vs
Side-by-side financial comparison of Barnes & Noble Education, Inc. (BNED) and FIRST ADVANTAGE CORP (FA). Click either name above to swap in a different company.
Barnes & Noble Education, Inc. is the larger business by last-quarter revenue ($598.2M vs $420.0M, roughly 1.4× FIRST ADVANTAGE CORP). Barnes & Noble Education, Inc. runs the higher net margin — 4.2% vs 0.8%, a 3.4% gap on every dollar of revenue. On growth, FIRST ADVANTAGE CORP posted the faster year-over-year revenue change (36.8% vs 6.9%). FIRST ADVANTAGE CORP produced more free cash flow last quarter ($62.2M vs $61.9M). Over the past eight quarters, FIRST ADVANTAGE CORP's revenue compounded faster (57.5% CAGR vs 20.0%).
Barnes & Noble Booksellers is an American bookseller with the largest number of retail outlets in the United States. The company operates approximately 700+ retail stores across the United States.
First Advantage Corp is a leading global provider of end-to-end workforce screening and background verification solutions. It serves clients across diverse sectors including technology, healthcare, finance, retail, and manufacturing, ranging from small businesses to large multinational enterprises, helping reduce hiring risks, meet regulatory requirements, and build secure, trusted work environments globally.
BNED vs FA — Head-to-Head
Income Statement — Q2 FY2026 vs Q4 FY2025
| Metric | | |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $598.2M | $420.0M |
| Net Profit | $25.0M | $3.5M |
| Gross Margin | 21.7% | — |
| Operating Margin | 6.8% | 10.7% |
| Net Margin | 4.2% | 0.8% |
| Revenue YoY | 6.9% | 36.8% |
| Net Profit YoY | -49.7% | 103.5% |
| EPS (diluted) | $0.72 | $0.03 |
Green = leading value per metric. Periods may differ when fiscal calendars don't align.
8-Quarter Revenue & Profit Trend
Side-by-side quarterly history. Quarters aligned by calendar period so offset fiscal years line up.
| Q4 25 | $598.2M | $420.0M | ||
| Q3 25 | $274.2M | $409.2M | ||
| Q2 25 | $233.0M | $390.6M | ||
| Q1 25 | $419.7M | $354.6M | ||
| Q4 24 | $559.7M | $307.1M | ||
| Q3 24 | $250.9M | $199.1M | ||
| Q2 24 | $192.7M | $184.5M | ||
| Q1 24 | $415.4M | $169.4M |
| Q4 25 | $25.0M | $3.5M | ||
| Q3 25 | $-18.3M | $2.6M | ||
| Q2 25 | $-23.0M | $308.0K | ||
| Q1 25 | $17.9M | $-41.2M | ||
| Q4 24 | $43.2M | $-100.4M | ||
| Q3 24 | $-103.9M | $-8.9M | ||
| Q2 24 | $-41.9M | $1.9M | ||
| Q1 24 | $-9.3M | $-2.9M |
| Q4 25 | 21.7% | — | ||
| Q3 25 | 20.2% | — | ||
| Q2 25 | 30.3% | — | ||
| Q1 25 | 22.3% | — | ||
| Q4 24 | 23.0% | — | ||
| Q3 24 | 17.9% | — | ||
| Q2 24 | 28.7% | — | ||
| Q1 24 | 24.2% | — |
| Q4 25 | 6.8% | 10.7% | ||
| Q3 25 | -8.4% | 10.3% | ||
| Q2 25 | -4.9% | 9.7% | ||
| Q1 25 | 4.5% | 2.1% | ||
| Q4 24 | 8.4% | -26.3% | ||
| Q3 24 | -15.4% | 4.6% | ||
| Q2 24 | -16.3% | 5.4% | ||
| Q1 24 | 0.4% | -0.4% |
| Q4 25 | 4.2% | 0.8% | ||
| Q3 25 | -6.7% | 0.6% | ||
| Q2 25 | -9.9% | 0.1% | ||
| Q1 25 | 4.3% | -11.6% | ||
| Q4 24 | 7.7% | -32.7% | ||
| Q3 24 | -41.4% | -4.4% | ||
| Q2 24 | -21.7% | 1.0% | ||
| Q1 24 | -2.2% | -1.7% |
| Q4 25 | $0.72 | $0.03 | ||
| Q3 25 | $-0.54 | $0.01 | ||
| Q2 25 | $2.97 | $0.00 | ||
| Q1 25 | $0.59 | $-0.24 | ||
| Q4 24 | $1.63 | $-0.67 | ||
| Q3 24 | $-7.69 | $-0.06 | ||
| Q2 24 | $-15.68 | $0.01 | ||
| Q1 24 | $-3.49 | $-0.02 |
Balance Sheet & Financial Strength
Snapshot of each company's liquidity, leverage and book value from the latest quarter.
| Metric | | |
|---|---|---|
| Cash + ST InvestmentsLiquidity on hand | $11.7M | $240.0M |
| Total DebtLower is stronger | $122.5M | $2.1B |
| Stockholders' EquityBook value | $283.2M | $1.3B |
| Total Assets | $1.1B | $3.8B |
| Debt / EquityLower = less leverage | 0.43× | 1.61× |
8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.
| Q4 25 | $11.7M | $240.0M | ||
| Q3 25 | $7.3M | $216.8M | ||
| Q2 25 | $9.1M | $184.3M | ||
| Q1 25 | $9.2M | $172.0M | ||
| Q4 24 | $11.6M | $168.7M | ||
| Q3 24 | $8.2M | $307.4M | ||
| Q2 24 | $10.5M | $269.6M | ||
| Q1 24 | $8.1M | $246.0M |
| Q4 25 | $122.5M | $2.1B | ||
| Q3 25 | $170.0M | $2.1B | ||
| Q2 25 | $103.1M | $2.1B | ||
| Q1 25 | $141.2M | $2.2B | ||
| Q4 24 | $177.6M | $2.2B | ||
| Q3 24 | $221.9M | — | ||
| Q2 24 | $196.3M | — | ||
| Q1 24 | $30.2M | — |
| Q4 25 | $283.2M | $1.3B | ||
| Q3 25 | $256.5M | $1.3B | ||
| Q2 25 | $272.2M | $1.3B | ||
| Q1 25 | $292.9M | $1.3B | ||
| Q4 24 | $211.4M | $1.3B | ||
| Q3 24 | $149.8M | $920.7M | ||
| Q2 24 | $80.4M | $913.3M | ||
| Q1 24 | $121.5M | $907.7M |
| Q4 25 | $1.1B | $3.8B | ||
| Q3 25 | $950.8M | $3.9B | ||
| Q2 25 | $790.3M | $3.9B | ||
| Q1 25 | $1.1B | $3.9B | ||
| Q4 24 | $1.0B | $3.9B | ||
| Q3 24 | $973.2M | $1.7B | ||
| Q2 24 | $909.9M | $1.6B | ||
| Q1 24 | $1.2B | $1.6B |
| Q4 25 | 0.43× | 1.61× | ||
| Q3 25 | 0.66× | 1.64× | ||
| Q2 25 | 0.38× | 1.65× | ||
| Q1 25 | 0.48× | 1.69× | ||
| Q4 24 | 0.84× | 1.66× | ||
| Q3 24 | 1.48× | — | ||
| Q2 24 | 2.44× | — | ||
| Q1 24 | 0.25× | — |
Cash Flow & Capital Efficiency
How much cash each business actually produces after reinvestment. Cash flow is harder to manipulate than net income.
| Metric | | |
|---|---|---|
| Operating Cash FlowLast quarter | $66.2M | $65.9M |
| Free Cash FlowOCF − Capex | $61.9M | $62.2M |
| FCF MarginFCF / Revenue | 10.4% | 14.8% |
| Capex IntensityCapex / Revenue | 0.7% | 0.9% |
| Cash ConversionOCF / Net Profit | 2.65× | 19.01× |
| TTM Free Cash FlowTrailing 4 quarters | $-4.6M | $188.5M |
8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.
| Q4 25 | $66.2M | $65.9M | ||
| Q3 25 | $-67.6M | $72.4M | ||
| Q2 25 | $52.6M | $37.3M | ||
| Q1 25 | $-41.9M | $19.5M | ||
| Q4 24 | $47.4M | $-85.7M | ||
| Q3 24 | $-143.5M | $43.5M | ||
| Q2 24 | $81.7M | $32.0M | ||
| Q1 24 | $-35.8M | $38.3M |
| Q4 25 | $61.9M | $62.2M | ||
| Q3 25 | $-71.3M | $71.2M | ||
| Q2 25 | $49.5M | $36.1M | ||
| Q1 25 | $-44.7M | $19.0M | ||
| Q4 24 | $44.4M | $-86.0M | ||
| Q3 24 | $-147.5M | $43.1M | ||
| Q2 24 | $79.1M | $31.4M | ||
| Q1 24 | $-39.0M | $38.0M |
| Q4 25 | 10.4% | 14.8% | ||
| Q3 25 | -26.0% | 17.4% | ||
| Q2 25 | 21.3% | 9.2% | ||
| Q1 25 | -10.7% | 5.4% | ||
| Q4 24 | 7.9% | -28.0% | ||
| Q3 24 | -58.8% | 21.6% | ||
| Q2 24 | 41.1% | 17.0% | ||
| Q1 24 | -9.4% | 22.4% |
| Q4 25 | 0.7% | 0.9% | ||
| Q3 25 | 1.4% | 0.3% | ||
| Q2 25 | 1.3% | 0.3% | ||
| Q1 25 | 0.7% | 0.1% | ||
| Q4 24 | 0.5% | 0.1% | ||
| Q3 24 | 1.6% | 0.2% | ||
| Q2 24 | 1.4% | 0.4% | ||
| Q1 24 | 0.8% | 0.2% |
| Q4 25 | 2.65× | 19.01× | ||
| Q3 25 | — | 27.91× | ||
| Q2 25 | — | 121.25× | ||
| Q1 25 | -2.34× | — | ||
| Q4 24 | 1.10× | — | ||
| Q3 24 | — | — | ||
| Q2 24 | — | 17.22× | ||
| Q1 24 | — | — |
Financial Flow Comparison
Revenue → gross profit → operating profit → net profit for each company.
Revenue Breakdown by Segment
BNED
| Course Materials Product | $459.3M | 77% |
| General Merchandise Product | $112.9M | 19% |
| Serviceand Other | $26.1M | 4% |
FA
| First Advantage Americas | $209.9M | 50% |
| Sterling | $185.9M | 44% |
| First Advantage International | $24.2M | 6% |
