TJX vs ROST Stock Comparison: AI Score, Valuation, Performance and Upside
TJX and Ross are the two dominant US off-price retailers with remarkably similar operating models and margins. TJX's key advantages are HomeGoods (the leading home goods off-price banner) and international operations. Ross's key advantage is a lower-income demographic target that provides even stronger recession resilience and simpler US-only operations. Both are excellent long-term retail compounders.
TJX vs ROST is the closest direct comparison in retail — both dominate off-price with similar margins, both grow unit count, and both beat full-price retailers in economic downturns. TJX offers HomeGoods and international; Ross offers a simpler model targeting the most value-seeking consumer demographic.
ROST holds the edge across 5 of 5 key metrics in this comparison. ROST leads on both 1-year return (+80.40%) and forward P/E (28.04x vs 29.24x for TJX), a relatively favorable combination of momentum and valuation. ROST leads on both revenue growth (20.60%) and operating margin (13.38%), suggesting a stronger fundamental setup on both dimensions. Analyst consensus implies similar upside for both: +5.48% for TJX and +6.68% for ROST.
- →prefer global off-price scale with HomeGoods, T.K. Maxx UK/Europe, and Winners Canada providing category and geographic diversification
- →value the largest global vendor buying organization as a structural competitive moat in off-price merchandise sourcing
- →want multi-banner strategy covering the widest range of off-price merchandise categories and customer segments
- →are comfortable with international currency risk and HomeGoods home goods cycle sensitivity
- →prefer a simpler US-only off-price model targeting the most value-conscious consumer demographic with highest recession resilience
- →value dd's DISCOUNTS as a second banner addressing an even lower price-point customer in the off-price market
- →want off-price retail exposure without international operations complexity and currency risk exposure
- →are comfortable with no home goods-only equivalent to HomeGoods limiting merchandise category diversification
| Metric | TJX | ROST |
|---|---|---|
| AI score | 52.9 | 55.7 |
| AI rank | #314 | #246 |
| Latest close | $163.81 | $232.80 |
| 1M return | +8.71% | +9.46% |
| 6M return | +5.24% | +27.39% |
| 1Y return | +33.17% | +80.40% |
How much would $10,000 be worth today if invested at the start of each period, with all dividends reinvested?
| Period | TJX | ROST |
|---|---|---|
| 1Y ago | $13.37K (+33.7%) started 2025-06-18 | $18.18K (+81.8%) started 2025-06-18 |
| 5Y ago | $28.54K (+185.4%) started 2021-06-21 | $21.28K (+112.8%) started 2021-06-21 |
| 10Y ago | $55.67K (+456.7%) started 2016-06-20 | $51.21K (+412.1%) started 2016-06-20 |
Hypothetical — past performance does not guarantee future results.
| Metric | TJX | ROST |
|---|---|---|
| Market cap | $186.04B | $77.03B |
| Trailing P/E | 32.76 | 33.54 |
| Forward P/E | 29.24 | 28.04 |
| Price/Sales | 2.51 | 2.22 |
| EV/Revenue | 3.16 | 3.27 |
| Analyst target | $177.63 | $256.18 |
| Target upside | +5.48% | +6.68% |
| Metric | TJX | ROST |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue growth | 9.20% | 20.60% |
| Earnings growth | 29.30% | 37.40% |
| EPS growth | +29.30% | +37.40% |
| FCF margin | +7.01% | +8.61% |
| Operating margin | 11.77% | 13.38% |
| Profit margin | 9.40% | 9.74% |
| ROIC proxy | 61.25% | 38.98% |
| Return on equity | 61.25% | 38.98% |
| Dividend yield | 1.14% | 0.74% |
| Beta | 0.62 | 0.87 |
| Debt/equity | 136.31 | 74.91 |
| Current ratio | 1.14 | 1.54 |
| Quick ratio | 0.49 | 0.88 |
Lower drawdown and smaller single-period drops generally indicate a smoother ride, though they do not guarantee lower future risk.
| Period | Metric | TJX | ROST |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Y | Growth | +33.68% | +81.80% |
| CAGR | +33.73% | +81.96% | |
| Sharpe ratio | 1.46 | 2.39 | |
| Max drawdown | 10.89% | 7.79% | |
| Max daily drop | 2.90% | 4.99% | |
| Max wkly drop | 5.42% | 7.49% | |
| 5Y | Growth | +168.15% | +103.58% |
| CAGR | +21.85% | +15.30% | |
| Sharpe ratio | 0.80 | 0.48 | |
| Max drawdown | 27.68% | 44.13% | |
| Max daily drop | 6.73% | 22.47% | |
| Max wkly drop | 13.72% | 21.93% | |
| 10Y | Growth | +385.93% | +367.92% |
| CAGR | +17.14% | +16.70% | |
| Sharpe ratio | 0.57 | 0.51 | |
| Max drawdown | 42.55% | 51.41% | |
| Max daily drop | 20.40% | 22.47% | |
| Max wkly drop | 28.23% | 38.97% |
| Category | TJX | ROST |
|---|---|---|
| Company | The TJX Companies, Inc. | Ross Stores, Inc. |
| Sector | Consumer Cyclical | Consumer Cyclical |
| Industry | Apparel Retail | Apparel Retail |
| Core business | TJX Companies operates T.J. Maxx, Marshalls, HomeGoods, HomeSense, Sierra, and Winners/T.K. Maxx globally. Its 4,900+ store fleet and global buying organization source closeout and excess inventory from 21,000+ vendors across 100+ countries. HomeGoods is a major differentiator — TJX's home goods banner has no equivalent in Ross's portfolio. International operations (T.K. Maxx UK/Europe, Winners Canada) provide geographic diversification unavailable at Ross. | Ross Stores operates Ross Dress for Less (1,700+ stores) and dd's DISCOUNTS (300+ stores) exclusively in the US, offering off-price apparel, accessories, footwear, and home goods. Ross targets a lower-income demographic than T.J. Maxx, making it particularly resilient during economic downturns when value-seeking behavior intensifies most sharply. Ross operates at comparable operating margins to TJX but with a simpler, US-only model. |
| Investor focus | Investors track US and international comparable store sales, gross margin maintenance, HomeGoods performance, and capital allocation efficiency across the multi-banner strategy. | Investors track comparable store sales growth, new store openings targeting underserved Midwest and Northeast markets, dd's DISCOUNTS expansion, and operating margin sustainability above 12%. |
- →HomeGoods banner provides a pure-play home goods off-price destination that Ross Stores does not offer at the same scale
- →International operations (T.K. Maxx in Europe and Canada) provide geographic diversification and growth markets beyond the US
- →Largest global off-price buying organization with 21,000+ vendor relationships provides inventory access that smaller competitors cannot match
- →Lower-income target demographic creates stronger economic cycle resilience — Ross shoppers trade in from full-price retail even more aggressively during recessions
- →US-only focus provides simpler operational model with no currency risk or international execution complexity
- →dd's DISCOUNTS banner targets an even lower price-point customer, extending Ross's market reach to cost-conscious shoppers below T.J. Maxx's demographic
- →International operations add currency risk and country-specific execution complexity that US-only Ross doesn't face
- →HomeGoods comparable store sales can lag apparel banners during periods of softer home goods consumer demand
- →Premium valuation relative to Ross reflects its scale and international diversification — any execution miss is more costly
- →No home goods-only equivalent to HomeGoods limits Ross's merchandise category diversification vs TJX
- →Midwest and Northeast expansion carries real estate cost and competitive market risk in markets where Ross has less established brand recognition
- →Like TJX, Ross is primarily an in-store treasure-hunt experience with limited digital commerce presence
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