Core and Main Inc vs Ross Stores, Inc. — how do they compare? Core and Main Inc trades at $44.99 (market cap $8.46B), while Ross Stores, Inc. trades at $225.46 (market cap $70.87B). The key difference: Ross Stores, Inc. is far larger — about 8.4× Core and Main Inc's market cap, and Ross Stores, Inc. pays a 0.81% dividend while Core and Main Inc pays none. Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| CNM | ROST | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $8.46B | $70.87B |
Sector | Technology | Consumer Cyclical |
52-Week High | $66.98 | $240.13 |
52-Week Low | $44.29 | $127.59 |
Enterprise Value | $10.76B | $71.46B |
Dividend Yield | — | 0.81% |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
Core & Main (CNM) trades at $44.74, down 2.44% today, amid bearish technical signals but strong fundamentals. The stock shows consistent earnings beats, with Q1 2026 EPS of $0.72 exceeding expectations, and maintains solid profitability with a 23.73% ROE. Recent news highlights municipal strength and margin gains, though residential segments face weakness. Cash flow trends improved in 2026 projections, with net cash flow rising to $142M from $7M in 2025.
The outlook is mixed: analyst consensus leans bullish with 57% buy ratings, but technical indicators signal near-term pressure. Key risks include industry headwinds like high operating costs and residential market softness. Investors should weigh strong fundamentals against current bearish momentum for entry timing.
Ross Stores (ROST) trades at $219.46, down 1.53% on the day, with a bullish technical outlook supported by moving averages and consistent earnings beats. The company demonstrates strong profitability with a 9.74% net margin and 38.98% ROE, while revenue grew to $21.13B in 2025. Recent news highlights robust Q1 2026 performance with 21% sales growth and expanding margins.
The stock offers upside to the $259 consensus price target, driven by operational efficiency and store expansion. Risks include consumer spending sensitivity and competitive pressures. Analyst sentiment is strongly positive with 64% buy ratings, though valuation multiples like the 30.65 P/E warrant monitoring amid market volatility.
Trailing returns across standard periods
Core & Main is a leading US distributor of water, wastewater, storm drainage, and fire protection products. It provides essential infrastructure solutions to municipalities, private water companies, and contractors.
Read more on CNM →Ross Stores is a leading American off-price apparel and home fashion retailer, operating over 1,920 stores (at the end of fiscal 2021) across the Ross Dress for Less and dd's Discounts banners. Ross offers a variety of name-brand products and targets undercutting conventional retailers' regular prices by 20%-70%. The company uses an opportunistic, flexible merchandising approach
Read more on ROST →