Burlington Stores — Aug 27, 2026 release

O’Sullivan continued, “Given our intent to invest the refunds in sharper values, we expect the direct impact of tariff refunds to be neutral to full year earnings. That said, we are raising guidance for the full year, passing through our underlying performance beat from Q2. Our updated Fiscal 2026 guidance is for comp growth of 3% to 4% and EPS growth of 16% to 18%.”     Fiscal 2026 Second Quarter Operating Results • Total sales increased 11% compared to the second quarter of Fiscal 2025 to $2,998 million, while comparable store sales increased 2% compared to the second quarter of Fiscal 2025.  • Gross margin rate as a percentage of net sales was 46.2% vs. 43.7% for the second quarter of Fiscal 2025, an increase of 250 basis points. Excluding the benefit of $55 million in tariff refunds, merchandise margin expanded 70 basis points, while freight expense increased 10 basis points as a percentage of net sales. • Product sourcing costs, which are included in selling, general and administrative expenses (SG&A), were $226 million vs. $209 million in the second quarter of Fiscal 2025. Product sourcing costs include the costs of processing goods through our supply chain and buying costs.   • SG&A was 34.0% as a percentage of net sales vs 35.2% in the second quarter of Fiscal 2025. Adjusted SG&A , excluding $4 million and $11 million of expenses, respectively, associated with bankruptcy acquired leases, was 26.2% as a percentage of net sales vs. 26.7% in the second quarter of Fiscal 2025.  • The effective tax rate was 23.9% vs. 26.0% in the