For most investors, how much a stock's price changes over time is important. Not only can it impact your investment portfolio, but it can also help you compare investment results across sectors and industries.
Another factor that can influence investors is FOMO, or the fear of missing out, especially with tech giants and popular consumer-facing stocks.
What if you'd invested in Ross Stores (ROST) ten years ago? It may not have been easy to hold on to ROST for all that time, but if you did, how much would your investment be worth today?
Ross Stores' Business In-Depth
With that in mind, let's take a look at Ross Stores' main business drivers.
Based in Dublin, CA, Ross Stores Inc. operates as an off-price retailer of apparel and home accessories, primarily in the United States. The company operates its stores under the Ross Dress for Less (Ross) and dd’s DISCOUNTS names. The company’s stores are located mostly in community and neighborhood shopping centers in heavily populated urban and suburban areas.
Ross Stores primarily offers in-season, branded, and designer apparel, footwear, accessories and other home-related merchandise for everyone in the family. This format primarily targets middle-income households. Prices offered at Ross are generally 20% to 60% below the regular prices of most department and specialty stores.
dd’s DISCOUNTS features more moderately-priced first-quality, in-season, name brand apparel, accessories, footwear, and home fashions for the entire family. These stores target moderate-income households. The dd’s DISCOUNTS stores offer products at a 20% to 70% lesser price than the moderate department and discount stores.
Ross Stores remains focused with its store expansion initiatives over the years. Further, the company’s efforts to expand base by making efforts to increase penetration in the existing as well as new markets.
As of Jan 31, 2026, the company operated a total of 2,267 stores, including 1,904 Ross Dress for Less stores in 44 states, the District of Columbia, Guam, and Puerto Rico, and 363 dd's DISCOUNTS locations across 22 states.
Bottom Line
Anyone can invest, but building a successful investment portfolio takes a combination of a few things: research, patience, and a little bit of risk. So, if you had invested in Ross Stores a decade ago, you're probably feeling pretty good about your investment today.
According to our calculations, a $1000 investment made in March 2016 would be worth $3,687.74, or a gain of 268.77%, as of March 9, 2026, and this return excludes dividends but includes price increases.
The S&P 500 rose 237.00% and the price of gold increased 290.88% over the same time frame in comparison.
Looking ahead, analysts are expecting more upside for ROST.
Ross Stores' shares have outperformed the industry in the past six months, reflecting strong execution of its off-price retail model. The company continues to benefit from solid demand for value-driven merchandise, delivering 12% sales growth and 9% comps growth in fourth-quarter fiscal 2025, supported by effective merchandising and marketing initiatives. Ross Stores is also progressing well on store-expansion plans, with long-term growth potential across both banners, targeting 2,900 Ross Dress for Less and 700 dd's DISCOUNTS stores. For fiscal 2026, ROST expects comps growth of 3-4%, with total sales anticipated to increase 5-7%. Strong financial flexibility, disciplined capital allocation, and ongoing share repurchases highlight Ross's commitment to shareholder returns, underscoring a robust business for continued growth.
The stock is up 11.02% over the past four weeks, and no earnings estimate has gone lower in the past two months, compared to 5 higher, for fiscal 2026. The consensus estimate has moved up as well.
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Ross Stores, Inc. (ROST): Free Stock Analysis ReportThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).
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