Ross Stores' Q4 Earnings Beat, Sales Improve Y/Y on Strong Comps

Core Insights - Ross Stores, Inc. reported mixed results for Q4 fiscal 2024, with earnings surpassing estimates but sales missing expectations [1][3][4] - The company experienced a year-over-year increase in net sales, but earnings declined compared to the previous year [1][3] Financial Performance - Earnings per share (EPS) for Q4 was $1.79, exceeding the Zacks Consensus Estimate of$1.65, but down 1.6% from $1.82 in Q4 fiscal 2023 [3] - Total sales reached$5.91 billion, a 3% increase year-over-year, but fell short of the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $5.95 billion [4] - Comparable store sales (comps) grew by 3$4.3 billion, up 0.7% year-over-year, representing 73.5% of sales, an increase of 80 basis points from the previous year [5] - Gross profit decreased by 4.7% year-over-year to $1.569 billion, with gross margin contracting 80 basis points to 26.5$731 million, with an operating margin of 12.4%, remaining flat year-over-year [7] Shareholder Returns - The company ended fiscal 2024 with cash and cash equivalents of $4.7 billion and long-term debt of$1.5 billion [10] - Ross Stores repurchased 1.7 million shares for $262 million in Q4, totaling 7.3 million shares for$1.05 billion in fiscal 2024 [11] - A 10% increase in the quarterly cash dividend to 40.5 cents per share was approved, payable on March 31, 2025 [12] Future Outlook - Sales trends softened in early 2025 due to unseasonable weather and macroeconomic volatility, leading to a cautious business forecast [13] - For Q1 fiscal 2025, the company anticipates comps to decline between 3% and flat, with EPS expected to be in the range of $1.33 to$1.47 [14] - For the fiscal year ending January 31, 2026, EPS is projected to be between $5.95 and$6.55 [15]