Designer Brands Inc.
DBI Consumer Cyclical Footwear & Accessories
Designer Brands Inc.’s revenue for fiscal 2026 (year ended January 2026) was $2.9 billion, down 3.87% from fiscal 2025. In the quarter to July 2026, revenue fell 1.23%, EPS grew 40.9%, free cash flow grew 385.7% and total debt fell 18.1%, each against the same quarter a year earlier. Dividend growth for five consecutive years.
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Designer Brands Inc. (DBI) Altman Z-score
Designer Brands Inc.'s Altman Z-score for fiscal 2026 is 1.80, in the distress zone (below 1.81).
Altman Z-score, annual
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Annual newest first
| Period | Altman Z-score | Change (points) |
|---|---|---|
| FY2026 | 1.80 | 0.01 |
| FY2025 | 1.79 | (0.15) |
| FY2024 | 1.94 | (0.44) |
| FY2023 | 2.37 | 0.05 |
| FY2022 | 2.32 | 2.01 |
| FY2021 | 0.31 | (1.89) |
| FY2020 | 2.21 | (2.12) |
| FY2019 | 4.33 | (0.81) |
| FY2018 | 5.14 | (0.05) |
| FY2017 | 5.18 | (0.67) |
How fiscal 2026’s score is made up
| Component | This year | Year before | Result | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Working capital / total assets | 0.06 | — | 0.07 | |
| Retained earnings / total assets | 0.03 | — | 0.04 | |
| EBIT / total assets | 0.02 | — | 0.08 | |
| Market value of equity / total liabilities | 0.19 | — | 0.11 | |
| Sales / total assets | 1.49 | — | 1.49 | |
| Altman Z-score | Distress zone | 1.80 | ||
| Z″ Variant for non-manufacturing and asset-light companies (drops the sales/assets term, uses book equity) | Distress zone | 0.85 | ||
How the Altman Z-score works
Z = 1.2 × working capital ÷ total assets + 1.4 × retained earnings ÷ total assets + 3.3 × EBIT ÷ total assets + 0.6 × market value of equity ÷ total liabilities + 1.0 × revenue ÷ total assets (Altman, 1968). The market value of equity is the close on the last trading day of the fiscal year times weighted basic shares.
Z″ = 6.56 × working capital ÷ total assets + 3.26 × retained earnings ÷ total assets + 6.72 × EBIT ÷ total assets + 1.05 × book equity ÷ total liabilities (Altman, Hartzell and Peck, 1995), the variant for non-manufacturing and asset-light companies.
| Zone | Z | Z″ |
|---|---|---|
| Safe zone | above 2.99 | above 2.60 |
| Grey zone | 1.81–2.99 | 1.10–2.60 |
| Distress zone | below 1.81 | below 1.10 |
Not worked out for banks, insurers and REITs, whose balance sheets the model does not describe, nor when a figure is missing or there is no share price in the week to the fiscal year end.
Altman Z-score against peers
| Company | Altman Z-score |
|---|---|
| FWDI Forward Industries, Inc. compare | 21.5× |
| SHOO Steven Madden, Ltd. compare | 4.8× |
| WEYS Weyco Group, Inc. compare | 4.7× |
| CROX Crocs, Inc. compare | 3.3× |
| WWW Wolverine World Wide, Inc. compare | 3.0× |
| RCKY Rocky Brands, Inc. compare | 2.8× |
| VRA Vera Bradley, Inc. compare | 2.5× |
| DBI Designer Brands Inc. | 1.8× |
| FOSL Fossil Group, Inc. compare | 1.5× |
What Altman Z-score is
The Altman Z-Score weighs working capital, retained earnings, operating profit, market value and sales against assets and debts to gauge the risk of distress.
1.2 × working capital ÷ total assets + 1.4 × retained earnings ÷ total assets + 3.3 × EBIT ÷ total assets + 0.6 × market value of equity ÷ total liabilities + 1.0 × revenue ÷ total assets