on Form 8-K over three years, against the people in charge, which ranks in the bottom 41% of 12 in its family; the record of its people begins on 2024-06-12 (a listing, a merger or a first filing under the rules) and its chief executive and most of the people in charge have filed since then, so the record shows a floor of 2.4 years and cannot see past it; a floor under five years is not read as years in charge.
What the record cannot read: The record of its people begins on 2024-06-12 (a listing, a merger or a first filing under the rules) and its chief executive and most of the people in charge have filed since then, so the record shows a floor of 2.4 years and cannot see past it; a floor under five years is not read as years in charge.
How it was reasoned: one part: officer and director changes on Form 8-K, against the people in charge, the one part on file, ranked among 12 in its family.
Confidence: 35 of 100
What would change it: A filing that carries the missing parts replaces this estimate with the filed reading.

From the record

SI estimate, not a filed reading: Barnes & Noble Education, Inc's leadership is put at 4.1 of 10 with a confidence of 35 of 100, because read from one part only, officer and director changes on Form 8-K over three years, against the people in charge, which ranks in the bottom 41% of 12 in its family; the record of its people begins on 2024-06-12 (a listing, a merger or a first filing under the rules) and its chief executive and most of the people in charge have filed since then, so the record shows a floor of 2.4 years and cannot see past it; a floor under five years is not read as years in charge. A filing that carries the missing parts replaces this estimate with the filed reading.

▶ Future

What are they set up to do next?

6.3/1030% of the headline grade · 3 of 3 filed

Room to expand

as filed

3.7/10

How much room does it have to grow?

bottom 37% of 18 in its family for room to expand.

weight 22% of this tense · 37th percentile among 18 sector filers · read for itself

From the record

Barnes & Noble Education, Inc's room to grow, from the newest filed statements (fiscal 2026): cash of $8 million against debt of $71 million leaves -8.5% of its assets as net cash, bottom 14% of its family; cash from operations less capital spending is 2% of revenue (top 36%); a gross margin of 21.4% (bottom 32%) (its annual report).

What it rests on

cash less debt against assets-8.5%bottom 14% of its family
cash from operations less capital spending against revenue2.0%top 36% of its family
gross margin21.4%bottom 32% of its family

A production reading, recomputed from the filings on every data build, read from EDGAR Nov 13, 2026.

Growth drivers

as filed

6.3/10

What could actually drive growth from here?

top 36% of 16 in its family for growth drivers.

weight 45% of this tense · 64th percentile among 16 sector filers · read for its customers

From the record

Barnes & Noble Education, Inc's growth drivers, from the filed years to fiscal 2026: revenue grew 3.6% a year over the last three filed years against -1% over all 10, speeding up (top 3% of its family); the newest year grew 6.5% (top 47%); capital spending grew -13.5% a year (bottom 41%) (its annual reports). Barnes & Noble Education, Inc tags no split of its revenue by line in the annual report on file, so growth by line cannot be read here; research and capital spending are on the trend.

What it rests on

three-year growth against the whole span+4.5 points a yeartop 3% of its family
the newest year's revenue growth6.5%top 47% of its family
three-year growth of capital spending-13.5%bottom 41% of its family

A production reading, recomputed from the filings on every data build, read from EDGAR Nov 13, 2026.

Expectations vs reality

as filed

7.9/10

Did its newest year beat what its own record pointed to?

top 21% of 15 in its family for expectations against reality.

weight 33% of this tense · 79th percentile among 15 sector filers · read for its shareholders

From the record

Barnes & Noble Education, Inc's newest year against its own record: revenue of $1.7 billion in fiscal 2026 came in 4.3% above the $1.6 billion its prior three years' pace pointed to (top 50% of its family); net income of $17 million against a prior three-year average of $81 million (top 3%); a net margin of 1% against -5.2% before (top 10%) (its annual reports).

What it rests on

revenue against the prior three years' pace4.3%top 50% of its family
net income against the prior three years' average+121%top 3% of its family
net margin against its prior average+6.2 pointstop 10% of its family

A production reading, recomputed from the filings on every data build, read from EDGAR Nov 13, 2026.

The grade is the company against its own industry, from its filings. It is not a view on the share price. How the grade is made

SI Assistanton BNED · research, not advice