Ross Stores, Inc. (ROST) Stock Price & How to Invest

Ross Stores (ROST) is one of the largest off-price retailers in the United States, selling brand-name and designer apparel, footwear, accessories, and home fashions at prices well below department and specialty stores. It operates two banners: Ross Dress for Less, its flagship chain of roughly 1,950 stores, and dd's DISCOUNTS, a more moderately priced format with about 375 stores aimed at value-focused shoppers. The company's model is built on the treasure-hunt experience: it buys excess and in-season merchandise opportunistically from a wide network of vendors, keeps a lean assortment that changes constantly, and passes the savings on to customers at 20% to 70% off. This closeout buying, no-frills store operations, and rapid inventory turnover let Ross run at low prices while protecting margins. Off-price retail tends to hold up relatively well when household budgets tighten, because value-seeking shoppers trade down into it, which is why Ross is often described as recession-resilient. Headquartered in Dublin, California, Ross continues to expand its store count each year toward a long-term target of thousands of additional locations across both banners.

The numbers have improved sharply through 2026. Revenue for the fiscal year ended January 2026 was about $22.75 billion, and trailing twelve-month revenue has since climbed to about $24.5 billion. In the fiscal second quarter ended August 1, 2026, sales reached about $6.26 billion, up roughly 13% year over year, and net earnings rose to about $851 million, or $2.66 per share, against a consensus near $1.95. Ross has now beaten EPS estimates in each of the last four quarters. Analysts expect about $8.78 of EPS for the current fiscal year, up roughly 27%, and the next report is expected around November 19, 2026, with consensus near $1.83 per share on about $6.21 billion of sales.

Ross is a consumer-discretionary retailer, so its sales depend on the health of consumer spending, employment, and confidence, which weaken in downturns. It faces intense competition from TJX (T.J. Maxx, Marshalls, HomeGoods) and Burlington, all chasing the same closeout merchandise and value shoppers. The off-price model relies on a steady flow of excess inventory from vendors; disruptions to that supply, tariffs, or shifts in how brands manage overstock can pressure buying. Freight, wage, and shrink (theft) costs can squeeze margins. Most sales are apparel and home goods that can be sensitive to weather and fashion, and stores are concentrated in physical retail with limited e-commerce. Valuation is a newer risk: at about 29x trailing and 26x forward earnings, with consensus expecting only about 7% EPS growth in the following fiscal year, the stock leaves less room for a slowdown after a standout quarter. It is a retail equity tied to the consumer cycle, not a defensive bond-like holding.

18 analysts publish price targets on ROST, averaging $268.61 against a $236.89 price as of October 2026, or +13.4%. The published targets run from $187.00 to $310.00, a moderate spread, and the ratings split 14 buy, 5 hold, 1 sell. Over the last six months there have been 12 raises and 0 cuts among the published actions. A price target is what an analyst published on a date, not a prediction, and sell-side ratings skew positive across the whole market.

Read the full ROST forecast and price target for the target table, the recent rating actions by firm, and how the consensus has shifted.

We give no verdict on Ross Stores, Inc.. Both cases are real, which is why the question is contested at all, so here is the strongest version of each.

The case for buying. The off-price treasure-hunt model. Ross buys brand-name and designer merchandise opportunistically from a broad vendor network, then sells it at 20% to 70% off through a constantly changing, no-frills assortment. The most optimistic published target, $310.00, assumes this works close to its best case.

The case against. Ross is a consumer-discretionary retailer, so its sales depend on the health of consumer spending, employment, and confidence, which weaken in downturns. The most pessimistic target, $187.00, is roughly what ROST is worth if this bites instead.

Read the full bull and bear case on ROST, including what would have to change to break either one. Walnut is not an investment adviser.

No. Ross Stores, Inc. (ROST) has not split its stock in the last 10 years. That is a statement about the window we check rather than about the company’s entire history, so an older split is possible. It also matters less than it once did: fractional shares mean a high price per share no longer keeps smaller investors out, which removed most of the practical reason to split.

A simple financial snapshot. These are approximations and refresh quarterly; for current figures see Ross Stores, Inc.'s investor relations page or your broker.

• Revenue (TTM): ~$24.5 billion (up ~13% YoY in Q2)
• Q2 FY2026 EPS vs estimate: $2.66 vs ~$1.95
• Net income (TTM): ~$2.7 billion
• Operating / net margin: ~13.6% / ~10.9%
• P/E ratio: ~29x trailing, ~26x forward
• Market cap: ~$76 billion
• Dividend yield: ~0.8% (annual dividend ~$1.78)
• Next earnings: ~Nov 19, 2026 (consensus EPS ~$1.83)

Ross trades near 29x trailing and 26x forward earnings and about 3.1x sales, a premium to traditional department stores that the market has extended after a fiscal second quarter far ahead of estimates. Consensus expects about $8.78 of EPS this fiscal year and about $8.96 next year, so most of the growth is already in the current-year number. Eighteen analysts carry a mean target near $269; the 52-week range is about $155 to $257.

If you want ROST exposure as part of a larger bundle rather than directly, these ETFs hold it meaningfully. Weights are approximate and refresh quarterly.

Other names that sit close to ROST: same theme, named as a direct competitor, or held beside it in the same funds. Each entry says which. Worth a look if you are thinking about diversification within a thesis rather than concentration on one ticker.

There are three common ways to get ROST exposure. Buy shares (or fractional shares) directly at any major broker. Hold an ETF that includes it (XLY, RDVY), which spreads the position across many companies. Or build it into a focused thematic portfolio, so ROST sits alongside other stocks that express the same thesis.

Walnut takes the portfolio route. Describe a thesis where ROST fits (for example “AI infrastructure” or “dividend-growth large-caps”) and the AI proposes 5 to 6 constituents with target weights. You review the plan and fund it through your own broker when you're ready.

New to this? Start with how to invest in stocks, see how to analyze a stock with AI, or compare the best AI stock analyzers.

Ross Stores (ROST) is one of the largest US off-price retailers, running Ross Dress for Less and dd's DISCOUNTS with a treasure-hunt model that sells brand names at deep discounts. Its opportunistic buying, lean operations, and steady store growth have made it a durable performer, and value-focused off-price retail tends to hold up when budgets tighten. In a portfolio it behaves as a consumer-discretionary retailer with defensive characteristics, exposed to consumer spending, freight and wage costs, and tough competition from TJX and Burlington. After a fiscal second quarter in which revenue grew about 13% and EPS of $2.66 came in far above the roughly $1.95 consensus, the shares carry a premium multiple near 26x forward earnings, so expectations are now high.

Whether ROST is worth buying today depends more on your time horizon and what you already hold than on any single call. We walk through valuation, what would have to go right, and the risks in is ROST a buy or a sell?, and where the stock could go from here in the ROST stock forecast.

For income investors, whether ROST pays a dividend and how the payout looks is covered in does ROST pay a dividend? And to weigh ROST against a peer, read the full side-by-side comparisons: ROST vs TJX and ROST vs BURL.