Lowe`s Companies Inc vs Ross Stores, Inc. — how do they compare? Lowe`s Companies Inc trades at $202.73 (market cap $114.78B), while Ross Stores, Inc. trades at $234.63 (market cap $75.63B). The key difference: Lowe`s Companies Inc is the larger of the two by market cap, and Lowe`s Companies Inc pays the higher dividend (2.44%). Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| LOW | ROST | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $114.78B | $75.63B |
Sector | Consumer Cyclical | Consumer Cyclical |
52-Week High | $287.39 | $240.13 |
52-Week Low | $204.76 | $134.02 |
Enterprise Value | $156.54B | $76.23B |
Dividend Yield | 2.44% | 0.75% |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
Lowe's (LOW) trades at $204.08, down 2.23% on the day, amid a bearish technical signal. The stock has consistently beaten earnings expectations in recent quarters, with Q1 2026 EPS of $3.03 exceeding the $2.97 estimate. Revenue for 2025 was $83.67 billion, with a net income margin of 7.51%. The company maintains a strong dividend history, recently declaring a $1.25 per share dividend payable in August 2026.
The outlook is mixed. Strong analyst consensus, with a $260.88 price target and 60.79% buy ratings, suggests upside potential. However, high debt levels, with a debt-to-asset ratio of 82.33% for 2025, and a projected net cash flow deficit of $2.3 billion for 2026 present significant financial risks. Competitive pressures in the home improvement sector remain a key challenge.
Ross Stores (ROST) trades at $235.36, up 0.87% with strong technical and fundamental momentum. The stock shows bullish moving averages and recent earnings beats, with Q1 2026 EPS of $2.02 exceeding expectations by 17%. Revenue growth accelerated to $21.13B in 2025, while net income margin improved to 9.74%. Analyst sentiment remains positive with a $259 consensus target, supported by robust store expansion and customer acquisition trends noted in recent media coverage.
Outlook is favorable given consistent earnings outperformance and high ROE of 38.98%, though valuation multiples like P/E of 32.6 suggest premium pricing. Key risks include consumer spending sensitivity and competitive pressures in off-price retail. Institutional ownership trends and technical support near $232 provide a cushion for near-term stability.
Trailing returns across standard periods
Latest headlines on both assets
Lowe's is the second-largest home improvement retailer in the world, operating 1,969 stores and servicing around 230 dealer-owned stores throughout the United States and Canada. The firm's stores offer products and services for home decorating, maintenance, repair, and remodeling, with maintenance and repair accounting for two thirds of products sold. Lowe's targets retail do-it-yourself (around 75% of sales) and do-it-for-me customers as well as commercial and professional business clients (around 25% of sales). We estimate Lowe's captures a low-double-digit share of the domestic home improvement market, based on U.S. Census data and management's estimates for market size.
Read more on LOW →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 →