ROSS STORES, INC. (ROST) Earnings History

ROSS STORES, INC. - Q4 FY2025 EarningsBeat

Filed at: Mar 3, 2026, 4:03 PM EST|Read from source

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Ross Stores reported accelerated growth in Q4 FY2025, with sales and earnings significantly exceeding expectations due to strong customer engagement and improved in-store execution. The company ended the fiscal year with record sales and a robust comparable store sales increase, positioning it well for continued profitable growth in FY2026.

POSITIVE HIGHLIGHTS

  • •

    Total sales for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2025 grew 12% to $6.6 billion, with comparable store sales increasing a robust 9%.

    positive
  • •

    Fourth quarter earnings per share of $2.00 was well above guidance of $1.77 to $1.85.

    positive
  • •

    Full year sales reached a record $22.8 billion, with comparable store sales growth of 5%.

    positive
  • •

    Announced a new two-year $2.55 billion stock repurchase authorization, a 21% increase over the prior program.

    positive
  • •

    Increased quarterly cash dividend by 10% to $0.445 per share.

    positive

CONCERNS & RISKS

  • •

    Merchandise inventory increased to $2.63 billion from $2.44 billion YoY, a 7.6% increase outpacing sales growth.

    attention
  • •

    Full year earnings per share of $6.61 was only up 3.3% from $6.32 in the prior year, despite an 8% increase in total sales.

    attention
  • •

    Full year net income of $2.1 billion was similar to the prior year's $2.09 billion, indicating limited profit growth.

    attention
  • •

    Full year provision for taxes on earnings increased to $697 million from $666 million, a higher rate of increase than net earnings.

    attention

FINANCIAL METRICS

Revenue
Quarterly
$6.64B
+12.2%
Prior year: $5.91B
Annual (YTD)
$22.75B
N/A
Prior year: $21.13B
Net Income
Quarterly
$645.87M
+10.1%
Prior year: $586.78M
Annual (YTD)
$2.15B
N/A
Prior year: $2.09B
EPS (Diluted)
Quarterly
$2.00
+11.7%
Prior year: $1.79
Annual (YTD)
$6.61
N/A
Prior year: $6.32
Operating Income
Quarterly
$814.12M
+11.4%
Prior year: $731.02M
Annual (YTD)
$2.71B
N/A
Prior year: $2.59B
EPS (Basic)
Quarterly
$2.02
+12.2%
Prior year: $1.80
Annual (YTD)
$6.66
N/A
Prior year: $6.36

MARGIN ANALYSIS

Operating Margin
Current Quarter
12.3%
Prior Year
12.4%
YoY Change
-9 bps
Net Margin
Current Quarter
9.7%
Prior Year
9.9%
YoY Change
-19 bps

Margin expansion indicates improving profitability and operational efficiency. Measured in basis points (bps): 100 bps = 1.0%.

MANAGEMENT GUIDANCE

FY2026

revenue
"Comparable store sales growth of 3% to 4% projected"
EPS
$7.02—$7.36
Mid-point: $7.19

Q1 2026

revenue
"Comparable store sales forecasted to increase 7% to 8%"
EPS
$1.60—$1.67
Mid-point: $1.64

Forward-looking guidance is subject to change and does not constitute a guarantee. Actual results may differ materially from these estimates.

SPECIAL ITEMS & ADJUSTMENTS

Q4 FY2024
Gain from the sale of a packaway facility
Adjusted for in EPS calculation.
+$61.575M
$0.14 per share
FY2025
Tariff-related costs
Adjusted for in EPS calculation.
+$52.416M
$0.16 per share
Total Impact
+$113.991M$0.30 per share

Special items are non-recurring events that may distort period-over-period comparisons. Analysts typically adjust for these when calculating normalized earnings.

MANAGEMENT COMMENTARY

Business momentum accelerated further in the fourth quarter, with both sales and earnings significantly surpassing our expectations.

— ROSS STORES, INC., Q4 FY2025 2025 Earnings Call

Throughout the holiday season, we delivered compelling merchandise assortments to our stores, benefited from higher customer engagement through our new marketing campaigns, and executed in-store initiatives that enhanced the customer experience.

— ROSS STORES, INC., Q4 FY2025 2025 Earnings Call

For the full year, we delivered a solid performance. While the first half presented challenges amid a dynamic macroeconomic environment, including the impact of tariffs and broader consumer uncertainty, we remained focused on executing our strategy and managing the business with discipline.

— ROSS STORES, INC., Q4 FY2025 2025 Earnings Call

Commentary excerpts from earnings call transcripts provide management's perspective on performance, strategy, and outlook. Always review full transcripts for complete context.

OPERATIONAL METRICS

Comparable Store Sales
9
Prior year: 3
%
Stores
2.3K
+3.7% YoY
Prior year: 2.2K
stores

Operational metrics provide insight into business drivers and customer engagement beyond traditional financial measures.

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