DUBLIN, Calif. - Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) saw its stock jump 7% in premarket trading Friday after reporting third-quarter earnings that beat analyst expectations, despite sales falling short of estimates.
The off-price retailer posted earnings per share of $1.48 for the quarter ended November 2, 2024, surpassing the analyst consensus of $1.40. Revenue came in at $5.07 billion, below the $5.16 billion analysts had projected. Comparable store sales increased 1% YoY.
While sales growth slowed from the first half of 2024, CEO Barbara Rentler noted that earnings exceeded internal forecasts.
Gross margin expanded to 28.3%, up 71 basis point year-over-year, and above the consensus estimate of 27.5%. Operating margin also rose to 11.9% from 11.2%, and above the estimated 11.1%, as lower costs offset a planned decline in merchandise margin.
"Although our low-to-moderate income customers continue to face persistently high costs on necessities pressuring their discretionary spending, we believe we should have better executed some of our merchandising initiatives," Rentler said.
For the fourth quarter, Ross Stores expects comparable store sales to rise 2% to 3%. The company forecasts Q4 EPS of $1.57 to $1.64, below the $1.67 consensus estimate. However, full-year EPS guidance of $6.10 to $6.17 brackets analyst expectations of $6.13.
Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) analysts reiterated an Overweight rating on ROST shares after the report, highlighting an "ongoing margin recapture opportunity & value positioning in a tough 4Q Retail set-up." However, the firm said it remains wary of "continued assortment challenges & high valuation implied by the post-print stock move."
Meanwhile, Jefferies analysts said ROST "will continue to benefit from value-conscious consumers; however, we still prefer TJX/BURL in the Off-Price space."
Ross Stores repurchased 1.8 million shares for $262 million in Q3 and remains on track to buy back $1.05 billion in stock during fiscal 2024.
The company operated 2,192 Ross and dd's DISCOUNTS locations as of quarter-end, up from 2,112 stores a year ago.
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