Which Is a Better Investment, The Buckle, Inc. or Boot Barn Holdings, Inc. Stock?

By Jenna Brashear
January 16, 2026
Large versus logo comparing two stocks in the same industry
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Sifting through countless of stocks in the Specialty Retail industry can be tedious, and sometimes two stocks are just too similar to judge which is the better investment. If you’re on the fence about investing in Boot Barn Holdings, Inc., The Buckle or Inc. because you’re not sure how they measure up, it’s important to compare them on a few factors before making your decision.

Read on to learn how Boot Barn Holdings, Inc., The Buckle and Inc. compare based on key financial metrics to determine which better meets your investment needs.

About Boot Barn Holdings, Inc., The Buckle and Inc.

Boot Barn Holdings, Inc. operates specialty retail stores in the United States and internationally. The company’s lifestyle retail chain engages in the sale of western and work-related footwear, apparel and accessories for men, women, and kids. It also offers boots, shirts, jackets, hats, belts and belt buckles, handbags, western-style jewelry and accessories, rugged footwear, outerwear, overalls, denim, safety-toe boots, and flame-resistant and high-visibility clothing, as well as gifts and home merchandise. The company provides its products under the Shyanne, Cody James, Moonshine Spirit, Idyllwind, Hawx, Cody James Work, Cleo + Wolf, Brothers & Sons, Rank 45, Blue Ranchwear, Cody James Black 1978, Ariat, Cinch, Corral, Dan Post, Durango, El Dorado, Justin, Laredo, Levi’s, Miss Me, Montana Silversmiths, Resistol, Stetson, Tony Lama, Twisted X, Wrangler, Carhartt, Georgia Boot, Hawx, Thorogood, Timberland Pro and Wolverine, and Gibson brand names. It sells its products through various e-commerce platforms, such as bootbarn.com, sheplers.com, countryoutfitter.com, and idyllwind.com; and third-party marketplaces, as well as the Boot Barn application. The company was formerly known as WW Top Investment Corporation and changed its name to Boot Barn Holdings, Inc. in June 2014. Boot Barn Holdings, Inc. was founded in 1978 and is based in Irvine, California.

The Buckle, Inc. operates as a retailer of casual apparel, footwear, and accessories for men, women, and kids under the Buckle and Buckle Youth brands in the United States. The company markets a selection of brand name casual apparel, including denims, other casual bottoms, tops, sportswear, outerwear, accessories, and footwear, as well as private label merchandise comprising the BKE, Buckle Black, Ace High, Daytrip, Departwest, FITZ + EDDI, Freshwear, Gentry Country, Gilded Intent, Gimmicks, Maven Co-op, J.B. Holt, Modish Rebel, Nova Industries, Outpost Makers, Reclaim, Salvage, Sterling & Stitch, Veece, and Willow & Root brands. It also provides services, such as hemming, gift-packaging, layaways, a guest loyalty program, the Buckle private label credit card, personalized stylist services, and a special-order system that allows stores to obtain specifically requested merchandise from other company stores or from its online order fulfillment center. The company sells its products through its stores, as well as website, buckle.com. The company was formerly known as Mills Clothing, Inc. and changed its name to The Buckle, Inc. in April 1991. The Buckle, Inc. was incorporated in 1948 and is headquartered in Kearney, Nebraska.

Latest Specialty Retail and Boot Barn Holdings, Inc., The Buckle, Inc. Stock News

As of January 15, 2026, Boot Barn Holdings, Inc. had a $5.7 billion market capitalization, compared to the Specialty Retail median of $984.4 million. Boot Barn Holdings, Inc.’s stock is up 7.7% in 2026, down 2.9% in the previous five trading days and up 24.87% in the past year.

Currently, Boot Barn Holdings, Inc.’s price-earnings ratio is 27.6. Boot Barn Holdings, Inc.’s trailing 12-month revenue is $2.1 billion with a 10.1% net profit margin. Year-over-year quarterly sales growth most recently was 18.7%. Analysts expect adjusted earnings to reach $7.228 per share for the current fiscal year. Boot Barn Holdings, Inc. does not currently pay a dividend.

As of January 15, 2026, The Buckle, Inc. had a $2.7 billion market cap, putting it in the 59th percentile of all stocks. The Buckle, Inc.’s stock is up 0.2% in 2026, down 3.6% in the previous five trading days and up 2.56% in the past year.

Currently, The Buckle, Inc.’s price-earnings ratio is 13.0. The Buckle, Inc.’s trailing 12-month revenue is $1.3 billion with a 16.1% net profit margin. Year-over-year quarterly sales growth most recently was 9.3%. Analysts expect adjusted earnings to reach $4.069 per share for the current fiscal year. The Buckle, Inc. currently has a 8.3% dividend yield.

How We Compare Boot Barn Holdings, Inc., The Buckle and Inc. Stock Grades

Stock evaluation requires access to huge amounts of data and the knowledge and time to sift through it all, make sense of financial ratios, read income statements and analyze recent stock movements. AAII created A+ Investor, a robust data suite that condenses data research in an actionable and customizable way suitable for investors of all knowledge levels, to help investors streamline and work through such data.

AAII’s proprietary stock grades come with A+ Investor. These offer intuitive A‐F grades for each of five key investing factors: value, growth, momentum, earnings estimate revisions and quality. Here, we’ll take a closer look at Boot Barn Holdings, Inc., The Buckle and Inc.’s stock grades to see how they measure up against one another.

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Boot Barn Holdings, Inc., The Buckle and Inc.’s Quality Grades

Company Ticker Quality
Boot Barn Holdings, Inc. BOOT B
The Buckle, Inc. BKE B

Like the Value Grade, AAII’s A+ Investor Quality Grade comes from the percentile rank of key metrics. Specifically, the Quality Score is the percentile rank of the average of the percentile ranks of return on assets (ROA), return on invested capital (ROIC), gross profit relative to assets, buyback yield, change in total liabilities to assets, accruals, Z double prime bankruptcy risk (Z) score and the F-Score.

The score is variable, meaning it can consider all eight measures or, should any of the eight measures not be valid, the remaining measures that are valid. To be assigned a Quality Score, stocks must have a valid (non-null) measure and corresponding ranking for at least four of the eight quality measures.

The Quality Score is used to assess the underlying “quality” of a particular stock. A higher-quality stock possesses traits associated with upside potential and reduced downside risk. Backtesting of the Quality Grade shows that stocks with higher grades, on average, outperformed stocks with lower grades over the period of 1998 through 2019.

Stocks receive better grades (higher scores) for having higher scores for the quality subcomponents and worse grades (lower scores) for lower scores for the subcomponents.

Boot Barn Holdings, Inc. has a Quality Score of 72, which is Strong. The Buckle, Inc. has a Quality Score of 80, which is Strong.

The Quality Grade Winner: It’s a Tie!

Looking at the Quality Grade breakdown above, both Boot Barn Holdings, Inc., The Buckle and Inc. have a grade of B. For investors who focus solely on a company’s overall quality, you will need to conduct further research into both companies to see if they are a good fit for your portfolio. As a good rule of thumb, you should always analyze multiple factors based on a wide range of metrics before choosing a company to invest in.

Boot Barn Holdings, Inc., The Buckle and Inc.’s Momentum Grades

Company Ticker Momentum
Boot Barn Holdings, Inc. BOOT B
The Buckle, Inc. BKE C

Momentum grades help to uncover stocks experiencing anomalously high rates of return; research finds that stocks with high relative levels of momentum tend to outperform, whereas those with low levels of momentum tend to continue underperforming. Momentum is based on the price change of a stock over a specified period relative to all other stocks.

Typically, AAII looks at the weighted relative strength over the trailing four quarters. The weighted four-quarter relative strength rank is the relative price change for each of the past four quarters. The most recent quarterly price change is given a weight of 40% and each of the three previous quarters are given a weighting of 20%.

Boot Barn Holdings, Inc. has a Momentum Score of 66, which is Strong. The Buckle, Inc. has a Momentum Score of 45, which is Average.

The Momentum Grade Winner: Boot Barn Holdings, Inc.

As you can clearly see from the Momentum Grade breakdown above, Boot Barn Holdings, Inc. is considered to have stronger momentum compared to The Buckle, Inc.. For those specifically looking for companies that have stronger momentum compared to other companies in the same industry, Boot Barn Holdings, Inc. could be a good stock to invest in. However, it’s important for investors to analyze multiple factors based on a wide range of metrics before deciding whether to buy.

Boot Barn Holdings, Inc., The Buckle and Inc.’s Estimate Revisions Grades

Company Ticker Earnings Estimate
Boot Barn Holdings, Inc. BOOT A
The Buckle, Inc. BKE D

Earnings estimate revisions scores consider the magnitude of a company’s earnings surprise in its last two reported fiscal quarters. Often, positive surprises beget further positive surprises‐or at least continued sales growth (the exact opposite is generally true, too).

Estimate revisions offer an indication of what analysts are thinking about the short-term prospects of a firm. Estimate revisions are based on the statistical significance of a firm’s last two quarterly earnings surprises and the percentage change in its consensus estimate for the current fiscal year over the past month and past three months.

Boot Barn Holdings, Inc. has a Earnings Estimate Score of 81, which is Very Positive. The Buckle, Inc. has a Earnings Estimate Score of 34, which is Negative.

The Earnings Estimate Revisions Grade Winner: Boot Barn Holdings, Inc.

As you can clearly see from the Earnings Estimate Revisions Grade breakdown above, Boot Barn Holdings, Inc. has a better Earnings Estimate Revisions Grade than The Buckle, Inc.. For those who are specifically looking for companies with better short-term prospects when compared to other companies in the same industry, Boot Barn Holdings, Inc. could be a good stock to invest in. However, it’s important to analyze multiple factors based on a wide range of metrics before deciding whether to buy.

Don’t Forget Your Free Special Report on How A+ Grades Can Help You Make Investment Decisions

Other Boot Barn Holdings, Inc., The Buckle and Inc. Grades

In addition to Momentum, Estimate Revisions and Quality, A+ Investor also provides grades for Value and Growth.

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Growth investing builds on the idea that stocks of companies exhibiting strong, consistent and prolonged growth outperform those of slower-growth companies. AAII measures growth through consistency of annual sales growth, five-year sales growth rankings adjusted for extreme levels, and consistency of positive annual cash from operations.

Successful stock investing involves buying low and selling high, so stock valuation is an important consideration for stock selection. Buying stocks that are going to go up typically means buying stocks that are undervalued in the first place, although momentum investors may argue that point.

These 2 key factors, when combined with the above, provide a holistic view into a particular stock. Further, by joining A+ Investor you can see whether Boot Barn Holdings, Inc., The Buckle and Inc. pass any of our 60+ stock screens that have outperformed the market since their creation.

So, Which Is the Better Investment, Boot Barn Holdings, Inc., The Buckle or Inc. Stock?

Overall, Boot Barn Holdings, Inc. stock has a Momentum Score of 66, Estimate Revisions Score of 81 and Quality Score of 72.

The Buckle, Inc. stock has a Momentum Score of 45, Estimate Revisions Score of 34 and Quality Score of 80.

Comparing Boot Barn Holdings, Inc., The Buckle and Inc.’s grades, scores and metrics can act as a solid basis to determine whether they may be a good investment or not. You’ll also want to look at your portfolio’s asset allocation as well as your risk tolerance and financial goals to see if either of these stocks would make a good fit for you. AAII can help you figure out which investments align with your individual needs and preferences.

Investors are encouraged to do their own due diligence and research. In this way, individuals can effectively become managers of their own assets‐without having to rely on others for financial independence. You can count on AAII for timeless articles on financial planning and stock-picking, unbiased research and actionable analysis.

A+ Investor adds to our qualitative teaching with a powerful data suite to help you whittle down investment choices to find stocks, exchange-traded funds (ETFs) or mutual funds that meet your needs.

Learn More About A+ Investor

AAII Disclaimer

We make no representations or warranties that any investor will, or is likely to, achieve profits similar to those shown, because past, hypothetical or simulated performance is not necessarily indicative of future results. Before making an investment decision, you should consider your circumstances and whether the information on our content is applicable to your situation. This information was prepared in good faith, and we accept no liability for any errors or omissions. The full disclaimer can be read here.



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