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CTRN Stock Analysis - Citi Trends Inc AI Rating

CTRN Nasdaq Retail-Apparel & Accessory Stores DE CIK: 0001318484
Recently Updated • Analysis: Mar 23, 2026 • SEC Data: 2025-11-01
AI Rating
STRONG SELL
92% Confidence

📊 CTRN Key Takeaways

Revenue: $589.6M
Net Margin: -0.4%
Free Cash Flow: $-14.1M
Current Ratio: 1.07x
Debt/Equity: 0.39x
EPS: $-0.27
AI Rating: STRONG SELL with 92% confidence

Investment Thesis

Citi Trends is operationally unprofitable with negative operating income (-0.6% margin) and negative net income despite stable revenue growth of 0.7% YoY, indicating fundamental business deterioration. The company is burning cash with negative free cash flow of -14.1M while carrying 41.6M in long-term debt, creating unsustainable capital structure dynamics. Profitability metrics across ROE (-2.0%) and ROA (-0.5%) are deeply negative, suggesting the business model is not generating adequate returns on invested capital.

CTRN Strengths

  • + Maintains positive gross margin of 28.9% indicating product-level profitability
  • + Adequate liquidity cushion with 51.1M in cash representing 11% of total assets
  • + Stable revenue base with modest 0.7% YoY growth showing customer retention despite headwinds

CTRN Risks

  • ! Operating losses persist with negative operating margin of -0.6%, indicating inability to control expenses relative to revenue
  • ! Negative free cash flow of -14.1M combined with 41.6M debt load threatens financial sustainability and limits strategic flexibility
  • ! Severely negative return metrics (ROE -2.0%, ROA -0.5%) demonstrate capital is being destroyed rather than deployed productively
  • ! Interest coverage ratio of -42.3x indicates inability to service debt from operating earnings, creating refinancing risk
  • ! Quick ratio of 0.38x reveals potential working capital stress and inventory management challenges typical of distressed retail

Key Metrics to Watch

CTRN Financial Metrics

Revenue
$589.6M
Net Income
$-2.2M
EPS (Diluted)
$-0.27
Free Cash Flow
$-14.1M
Total Assets
$464.3M
Cash Position
$51.1M

💡 AI Analyst Insight

Citi Trends Inc presents a mixed fundamental picture. Review the detailed metrics above to form your own investment thesis.

CTRN Profitability Ratios

Gross Margin 28.9%
Operating Margin -0.6%
Net Margin -0.4%
ROE -2.0%
ROA -0.5%
FCF Margin -2.4%

CTRN vs Consumer Sector

How Citi Trends Inc compares to Consumer sector averages

Net Margin
CTRN -0.4%
vs
Sector Avg 8.0%
CTRN Sector
ROE
CTRN -2.0%
vs
Sector Avg 18.0%
CTRN Sector
Current Ratio
CTRN 1.1x
vs
Sector Avg 1.5x
CTRN Sector
Debt/Equity
CTRN 0.4x
vs
Sector Avg 0.8x
CTRN Sector

Sector benchmarks are approximate industry averages. Actual sector performance may vary.

CTRN Balance Sheet & Liquidity

Current Ratio
1.07x
Quick Ratio
0.38x
Debt/Equity
0.39x
Debt/Assets
76.8%
Interest Coverage
-42.25x
Long-term Debt
$41.6M

CTRN 5-Year Financial Trend

CTRN 5-year financial data: Year 2020: Revenue $783.3M, Net Income $21.4M, EPS $1.64. Year 2021: Revenue $991.6M, Net Income $16.5M, EPS $1.41. Year 2022: Revenue $991.6M, Net Income $24.0M, EPS $2.32. Year 2023: Revenue $991.6M, Net Income $62.2M, EPS $6.91. Year 2024: Revenue $795.0M, Net Income $58.9M, EPS $7.17.
Revenue
Net Income
EPS (right axis)

5-Year Trend Summary: Citi Trends Inc's revenue has shown modest growth of 1% over the 5-year period. The most recent EPS of $7.17 reflects profitable operations.

CTRN Growth Metrics (YoY)

Revenue Growth
N/A
Year-over-year
Net Income Growth
N/A
Year-over-year
EPS Growth
N/A
Earnings per share
FCF Margin
-2.4%
Free cash flow / Revenue

CTRN Quarterly Performance

Quarterly financial performance data for Citi Trends Inc including revenue, net income, and earnings per share.
Quarter Revenue Net Income EPS
Q3 2025 $179.1M $871.0K $-0.27
Q2 2025 $176.6M $871.0K $0.46
Q1 2025 $186.3M $871.0K $0.11
Q3 2024 $179.1M -$15.5M $-0.47
Q2 2024 $173.6M -$11.7M $-0.61
Q1 2024 $179.7M -$3.4M $-0.42
Q3 2023 $179.5M -$15.5M $-0.47
Q2 2023 $173.6M -$11.7M $-0.31

Data sourced from SEC EDGAR 10-Q quarterly filings. Figures may represent quarterly or cumulative values.

CTRN Capital Allocation

Operating Cash Flow
$1.5M
Cash generated from operations
Stock Buybacks
$6.3M
Shares repurchased (TTM)
Capital Expenditures
$15.5M
Investment in assets
Dividends Paid
$832.0K
Returned to shareholders

CTRN SEC Filings

Access official SEC EDGAR filings for Citi Trends Inc (CIK: 0001318484)

📋 Recent SEC Filings

Date Form Document Action
Mar 17, 2026 8-K tm268989d1_8k.htm View →
Feb 20, 2026 8-K tm266871d1_8k.htm View →
Jan 12, 2026 8-K tm262793d1_8k.htm View →
Jan 6, 2026 4 xslF345X05/tm262287-1_4seq1.xml View →
Dec 10, 2025 10-Q ctrn-20251101x10q.htm View →

Frequently Asked Questions about CTRN

What is the AI rating for CTRN?

Citi Trends Inc (CTRN) has an AI rating of STRONG SELL with 92% confidence, based on fundamental analysis of SEC EDGAR filings.

What are CTRN's key strengths?

Maintains positive gross margin of 28.9% indicating product-level profitability. Adequate liquidity cushion with 51.1M in cash representing 11% of total assets.

What are the risks of investing in CTRN?

Operating losses persist with negative operating margin of -0.6%, indicating inability to control expenses relative to revenue. Negative free cash flow of -14.1M combined with 41.6M debt load threatens financial sustainability and limits strategic flexibility.

What is CTRN's revenue and growth?

Citi Trends Inc reported revenue of $589.6M.

Does CTRN pay dividends?

Citi Trends Inc pays dividends, with $0.8M distributed to shareholders in the trailing twelve months.

Where can I find CTRN SEC filings?

Official SEC filings for Citi Trends Inc (CIK: 0001318484) including 10-K, 10-Q, and 8-K reports are available on SEC EDGAR.

What is CTRN's EPS?

Citi Trends Inc has a diluted EPS of $-0.27.

How is the AI analysis conducted?

Our AI (Claude) analyzes publicly available SEC EDGAR filings including 10-K annual reports and 10-Q quarterly reports to evaluate financial health, profitability ratios, balance sheet strength, and growth metrics.

Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by Claude AI based on publicly available SEC EDGAR filings. It does not include stock price data and should not be considered financial advice. All fundamental data is sourced from SEC public domain filings. Always conduct your own research and consult with a qualified financial advisor before making investment decisions.
Data Source: SEC EDGAR | Analysis Date: Mar 23, 2026 | Data as of: 2025-11-01 | Powered by Claude AI