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Zalando SE

ZAL.DE
54
Specialty Retail · Consumer Cyclical
Exchange
Frankfurt Stock Exchange
Winston Score
54
Winston is curious
Mixed quality — meaningful strengths and weaknesses.
Data as of Aug 23, 2026 · filings through Jun 30, 2026
How the score breaks down
Quality
Good
Growth
Mixed
Cash Flow
Strong
Stability
Strong
Valuation
Good

Winston Score History

The full picture

Zalando is an online fashion and lifestyle retailer based in Berlin, Germany. It sells clothing, shoes, and accessories to consumers across Europe, offering both its own private-label products and items from thousands of third-party brands like Adidas, Nike, and Zara. It is one of the largest online-only fashion platforms in Europe, serving over 50 million active customers across more than 25 countries.

Zalando makes money in two ways: selling products directly to shoppers, and charging brands and retailers a fee to sell through its marketplace platform. The marketplace model has been growing and now accounts for a meaningful share of revenue, which helps margins since Zalando earns a commission without holding inventory. Its main competitive advantage is its scale in Europe and deep logistics network, but it faces constant pressure from fast-fashion giants like Shein and broad retailers like Amazon. The key growth driver is expanding its platform business and becoming the go-to infrastructure layer for fashion brands selling online in Europe.

Growth Profile

When traditional metrics don't capture the full picture, these are the signals growth stock investors use instead.

Revenue Growth

+20.8% YoY

YoY Growth Rate

Steady revenue growth

EPS Growth

-18.9% YoY

YoY Growth Rate

Earnings declining

Insider Activity

6.2%ownership

Declining

Insider ownership declining — could be dilution or selling

Cash Position

Cash flow positive

€1.5B cash & investments

Quarterly Free Cash Flow

↓ Burn rate worsening

Company generates more cash than it spends — no dilution risk from fundraising

Growth + cash flow

Zalando SE is a rare growth stock that's already generating positive cash flow while growing at 21%. The Winston Score doesn't fully credit this transition from "burner" to "earner."

The Winston Score above measures business quality today. Growth stocks often score lower because they invest in the future rather than maximising current profits. These metrics show what matters most for evaluating that future.

Score breakdown

Every number that matters to educated investors.

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Quality

Profit per sale
Gross Margin
40.8%
Healthy — 40.8% gross margin
Profit after running costs
Operating Margin
4.1%
Thin — 4.1% operating margin
Return on the money invested
ROCE
16.7%
Strong — 16.7% return on capital

ROIC between 15% and 25%. Every dollar invested in the business earns 15 to 25 cents back per year.

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Growth

Sales growth
Sales YoY
+23.5%
Fast-growing sales (+23.5% YoY)
Profit growth
EPS YoY
-63.5%
Earnings shrinking (-63.5% YoY)

Earnings per share down more than 10%. Either a bad year, or a real decline.

How steady the profit is
EPS Consistency
3/8 quarters
Earnings rarely grow — volatile business

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Cash Flow

Profit that turns into cash
Cash Conversion
1078%
Turns 1078% of profit into real cash
Spare cash per sale
FCF Margin
6.2%
Modest free cash flow (6.2%)

FCF margin between 0% and 10%. Some cash from sales, but not a lot.

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Stability

What it owes vs what it owns
Debt / Equity
0.19
Conservative — low debt load (0.19)
Covers its interest
Interest Cover
7.09x
Adequate interest coverage (7.1x)

Interest coverage between 3 and 8. Profits cover interest several times over.

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Valuation

Price vs profit
P/E Ratio (TTM)
58.9x
no trend
Expensive — P/E 58.9

P/E over 35. The market is pricing in heavy, sustained growth.

Cheaper or dearer next year
P/E vs Forward
+46.5
GROWING
Earnings expected to grow meaningfully — cheaper on forward P/E (58.9 → 12.5)

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Dividends

Not applicable for this business.
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