Ross Stores (ROST) set a new all-time high on Wednesday, adding another 1% to the discount retailer’s 49% year-over-year gain, ahead of the company’s fourth quarter results next week and following upbeat results from peer TJX Companies (TJX).
In the fourth quarter, the company is expected to have earned an adjusted profit of $1.90 per share on $6.44B in sales, an increase of 6% and 9% from the same quarter last year, respectively, and further evidence of Ross Stores’ (ROST) resilience in cautious spending climates. Since the fourth quarter of 2023, ROST has only missed EPS expectations once.
Along with TJX Companies (TJX) and Walmart (WMT), Ross Stores (ROST) was one of the outperformers in the retail sector in 2025 thanks to its affordably priced apparel and home merchandise, increased traffic, and expansion efforts with a new location in New York City.
Under CEO James Conroy, Ross Stores (ROST) launched a new marketing campaign that drove broad-based growth across all major merchandising categories. In the company’s third quarter earnings call, Conroy said the increased emphasis on brands has further strengthened vendor relationships and increased closeout opportunities.
“These efforts not only drove higher sales but also helped us to partially offset tariff impacts, resulting in better-than-expected merchandise margins for the third quarter,” Conroy said on the call, adding that tariff-related costs in the fourth quarter are expected to be “negligible” thanks to “opportunistic buying” that positioned the company favorably for the crucial holiday season.
As seen in fourth quarter results from TJX Companies (TJX), consumers are prioritizing value, positioning TJ Maxx and Ross Stores (ROST) more competitively than traditional retailers and setting up ROST for another EPS beat. Last quarter, Ross (ROST) beat EPS estimates by 17 cents despite a 5-cent headwind from tariff-related expenses.
Ross Stores (ROST) reports Q4 results before the market open on Tuesday, March 3.