Burlington Stores (NYSE:BURL) Issues Earnings Results, Beats Expectations By $0.77 EPS

Burlington Stores (NYSE:BURL) posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday. The company reported $2.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.19 by $0.77, FiscalAI reports. Burlington Stores had a net margin of 5.85% and a return on equity of 41.72%. The company had revenue of $3 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.03 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.72 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 11.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Burlington Stores updated its Q3 2026 guidance to 1.600-1.700 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance to 11.770-11.970 EPS.

Here are the key takeaways from Burlington Stores’ conference call:

• Q2 results exceeded expectations: Excluding the $55 million tariff refund benefit, operating margin expanded 100 basis points and adjusted EPS rose 38% year over year to $2.37, driven by stronger merchandise margin, supply-chain productivity, and SG&A leverage.
• Burlington raised full-year adjusted EPS guidance to $11.77-$11.97, representing 16%-18% growth, while maintaining forecasts for 10%-11% total sales growth and 3%-4% comparable-store sales growth.
• The company plans to reinvest the entire $55 million tariff refund into sharper customer pricing, making the refund’s full-year earnings impact neutral; this is expected to pressure Q3 and Q4 operating margins but could support customer demand and value perception.
• Store expansion remains aggressive, with 178 gross and 149 net new stores added over the past 12 months. Management expects approximately 115 net openings in fiscal 2026 and remains confident in reaching or exceeding 1,500 stores by the end of 2028.
• Management expressed greater caution about consumers and the back half due to elevated gas prices, broadly weak retail trends, and potential warmer weather from a super El Niño, which could weigh on outerwear demand. Q3 and Q4 sales guidance was therefore maintained rather than raised.

Burlington Stores Stock Performance

Shares of BURL stock opened at $273.25 on Friday. Burlington Stores has a one year low of $240.49 and a one year high of $378.33. The company’s 50-day moving average is $339.01 and its 200 day moving average is $324.84. The company has a market capitalization of $17.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 1.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95, a quick ratio of 0.49 and a current ratio of 1.17.

More Burlington Stores News

Here are the key news stories impacting Burlington Stores this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Second-quarter adjusted EPS reached $2.96, well above the roughly $2.18–$2.19 analyst consensus and up substantially from the prior year. Revenue increased 11% year over year to approximately $3.0 billion, while operating-margin expansion supported the company’s 15th consecutive quarter of double-digit EPS growth. Burlington Stores Reports Strong Second Quarter Sales and Earnings Growth
• Positive Sentiment: Burlington raised its fiscal 2026 adjusted EPS outlook to $11.77–$11.97, above the prior consensus of about $11.23, and expects revenue of $12.7–$12.8 billion. The retailer also plans to use tariff refunds to lower prices, potentially supporting customer traffic and value perception. Burlington Stores Plans to Use Tariff Refunds to Lower Prices
• Neutral Sentiment: The company is pursuing aggressive expansion, with reports of 20 new stores opening across 12 states in September. Store growth can increase long-term sales, though it also raises execution and investment requirements. Burlington Expansion Bringing New Stores to 12 States
• Negative Sentiment: Second-quarter revenue of about $3.0 billion fell short of the $3.03 billion consensus, and comparable-store sales grew only 2%, slowing from 5% a year earlier. The deceleration raised concerns about underlying demand despite the earnings beat. BURL Shares Slide Despite Q2 Earnings Beat
• Negative Sentiment: Fiscal third-quarter EPS guidance of $1.60–$1.70 is materially below the approximately $2.04 analyst consensus. Reports also cited tariff-related costs and a weaker-than-expected near-term forecast as reasons for the market reaction.
• Negative Sentiment: Citigroup cut its price target from $380 to $318 and moved to a neutral rating. Morgan Stanley also reduced its target modestly, from $438 to $432, although it maintained an overweight rating. Analyst Price Target Updates

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently commented on the company. Bank of America boosted their price objective on Burlington Stores from $367.00 to $375.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 29th. Weiss Ratings raised Burlington Stores from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Wells Fargo & Company set a $370.00 price objective on Burlington Stores in a research report on Friday. Wall Street Zen cut Burlington Stores from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, August 2nd. Finally, Evercore restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $400.00 target price on shares of Burlington Stores in a research report on Monday, August 17th. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $367.56.

Insider Activity at Burlington Stores

In other Burlington Stores news, CMO Jennifer Vecchio sold 20,920 shares of Burlington Stores stock in a transaction on Friday, June 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $341.53, for a total value of $7,144,807.60. Following the completion of the sale, the chief marketing officer owned 81,017 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $27,669,736.01. This trade represents a 20.52% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Matthew Pasch sold 3,773 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $317.21, for a total value of $1,196,833.33. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 6,523 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,069,160.83. The trade was a 36.65% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last three months, insiders have sold 30,392 shares of company stock valued at $10,280,271. 1.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Burlington Stores

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vident Advisory LLC lifted its stake in shares of Burlington Stores by 1.1% in the 2nd quarter. Vident Advisory LLC now owns 3,330 shares of the company’s stock worth $775,000 after purchasing an additional 36 shares during the period. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. grew its position in Burlington Stores by 14.4% during the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 302 shares of the company’s stock valued at $72,000 after buying an additional 38 shares during the period. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust grew its position in Burlington Stores by 39.0% during the fourth quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 164 shares of the company’s stock valued at $47,000 after buying an additional 46 shares during the period. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV raised its holdings in Burlington Stores by 3.7% in the 3rd quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 1,377 shares of the company’s stock worth $350,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares during the period. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Burlington Stores by 21.1% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 339 shares of the company’s stock valued at $98,000 after acquiring an additional 59 shares during the period.

About Burlington Stores

Burlington Stores, Inc is an American off-price retailer that sells apparel and home goods at discounted prices. The company’s merchandise assortment includes clothing for women, men and children, plus baby products, footwear, accessories, beauty items, toys and home décor. Burlington’s merchandising strategy focuses on offering branded and private-label goods at lower prices than traditional department stores by sourcing excess inventory, closeouts and opportunistic buys from manufacturers and other retailers.

The business traces its roots to the Burlington Coat Factory name established in the early 1970s and has since evolved into a broader off-price retailer that carries a wide range of seasonal and everyday merchandise.