HD vs LOW vs ROST Stock Comparison

Home Depot, Lowes Companies and Ross Stores Prices as of Oct 23, 2026 Peers: Industry group
HD Home Depot, Inc.
$319.64 +7.7% 1M -17.0% 1Y
Market cap
$317.76B
P/E
22.3x
Revenue (TTM)
$169.18B
Div. yield
0.03%
Home Improvement Retail Consumer Discretionary
2 wins
LOW Lowes Companies Inc
$198.69 +3.8% 1M -18.5% 1Y
Market cap
$110.87B
P/E
16.7x
Revenue (TTM)
$90.43B
Div. yield
0.02%
Home Improvement Retail Consumer Discretionary
2 wins
ROST Ross Stores, Inc.
$229.30 -2.0% 1M +46.4% 1Y
Market cap
$74.35B
P/E
28.0x
Revenue (TTM)
$24.51B
Div. yield
0.01%
Apparel Retail Consumer Discretionary
8 wins

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

Ross Stores leads on 8 of the 12 questions below (Ross Stores 8, Home Depot 2, Lowes Companies 2). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionHDLOWROSTLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $317.76B $110.87B $74.35B HD
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 22.3x 16.7x 28.0x LOW
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 22.9x 15.6x 28.4x LOW
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +2.5% +8.2% +14.0% ROST
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 8.4% 7.3% 10.8% ROST
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 23.3% 26.5% 33.9% ROST
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 2.0x 2.7x -0.8x ROST
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.03% 0.02% 0.01% HD
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months -17.0% -18.5% +46.4% ROST
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years -2.7%/yr -2.8%/yr +15.8%/yr ROST
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 26.9% 28.3% 26.0% ROST
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 41/100 47/100 66/100 ROST

Percentile Scorecard

HDLOWROST

Each axis is the mean percentile of its metrics against the company's industry group. 100 is the best in the group, 50 the middle.

Scores by Axis

AxisHDLOWROST
Valuation 23 #80 of 104 49 #54 of 104 13 #91 of 104
Growth 29 #71 of 99 40 #60 of 99 87 #14 of 99
Profitability 90 #11 of 99 87 #14 of 99 91 #10 of 99
Financial Health 32 #77 of 113 24 #86 of 113 87 #16 of 113
Shareholder Returns 31 #51 of 73 38 #46 of 73 51 #36 of 73
Overall 41 47 66
  • HD ranked among 115 companies in Retail
  • LOW ranked among 115 companies in Retail
  • ROST ranked among 115 companies in Retail

Price Performance

Price return, split-adjusted, before dividends. Click a name to hide or show it.

Returns

PeriodHDLOWROSTSPY
1 month +7.7%+3.8%-2.0% -1.0%
3 months -4.0%-4.3%-4.0% +2.9%
6 months -4.8%-18.7%+1.3% +6.4%
Year to date -7.1%-17.6%+27.3% +11.4%
1 year -17.0%-18.5%+46.4% +13.1%
3 years +12.8%+6.7%+98.0% +79.4%
3 years, per year +4.1%+2.2%+25.6% +21.5%
5 years -12.7%-13.1%+107.7% +67.7%
5 years, per year -2.7%-2.8%+15.8% +10.9%
10 years +152.5%+181.2%+261.7% +255.2%
10 years, per year +9.7%+10.9%+13.7% +13.5%

Risk

MeasureHDLOWROSTSPY
Volatility, 1Y 26.9%28.3%26.0% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 26.2%27.1%24.4% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.690.600.52 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y -0.63-0.651.78 1.03
Max drawdown, 5Y -35.9%-37.6%-41.3% -25.4%
From 52-week high -18.3%-30.9%-10.2% -2.5%
52-week high $391.05$287.39$255.23 $779.14
52-week low $281.12$179.47$156.66 $631.97

Valuation History

Weekly multiples on trailing twelve-month fundamentals. Negative or extreme readings (a loss year, a collapsed denominator) are left out so the chart stays readable.

MultipleHDLOWROST
P/E now vs peer median 22.3xmedian 16.7x 16.7xmedian 16.7x 27.4xmedian 16.7x
P/S now vs peer median 1.9xmedian 0.5x 1.2xmedian 0.5x 3.0xmedian 0.5x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 14.6xmedian 9.1x 11.4xmedian 9.1x 17.9xmedian 9.1x
P/FCF now vs peer median 21.1xmedian 16.6x 15.9xmedian 16.6x 26.3xmedian 16.6x
P/B now vs peer median 19.2xmedian 1.7x -15.0xmedian 1.7x 10.9xmedian 1.7x
PEG now vs peer median -5.48median 0.73 3.55median 0.73 1.33median 0.73

Financial History

Reported figures by fiscal period, placed on the calendar year (or quarter) each period ended in, so companies with different fiscal years line up.

Trailing twelve monthsHDLOWROST
Revenue $169.18B $90.43B $24.51B
Gross profit $56.18B $29.92B $7.27B
Operating income $21.02B $10.29B $3.37B
Net income $14.23B $6.64B $2.66B
Free cash flow $15.10B $7.00B $2.79B
EPS (diluted) $14.28 $11.86 $8.32
Cash & equivalents $2.09B $3.17B $4.29B
Total debt $214.74B $150.16B $1.02B
Shares (diluted) 996.00M 560.00M 319.45M
Enterprise value $311.00B $103.83B $57.27B

All Metrics

58 metrics · best in bold

Bold marks the best reading: the lowest positive value for multiples, leverage and payout, the highest for everything else. The bar under each value is its percentile against that company's own peers. Hover a value for its rank and the peer median.

Valuation

12 metrics
MetricHDLOWROST
P/E 22.3x 16.7x 27.4x
P/FCF 21.1x 15.9x 26.3x
P/Operating cash flow 17.0x 12.0x 20.0x
P/S 1.9x 1.2x 3.0x
P/B 19.2x -15.0x 10.9x
P/Tangible book 52.0x -8.5x 10.9x
EV/EBITDA 14.6x 11.4x 17.9x
EV/EBIT 17.6x 14.1x 20.8x
EV/Revenue 2.2x 1.6x 2.9x
EV/FCF 24.5x 20.8x 25.1x
EV/Operating cash flow 19.7x 15.7x 19.1x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) -5.48 3.55 1.33

Growth

14 metrics
MetricHDLOWROST
Revenue growth (1Y) 2.5% 8.2% 14.0%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 3.0% -1.0% 8.5%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 2.1% 6.9% 22.5%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 2.7% -1.2% 13.3%
Operating income growth (1Y) -2.7% -0.4% 30.6%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) -3.0% 1.6% 31.6%
Net income growth (1Y) -2.7% -3.1% 28.9%
Net income CAGR (3Y) -4.3% 3.2% 18.3%
EPS growth (1Y) -2.9% -3.1% 31.1%
EPS CAGR (3Y) -4.1% 4.7% 20.5%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 5.1% -5.7% 48.0%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) -1.5% 2.7% 8.6%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 6.1% -8.9% 66.2%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) -2.5% 1.8% 10.2%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricHDLOWROST
Gross margin 33.2% 33.1% 29.7%
EBITDA margin 15.0% 14.1% 16.0%
Operating margin 12.4% 11.4% 13.7%
Pretax margin 11.1% 9.7% 14.3%
Net margin 8.4% 7.3% 10.8%
FCF margin 8.9% 7.7% 11.4%
Operating cash flow margin 11.1% 10.2% 14.9%
Return on equity 93.3% – 40.8%
Return on assets 13.1% 12.0% 16.9%
Return on invested capital 23.3% 26.5% 33.9%
Return on capital employed 28.5% 30.0% 31.0%
Asset turnover 1.6x 1.6x 1.6x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.3x 1.4x 1.4x
Stock comp / revenue 0.3% 0.3% 0.8%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricHDLOWROST
Debt / assets 48.4% 67.2% 6.4%
Debt / equity 3.2x -5.0x 0.2x
Net debt / EBITDA 2.0x 2.7x -0.8x
Debt / FCF 3.5x 5.4x 0.4x
Liabilities / assets 84.8% 113.3% 57.8%
Equity / assets 15.2% -13.3% 42.2%
Interest coverage 8.7x – –
Current ratio 1.1x 1.1x 1.6x
Quick ratio 0.3x 0.2x 0.9x
Cash ratio 0.1x 0.2x 0.9x
Altman Z-score 5.53 3.12 7.68

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricHDLOWROST
Dividend yield 2.9% 2.5% 0.8%
Net buyback yield -0.1% 0.3% 1.6%
Shareholder yield 2.8% 2.7% 2.3%
Payout ratio (earnings) 64.8% 40.5% 20.6%
Payout ratio (FCF) 61.1% 38.5% 19.7%
Dividend growth (1Y) 2.0% 3.8% 7.9%
Dividend CAGR (3Y) 4.4% 1.6% 7.4%

Analyst Estimates

Solid lines are reported fiscal-year results; dashed lines are the consensus for the years ahead. Hover a year for the analysts' high and low, and how each result compared with its estimate.

ConsensusHDLOWROST
Forward P/E 22.9xFY2026 15.6xFY2026 28.4xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $13.98FY2026 $12.72FY2026 $8.06FY2026
EPS growth, next FY -4.8%FY2026 +3.5%FY2026 +21.9%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +10.6% -4.7% +18.6%
Revenue, next fiscal year $163.27BFY2026 $85.87BFY2026 $23.93BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY -0.9%FY2026 -0.5%FY2026 +5.2%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +14.2% +14.2% +7.3%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersHDLOWROST
Held by institutions 75.0% 79.5% 93.4%
Institutions holding 4,107 2,652 1,420
Change in shares held, QoQ +3.1% +2.6% +4.7%
Institutions buying 1,917 1,070 763
Institutions selling 1,766 1,189 440
Buyers to sellers 1.09 0.90 1.73

Return Correlation

Daily returns, last 12 months

1.00 means two stocks move in lockstep, 0 that they move independently. Pairs below about 0.5 diversify each other.

HDLOWROST
HD 1.00 0.89 0.35
LOW 0.89 1.00 0.32
ROST 0.35 0.32 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, HD, LOW and ROST?

Home Depot (HD) is the largest by market capitalisation: Home Depot (HD) $317.76B, Lowes Companies (LOW) $110.87B, Ross Stores (ROST) $74.35B.

Which stock is cheaper, HD, LOW and ROST?

Lowes Companies (LOW) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Home Depot (HD) 22.3x, Lowes Companies (LOW) 16.7x, Ross Stores (ROST) 28.0x). On next year's consensus earnings, Lowes Companies (LOW) is cheapest (Home Depot (HD) 22.9x, Lowes Companies (LOW) 15.6x, Ross Stores (ROST) 28.4x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Ross Stores (ROST) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Home Depot (HD) +2.5%, Lowes Companies (LOW) +8.2%, Ross Stores (ROST) +14.0%.

Which company is more profitable?

Ross Stores (ROST) has the highest net margin (Home Depot (HD) 8.4%, Lowes Companies (LOW) 7.3%, Ross Stores (ROST) 10.8%). On return on invested capital, Ross Stores (ROST) leads (Home Depot (HD) 23.3%, Lowes Companies (LOW) 26.5%, Ross Stores (ROST) 33.9%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Ross Stores (ROST) returned the most: Home Depot (HD) -17.0%, Lowes Companies (LOW) -18.5%, Ross Stores (ROST) +46.4%. Over five years, Ross Stores (ROST) compounded fastest (Home Depot (HD) -2.7%/yr, Lowes Companies (LOW) -2.8%/yr, Ross Stores (ROST) +15.8%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Home Depot (HD) has the highest dividend yield: Home Depot (HD) 0.03%, Lowes Companies (LOW) 0.02%, Ross Stores (ROST) 0.01%.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Ross Stores (ROST) has been the steadiest (Home Depot (HD) 26.9%, Lowes Companies (LOW) 28.3%, Ross Stores (ROST) 26.0%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, HD, LOW and ROST?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Ross Stores (ROST) leads on 8. Business Quant does not give investment advice; use the comparison as a starting point for your own research.

Data from SEC filings, exchange prices and consensus estimates, via Business Quant. Percentile scores compare each company with its own peer group, so two companies' scores are each relative to different peers unless you rank against the whole market. Price returns exclude dividends. Nothing on this page is investment advice.