Ross Stores, Inc. vs Williams Companies Inc — how do they compare? Ross Stores, Inc. trades at $225 (market cap $73.25B), while Williams Companies Inc trades at $75.31 (market cap $92.75B). The key difference: Williams Companies Inc is the larger of the two by market cap, and Williams Companies Inc pays the higher dividend (2.77%). Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| ROST | WMB | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $73.25B | $92.75B |
Sector | Consumer Cyclical | Energy |
52-Week High | $255.23 | $79.40 |
52-Week Low | $144.67 | $56.51 |
Enterprise Value | $73.70B | $123.38B |
Dividend Yield | 0.78% | 2.77% |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
Ross Stores (ROST) trades at $229.31, down 0.6% on the day, showing bearish technical signals despite strong fundamental performance. The company reported three consecutive quarterly earnings beats, with Q2 2026 EPS of $2.66 beating expectations by 36%. Revenue growth accelerated to 13% in Q2 2026, with comparable store sales surging 10% driven by increased traffic and margin expansion. The stock faces technical resistance near $234 while maintaining strong analyst support with a $271.33 consensus price target.
ROST presents a compelling growth story with robust fundamentals but faces near-term technical headwinds. The company's value-focused retail strategy resonates with cost-conscious consumers, driving consistent earnings outperformance. Key risks include competitive pressures in off-price retail and macroeconomic sensitivity. With 64% of analysts maintaining buy ratings and a 19% upside to consensus targets, the stock offers growth potential for investors comfortable with current technical weakness.
WMB trades at $75.83, up 2.27% today, with a bullish technical outlook supported by moving averages and strong analyst consensus. The company reported mixed Q2 2026 earnings but maintains robust profitability with a 25.18% net income margin. Recent developments include the $5.5 billion acquisition of Momentum Midstream, enhancing its natural gas infrastructure, while a court ruling vacated a key permit for the NESE pipeline project.
The stock offers growth exposure to natural gas demand driven by LNG exports and AI infrastructure, with a consensus price target of $88.14 implying 16% upside. Risks include regulatory hurdles for pipeline projects and high debt levels, but strong cash flow supports dividends and expansion.
Trailing returns across standard periods
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 →Williams is a midstream energy company that owns and operates the large Transco and Northwest pipeline systems and associated natural gas gathering, processing, and storage assets. In August 2018, the firm acquired the remaining 26% ownership of its limited partner, Williams Partners.
Read more on WMB →