How much a stock's price changes over time is a significant driver for most investors. Not only can price performance impact your portfolio, but it can help you compare investment results across sectors and industries as well.
Another thing that can drive investing is the fear of missing out, or FOMO. This particularly applies to tech giants and popular consumer-facing stocks.
What if you'd invested in Burlington Stores (BURL) ten years ago? It may not have been easy to hold on to BURL for all that time, but if you did, how much would your investment be worth today?
Burlington Stores' Business In-Depth
With that in mind, let's take a look at Burlington Stores' main business drivers.
Founded in 1972 and headquartered in New Jersey, Burlington Stores, Inc. is a Fortune 500 company and an off-price retailer operating in the United States and Puerto Rico. Through its subsidiary, Burlington Coat Factory Warehouse Corporation, the company provides a complete line of value-priced products, including women’s ready-to-wear apparel, menswear, youth apparel, baby, beauty, footwear, accessories, home, toys, gifts and coats.
Originally established as a coat-focused retailer, Burlington has evolved into a national off-price chain. Its “open to buy” off-price model allows for flexible purchasing of both pre-season and in-season merchandise, enabling the company to adjust quickly to changing consumer preferences and market conditions. This approach ensures access to nationally branded, fashionable and high-quality products at compelling value.
Burlington continues to emphasize its strong heritage in coats and outerwear, maintaining its reputation as a destination for shoppers seeking these categories. At the same time, its broader assortments across apparel, accessories, footwear, home, beauty and toys appeal to a wide demographic, reinforcing its position as a multi-category value retailer.
As of Aug. 2, 2025, Burlington operated 1,138 retail stores across 46 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico. The company reports results as a single operating segment and derives all revenues from U.S. operations.
(Note: Zacks identifies fiscal years by the month in which the fiscal year ends, while Burlington Stores identifies its fiscal year by the calendar year in which it begins; so comparable figures for any given fiscal year, as published by Burlington Stores, will refer to this same fiscal year as being the year before the same year, as identified by Zacks)
Bottom Line
Putting together a successful investment portfolio takes a combination of research, patience, and a little bit of risk. For Burlington Stores, if you bought shares a decade ago, you're likely feeling really good about your investment today.
A $1000 investment made in September 2015 would be worth $5,479.86, or a gain of 447.99%, as of September 8, 2025, according to our calculations. This return excludes dividends but includes price appreciation.
In comparison, the S&P 500's gained 237.36% and the price of gold went up 207.90% over the same time frame.
Going forward, analysts are expecting more upside for BURL.
Burlington's off-price model continues to resonate with value-conscious shoppers, supported by stronger baskets, higher average unit sales and broad-based category performance. Profitability improved through better merchandise mix, disciplined inventory management, and reduced markdowns. The Burlington 2.0 strategy is showing clear results, with store upgrades and merchandising enhancements driving higher customer engagement and sales productivity. Expansion remains central, with a healthy pipeline of the latest openings aligned with the long-term growth strategy. It raised the full-year guidance, projecting 7-8% sales growth and adjusted EPS of $9.19-$9.59 versus the $8.35 reported in the prior year. However, risks remain from tariff-related cost pressures, discretionary category softness and an intensely competitive off-price retail landscape.
The stock has jumped 7.35% over the past four weeks. Additionally, no earnings estimate has gone lower in the past two months, compared to 6 higher, for fiscal 2025; the consensus estimate has moved up as well.
Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report
Burlington Stores, Inc. (BURL): Free Stock Analysis ReportThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).
Zacks Investment Research
