LOW vs. ROST: Lowe's vs. Ross Stores Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Lowe's (LOW) and Ross Stores (ROST) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.

Company Profile

Lowe's (LOW) and Ross Stores (ROST) both belong to the Specialty Retail industry, though LOW is classified under Home Improvement Retail while ROST falls under Apparel Retail.

Company profile comparison for Lowe's (LOW) and Ross Stores (ROST)
Profile Item	LOW	ROST
Name	Lowe's Companies, Inc.	Ross Stores Inc.
Country/Region	United States	United States
GICS Sector	Consumer Discretionary	Consumer Discretionary
GICS Industry Group	Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail	Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail
GICS Industry	Specialty Retail	Specialty Retail
GICS Sub-Industry	Home Improvement Retail	Apparel Retail
Market Capitalization	125.98 billion USD	74.13 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	Nasdaq
Listing Date	March 17, 1980	August 8, 1985
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

LOW

ROST

GSPC

Lowe's (LOW) vs. Ross Stores (ROST), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

Loading price history…

Trailing total returns for Lowe's (LOW) and Ross Stores (ROST). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

Loading price history…

Calendar-year total returns for Lowe's (LOW) and Ross Stores (ROST). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Lowe's (LOW) and Ross Stores (ROST)
Metric	LOW	ROST
Total Return (1Y)	1.84%	49.04%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	9.02%	26.07%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	1.87%	16.09%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

LOW

ROST

GSPC

Lowe's (LOW) vs. Ross Stores (ROST), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

Loading price history…

Distribution of monthly total returns for Lowe's (LOW) and Ross Stores (ROST). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Lowe's (LOW) and Ross Stores (ROST)
Metric	LOW	ROST
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	30.08%	27.67%
Beta (5Y)	0.78	0.83
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-36.85%	-40.66%
Avg. Volume (3M)	3.23M	2.30M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

LOW and ROST are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. The dashed Capital Allocation Line runs from the risk-free rate through the shared industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for Lowe's (LOW) and Ross Stores (ROST)
Metric	LOW	ROST
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	-0.08	1.62
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	-0.13	2.70

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Capital efficiency shows on one side only: Ross Stores (ROST) earns 42.63% on shareholders’ equity, ranked against its industry; Lowe's (LOW) has no ROE this period.

LOW

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

Max: 62.17%
Q3: 29.44%
Median: 15.69%
Q1: 6.73%
Min: -12.16%
LOW: --

ROST

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

42.63%

Max: 62.17%
ROST: 42.63%
Q3: 29.44%
Median: 15.69%
Q1: 6.73%
Min: -12.16%

Lowe's (LOW) vs. Ross Stores (ROST): LOW does not report ROE, so it has no value marker; ROST is benchmarked against the Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group.

Net Margin (TTM)

Ross Stores (ROST) at 10.85% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of Lowe's (LOW) at 7.35%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

LOW

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

7.35%

Max: 16.94%
Q3: 8.69%
LOW: 7.35%
Median: 3.55%
Q1: 1.14%
Min: -9.41%

ROST

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

10.85%

Max: 16.94%
ROST: 10.85%
Q3: 8.69%
Median: 3.55%
Q1: 1.14%
Min: -9.41%

Lowe's (LOW) vs. Ross Stores (ROST): A comparison of their net margin against the Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both Lowe's (LOW) at 13.37% and Ross Stores (ROST) at 13.58% convert sales into operating profit at a top-quartile rate, pointing to tighter cost discipline before financing and tax.

LOW

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

13.37%

Max: 21.45%
LOW: 13.37%
Q3: 10.89%
Median: 5.57%
Q1: 2.28%
Min: -7.12%

ROST

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

13.58%

Max: 21.45%
ROST: 13.58%
Q3: 10.89%
Median: 5.57%
Q1: 2.28%
Min: -7.12%

Lowe's (LOW) vs. Ross Stores (ROST): A comparison of their operating margin against the Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Lowe's (LOW) and Ross Stores (ROST)
Metric	LOW	ROST
ROE (TTM)	--	42.63%
ROA (TTM)	12.52%	12.79%
Net Margin (TTM)	7.35%	10.85%
Operating Margin (TTM)	13.37%	13.58%
Gross Margin (TTM)	32.99%	33.39%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Lowe's (LOW) at 3.12% and Ross Stores (ROST) at 7.67% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

Lowe's (LOW) vs. Ross Stores (ROST): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Both Lowe's (LOW) at -3.11% and Ross Stores (ROST) at 4.59% land near their industries' usual EPS growth ranges, so bottom-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

Lowe's (LOW) vs. Ross Stores (ROST): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Lowe's (LOW) and Ross Stores (ROST)
Metric	LOW	ROST
Revenue Growth (YoY)	3.12%	7.67%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	-3.85%	6.76%
EPS Growth (YoY)	-3.11%	4.59%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	5.23%	14.70%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both Lowe's (LOW) at 1.11 and Ross Stores (ROST) at 1.61 carry current ratio within their industries’ typical mid-ranges, suggesting balanced short-term liquidity relative to peers.

LOW

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

1.11

Max: 2.62
Q3: 1.75
Median: 1.35
LOW: 1.11
Q1: 1.00
Min: 0.48

ROST

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

1.61

Max: 2.62
Q3: 1.75
ROST: 1.61
Median: 1.35
Q1: 1.00
Min: 0.48

Lowe's (LOW) vs. Ross Stores (ROST): A comparison of their current ratio against the Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Only one side’s leverage can be read here: Ross Stores (ROST) carries debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70 against its industry range, while Lowe's (LOW) reports no figure this period.

LOW

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

Max: 3.93
Q3: 2.14
Median: 1.25
Q1: 0.73
Min: 0.01
LOW: --

ROST

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

0.70

Max: 3.93
Q3: 2.14
Median: 1.25
Q1: 0.73
ROST: 0.70
Min: 0.01

Lowe's (LOW) vs. Ross Stores (ROST): LOW does not report debt-to-equity ratio, so it has no value marker; ROST is benchmarked against the Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Lowe's (LOW) and Ross Stores (ROST)
Metric	LOW	ROST
Current Ratio (MRQ)	1.11	1.61
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	--	0.70
Net Debt / EBITDA	3.05	0.12

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both Lowe's (LOW) at 2.13% and Ross Stores (ROST) at 0.72% pay solid, industry-typical yields, sitting squarely within their peers’ usual range.

LOW

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

2.13%

Max: 5.84%
Q3: 2.50%
LOW: 2.13%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

ROST

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

0.72%

Max: 5.84%
Q3: 2.50%
ROST: 0.72%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Lowe's (LOW) vs. Ross Stores (ROST): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Ross Stores (ROST) at 20.56% pays out a band-typical share of earnings, while Lowe's (LOW) at 41.00% distributes more than its industry norm — less retained, thinner cover.

LOW

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

41.00%

Max: 72.73%
LOW: 41.00%
Q3: 32.44%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

ROST

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

20.56%

Max: 72.73%
Q3: 32.44%
ROST: 20.56%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Lowe's (LOW) vs. Ross Stores (ROST): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Lowe's (LOW) and Ross Stores (ROST)
Metric	LOW	ROST
Dividend Yield (TTM)	2.13%	0.72%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	41.00%	20.56%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Lowe's (LOW) at 18.98 is near its industry’s usual P/E ratio, while Ross Stores (ROST) at 27.94 sits in the richer quartile — ROST needs stronger growth or earnings quality to justify the premium.

LOW

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

18.98

Max: 40.50
Q3: 24.26
Median: 19.23
LOW: 18.98
Q1: 12.64
Min: 4.67

ROST

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

27.94

Max: 40.50
ROST: 27.94
Q3: 24.26
Median: 19.23
Q1: 12.64
Min: 4.67

Lowe's (LOW) vs. Ross Stores (ROST): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Lowe's (LOW) at 1.39 is priced about in line with its industry on P/S ratio, while Ross Stores (ROST) at 3.02 sits in the pricier quartile — ROST costs more per dollar of sales.

LOW

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

1.39

Max: 4.32
Q3: 1.99
LOW: 1.39
Median: 0.70
Q1: 0.26
Min: 0.03

ROST

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

3.02

Max: 4.32
ROST: 3.02
Q3: 1.99
Median: 0.70
Q1: 0.26
Min: 0.03

Lowe's (LOW) vs. Ross Stores (ROST): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Lowe's (LOW) reports a negative P/B ratio of -16.94, meaning negative book equity — the multiple itself is not meaningful for valuation. Meanwhile Ross Stores (ROST) reports 10.96, ranking against industry peers normally.

LOW

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

-16.94

Max: 10.96
Q3: 5.26
Median: 2.16
Q1: 1.08
Min: -4.45
LOW: -16.94

ROST

Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group

10.96

ROST: 10.96
Max: 10.96
Q3: 5.26
Median: 2.16
Q1: 1.08
Min: -4.45

Lowe's (LOW) vs. Ross Stores (ROST): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Lowe's (LOW) and Ross Stores (ROST)
Metric	LOW	ROST
P/E Ratio (TTM)	18.98	27.94
P/S Ratio (TTM)	1.39	3.02
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	-16.94	10.96
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	3.66%	2.70%