ROST Ross Stores
$236.62
▲ 0.8%Updated Oct 16, 2:25 PM ET
Report Card
ROST at a glance — five pillars scored 0–100 from real filed financials.
How the 0–100 rating is calculatedOverall: Favorable · 59/100. A wider, greener shape means more pillars look healthy. Dividends scores 0 when a company pays none — that is a choice, not a flaw.
Price — Past Year
▲ Up 81.8% in the year to Jul 6, 2026
Key Metrics
Market Cap
$68.46B
P/E
32.92x
Forward P/E (est.)
29.01x
ROE
38.4%
Revenue Growth
11.9%
EPS Growth
13.5%
Profit Margin
9.7%
FCF Yield
2.7%
Debt / Equity
0.25x
ROIC
29.0%
Interest Coverage
—
Current Ratio
1.54x
Dividend Yield
0.8%
Implied Growth (rev. DCF)
5.6%
Rating Score
59/100
Business Overview
Ross Stores (ROST) is a large-cap company in the Apparel Retail industry, part of the Consumer Discretionary sector of the S&P 500, with a market value around $68.46B.
In its latest reported year it generated about $22.75B in revenue and $2.15B in net profit.
Our model rates ROST Favorable (59/100) on growth, profitability, financial health, and valuation. The summary below is built from its filed financials and current ratios and refreshes automatically.
Economic Moat
Evidence of durable competitive advantage in the filed financials (10 years of history).
Profit margins and economic moats, explainedThe filed history looks like a business competitors struggle to attack: high and steady margins, revenue that grows through cycles, and strong returns on capital.
grew in 7 of the last 9 year-over-year periods
positive in 10 of 10 years
29.0% latest fiscal year
A moat can't be proven by numbers alone — this scores the evidence a durable advantage leaves behind (pricing power, consistency, returns on capital), computed the same way for every stock. Pair it with the business overview before concluding anything.
Technical Analysis (Educational)
Technical analysis reads price and volume to judge momentum and timing. It complements the fundamentals above — it does not replace them. Here is what ROST's chart says today, with each tool explained.
Trend — moving averages. A moving average is the average closing price over a window, which smooths out daily noise. ROST trades near $236.62, above its 50-day average ($225.11) and 200-day average ($194.19). Price above both averages, with the shorter one above the longer, is the textbook definition of an uptrend — momentum favours buyers.
Momentum — RSI. The Relative Strength Index runs 0–100 and measures how strong recent gains are versus losses. Above 70 is "overbought", below 30 "oversold". At 23 it is oversold — selling has been heavy and a bounce is possible.
MACD. MACD compares two moving averages to flag shifts in momentum. Its histogram is currently negative — short-term momentum is fading.
Volatility — ATR. Average True Range is the typical daily move. ROST's is $6.17 (~2.6% of price), so swings of about that size each day are normal — handy for setting a stop that isn't too tight.
Support & resistance. In the month to Jul 6, 2026, ROST found buyers near $205.92 (support) and sellers near $242.81 (resistance); its 52-week range then was $126.32–$242.81. A decisive break beyond either edge often marks the next move.
Volume. The latest session traded 0.6× the 20-day average — lighter than usual, so the move carries less conviction. Rising volume on up-days suggests real buying; on down-days, real selling.
Educational information to help you read a chart — not a recommendation or a forecast. The indicators were last computed on Jul 6, 2026; the price is current.
Revenue Growth
4Y CAGR
4.7%
Revenue moved from $12.87B in 2017 to $22.75B in 2026, a 6.5% compound annual growth rate. The most recent year grew a steady 11.9% year over year. Consistent top-line growth is one sign of healthy demand.
Profitability
Gross Margin
28.1%
Operating Margin
11.9%
Net Margin
9.4%
ROE
38.4%
Ross Stores keeps about 9.7% of each sales dollar as net profit, with a 28.1% gross margin and 11.9% operating margin. Return on equity is 38.4% and return on invested capital about 29.0%. Margins are moderate — typical of a competitive but profitable business.
Debt Analysis
Total Debt
$1.02B
Net Debt
-$3.11B
Net cash position
Net Debt / EBITDA
-1.15x
Debt / Equity
0.25x
Leverage: debt-to-equity is 0.2x, with a current ratio of 1.5x. That is a conservative balance sheet — a cushion in downturns. It carries roughly $1.02B of total debt against $4.13B of cash.
Cash Flow Analysis
Operating CF
$3.03B
Free Cash Flow
$2.21B
FCF Margin
9.7%
In the latest year Ross Stores produced about $3.03B of operating cash flow and $2.21B of free cash flow after capital spending. That is a free-cash-flow yield of about 2.7% on today's price. Cash flow is what ultimately pays shareholders, so it is worth tracking over time.
Dividend Safety
Can the payout survive a bad year? Scored from filed cash flow, earnings coverage, and the raise/cut record.
What to look for in a dividend stockThe payout is comfortably covered by cash the business actually generates, with a raise habit behind it.
Dividend yield
0.8%
Per share (latest FY)
$1.62
Total paid (latest FY)
$528.09M
History on record
10 years
dividend uses 24% of free cash flow
25% of net income paid out
total dividends increased 5 years in a row
payout was cut at least once in the last 10 years
Coverage uses the latest fiscal year as filed with the SEC; the streak counts total dollars paid (per-share figures can carry split artifacts). Educational information, not income advice.
Valuation Analysis
P/E
32.92x
P/S
3.32x
P/B
10.03x
EV / EBITDA
—
ROST trades at 32.9x trailing earnings (about 29.0x on estimated forward earnings), 3.3x sales, and 10.0x book value. Reverse-engineering today's price implies the market expects roughly 5.6% long-term free-cash-flow growth. That is a premium multiple that needs growth to justify it.
DCF Fair Value (Educational)
A two-stage discounted cash flow on real SEC-filed free cash flow — the intrinsic-value anchor professional analysts triangulate from.
How this DCF estimate is calculatedDCF fair value / share
$183.31
Current price
$236.62
Starting FCF (latest 10-K)
$2.21B
Growth, years 1–5
11.9%
Fade to terminal, years 6–10
2.5%
Discount rate
9.0%
Cash flows grow at the stage-1 rate (trailing revenue growth, capped at 20%) for five years, fade to 2.5% by year 10, and continue at that rate forever (Gordon terminal value), all discounted at 9.0%. Small changes in assumptions move the result a lot — treat this as one reference point, not a target price. Educational only, not investment advice.
Metrics vs. Sector Range
Where ROST sits versus the Consumer Discretionary companies we cover.
Bands show the middle half (25th–75th percentile) of the 85 Consumer Discretionary companies in our coverage that have fundamentals data — the peer-relative anchor professional comps analysis uses. Context only — not investment advice.
Sector Peer Comparison
How ROST stacks up against its Consumer Discretionary peers — valuation, profitability, and growth versus the sector median.
Among the 85 rated Consumer Discretionary companies we cover, ROST ranks #22 by our overall rating. It trades at a premium versus the sector on earnings (32.9x P/E vs. 24.6x median) with a higher return on equity (38.4% vs. 26.2%) and faster revenue growth (11.9% vs. 6.8%).
P/E vs sector
32.9x
median 24.6x
ROE vs sector
38.4%
median 26.2%
Growth vs sector
11.9%
median 6.8%
Sector rank
#22
of 85 rated
Valuation vs. quality map
The sweet spot is upper-left: more profitable (higher ROE) for a lower P/E. Dashed lines mark the sector median.
Peers are the closest Consumer Discretionary companies by sub-industry and size, preferring ones with full data. Sector medians and rank use the 85 rated companies among the 158 Consumer Discretionary stocks we cover. Educational, not a recommendation.
5-Year Projection Model
Project revenue → earnings → price. Edit the assumptions to build your own case.
What drives this projection, and its limits2030 scenario price range (Base Case)
$249.43 – $411.55
vs. $236.62 today · implied CAGR 1% – 12%
| Metric | 2026 | 2027 | 2028 | 2029 | 2030 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $25.48B | $28.54B | $31.96B | $35.80B | $40.09B |
| Net income | $2.29B | $2.57B | $2.88B | $3.22B | $3.61B |
| EPS | $7.93 | $8.88 | $9.94 | $11.14 | $12.47 |
| Share price (low) | $158.51 | $177.54 | $198.84 | $222.70 | $249.43 |
| Share price (high) | $261.55 | $292.94 | $328.09 | $367.46 | $411.55 |
| CAGR (low–high) | -33% / 11% | -13% / 11% | -6% / 12% | -2% / 12% | 1% / 12% |
Educational scenario model, not a forecast or investment advice. It starts from the latest annual revenue in SEC filings. By default, growth is trailing revenue growth (held between 3% and 45% a year), the net margin is the latest one (held between 3% and 50%, so a loss-making company is modeled with a small profit), and the Base case P/E runs from 60% to 100% of today's. Carrying recent growth forward five years can miss badly in either direction. Outputs are only as good as the assumptions.
Bull Case
The case for ROST:
- Revenue is growing 11.9% a year, a sign of real demand.
- Strong return on equity (38.4%) shows capital is put to work well.
- A conservative balance sheet (debt/equity 0.2x) lowers risk.
- Our model's overall read is Favorable (59/100).
Bear Case
The case against ROST:
- Like any single stock, it is exposed to competition, the economic cycle, and shifts in its end markets.
Key Risks
Valuation risk — at 32.9x earnings, disappointing results could compress the multiple.
Market risk — sector rotation, the economic cycle, and broad sentiment move the stock regardless of fundamentals.
Investment Thesis
On balance, the fundamentals screen favourably: Ross Stores is a large-cap consumer discretionary business still growing nicely, with modest profitability, and a sound balance sheet. It trades at 32.9x earnings, which our model scores Favorable (59/100). Weigh this against your own goals and time horizon — this is educational information, not a recommendation.
Analyst Ratings
What 27 Wall Street analysts covering ROST recommend (September 2026). Consensus is a useful sanity check — not a substitute for your own homework.
Analysts have turned more cautious over the last three months (-7 pts of buy ratings).
Latest SEC Filings
ROST's most recent filings, straight from SEC EDGAR. Annual and quarterly reports are the deep dives; 8-Ks flag material events the moment they happen. How to read a 10-K
In the Idea Lab
ROST — frequently asked questions
Is ROST a good stock to buy?
We don't give buy or sell advice. Our model rates Ross Stores Favorable (59/100) based on its growth, profitability, financial health, and valuation — use that as a research starting point and make your own decision.
What is ROST's rating on The Stocks School?
Ross Stores currently scores 59/100 (Favorable) on our transparent model, which weighs real fundamentals: growth, margins, returns on capital, balance-sheet strength, and valuation.
How our ratings work →Where does ROST's data come from?
Live price data plus real fundamentals and 5-year financials pulled directly from Ross Stores's SEC filings — refreshed automatically, not hand-entered.
How is the 5-year projection for ROST calculated?
It's a scenario model. It starts from the latest annual revenue and net margin in SEC filings, grows revenue at an assumed rate (trailing revenue growth by default), and applies a P/E range built around today's multiple to show the resulting share-price range. When a stock has no growth or P/E data, the starting values are placeholders. It's a tool for thinking, not a prediction.
Is this ROST analysis financial advice?
No. Everything on this page is educational research, not financial advice or a recommendation to buy or sell ROST. Always do your own research and consider a licensed professional.
Data notice. Fundamentals and financial statements are sourced from company filings (SEC EDGAR) and market-data providers; prices and market caps refresh on trading days and may be delayed. Ratings, projections, technical signals, and written summaries are model- or rule-generated for education and may simplify or lag the latest filings.
Not advice. Nothing on this page is investment advice or a recommendation to buy, hold, or sell any security. Do your own research and consult a licensed financial professional before investing.