Forensic Analysis · Retail / Consumer Discretionary · as of Jun 28, 2026
Zumiez Inc (ZUMZ)
A forensic read on Zumiez Inc built from its complete SEC filings — financial-health screens, earnings quality, red flags and a price-aware rating. Reproducible math, not opinion.
C · Mixed — selective
Forensic grade
Safe
Financial health
3.6
Altman Z-score
Clean
Earnings quality
4
Forensic signals
21.3
P / E (ttm)
4.7%
ROE
$308M
Market cap
Zumiez Inc earns a C (Mixed — selective) forensic quality grade, and its Altman Z-score is 3.6, placing it in the Safe zone. 4 forensic signals were flagged in its latest SEC filings, led by return on invested capital.
What the filings flag
3%Return on invested capital.Return on invested capital is 3% and steady — well below its ~9% cost of capital, so reinvested dollars may be destroying value, not building it.
1% of revStock-based comp load.Stock-based compensation ran 1% of revenue and 17% of free cash flow in FY2026 — about $0.42 per diluted share. Meaningful — reported free cash flow flatters the economics, since SBC is a real cost paid in shares.
90% of FCFShareholder returns.Returned $38M to shareholders (buybacks + dividends) in FY2026 — 90% of free cash flow. Right at the limit of what free cash flow covers — little room before it's funded by debt or the balance sheet.
$41MGoodwill impairments.Took $41M of goodwill writedowns across 1 year(s) (FY2024 ($41M)). Writedowns mean past acquisitions underperformed what was paid for them — worth weighing on capital-allocation skill.
Key fundamentals
Net Margin1.4%
Debt / Equity0.01x
Free Cash Flow$42.4M
Latest Revenue$929.1M
Return on Equity4.1%
Revenue Growth YoY+4.5%
Go deeper — free with an account
The forensic grade and screens above are free — no account needed. An account adds the full interactive deep-dive on Zumiez Inc:
🔒The written investment read — what the numbers mean, in plain English
🔒Ask anything about ZUMZ's filings — AI Q&A across the 10-K, 10-Qs & 8-Ks
🔒Interactive valuation — reverse-DCF sliders, Monte Carlo & scenario stress
🔒Calibrated 12-month price forecast, with the math shown