Ross Stores Q4 EPS falls to $1.79; fiscal 2025 EPS guided to $5.95-$6.55
Ross Stores reported fourth-quarter diluted earnings per share of $1.79, down from $1.82 a year earlier, on sales of $5.9 billion. For fiscal 2024, EPS rose to $6.32 from $5.56 and sales reached $21.1 billion, though the company said a one-time facility sale added $0.14 per share. Management forecast fiscal 2025 EPS of $5.95 to $6.55, below the fiscal 2024 level, citing softer sales since late January, and raised the quarterly dividend 10% to $0.405 per share.
- Fourth-quarter sales were $5.9 billion versus $6.0 billion a year earlier; comparable store sales rose 3%, and operating margin was 12.4%, flat year over year.
- Fiscal 2024 net earnings were $2.1 billion, including a one-time benefit of about $0.14 per share from the sale of a packaway facility.
- First-quarter fiscal 2025 EPS is projected at $1.33 to $1.47, compared with $1.46 a year earlier, with comparable store sales forecast down 3% to flat.
- The quarterly dividend rises to $0.405 per share, payable March 31, 2025; the company expects to complete the remaining $1.05 billion buyback authorization in fiscal 2025.