Ross Stores, Inc. ROST has been making smart moves to enrich shoppers’ experience and bolster growth. The company is focused on several strategies to drive growth and strengthen its position in the off-price retail market. It continues to benefit from its value-focused business model, disciplined inventory management and expanding store base.
The company’s strategic initiatives, including its ongoing store openings and expansions, have successfully boosted comparable store sales (comps) by attracting more customers and increasing average spending. It continues to gain from positive customer response for its merchandise across banners. In first-quarter fiscal 2026, sales increased 21% and comps rose 17%, with management attributing the comp primarily to higher transactions and growing customer count.
The company continues its disciplined expansion strategy. Its store-expansion efforts are focused on continually increasing penetration in the existing as well as new markets. In first-quarter fiscal 2026, the company opened 13 Ross Dress for Less and four dd’s DISCOUNTS locations. Management also pointed to encouraging early results from newer markets and continued progress in building a Northeast pipeline. For second-quarter fiscal 2026, the company forecasts comps to increase 6-7%.
Management continues to plan for about 5% unit growth in fiscal 2026 with roughly 110 openings, comprised of about 85 Ross and 25 dd’s, excluding planned closures or relocations of 10-15 older stores. For second-quarter fiscal 2026, the company plans to add 47 new stores, consisting of 35 Ross and 12 dd’s DISCOUNTS. Management also guided the new store productivity of about 70-75% of a mature store for fiscal 2026 openings. Over the longer term, Ross Stores had earlier cited a capacity for 2,900 Ross stores and 700 dd’s DISCOUNTS stores.
Overall, Ross Stores continues to rely on value pricing, disciplined execution, opportunistic merchandising and store expansion to support growth amid periods of macroeconomic uncertainty and cautious consumer spending. In a nutshell, Ross Stores appears well-poised for long-term growth, supported by steady store openings, solid execution and financial resilience.
ROST’s Price Performance, Valuation and Estimates
Shares of Ross Stores have gained 33.1% in the past six months compared with the industry’s growth of 13.1%.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
From a valuation standpoint, ROST trades at a forward price-to-earnings ratio of 29.68X compared with the industry’s average of 32.44X.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for ROST’s fiscal 2026 and fiscal 2027 earnings per share (EPS) implies year-over-year growth of 15% and 8.6%, respectively. The estimates for the aforesaid fiscal years have moved north in the past seven days.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
Ross Stores stock currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).
More Key Retail Stock Picks
Kohl's Corporation KSS, which is a department store chain, currently sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
KSS delivered a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 72.3%, on average. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for KSS’ current financial-year sales indicates a drop of 1% from the year-ago number.
Levi Strauss & Co. LEVI, which is a designer and marketer of jeans, casual wear and related accessories, currently carries a Zacks Rank of 2.
LEVI delivered a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 21.4%, on average. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Levi Strauss’ current financial-year sales indicates growth of 5.2% from the year-ago number.
Fossil Group, Inc. FOSL, which is a designer and marketer of fashion accessories, currently carries a Zacks Rank of 2.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for FOSL’s current financial-year earnings is expected to rise 87.6% from the corresponding year-ago reported figure. FOSL delivered an earnings surprise of 86.4% in the last reported quarter.
Beyond Nvidia: AI's Second Wave Is Here
The AI revolution has already minted millionaires. But the stocks everyone knows about aren't likely to keep delivering the biggest profits. AI’s second wave is moving from infrastructure to implementation and these companies are at the forefront of this transition, positioned to become what Amazon and Google were to the internet era.
See Stocks Now >>Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report
Kohl's Corporation (KSS): Free Stock Analysis Report
Ross Stores, Inc. (ROST): Free Stock Analysis Report
Fossil Group, Inc. (FOSL): Free Stock Analysis Report
Levi Strauss & Co. (LEVI): Free Stock Analysis Report
This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).