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Side-by-side financial comparison of Estée Lauder Companies (The) (EL) and Ross Stores (ROST). Click either name above to swap in a different company.
Ross Stores is the larger business by last-quarter revenue ($5.6B vs $4.2B, roughly 1.3× Estée Lauder Companies (The)). Ross Stores runs the higher net margin — 9.1% vs 3.8%, a 5.3% gap on every dollar of revenue. On growth, Ross Stores posted the faster year-over-year revenue change (10.4% vs 5.6%). Estée Lauder Companies (The) produced more free cash flow last quarter ($1.0B vs $617.8M). Over the past eight quarters, Estée Lauder Companies (The)'s revenue compounded faster (3.6% CAGR vs -3.6%).
Estée Lauder was an American businesswoman. She co-founded her eponymous cosmetics company with her husband, Joseph Lauter. Lauder was the only woman on Time magazine's 1998 list of the 20 most influential business geniuses of the 20th century.
Ross Stores, Inc., operating under the brand name Ross Dress for Less, is an American chain of discount department stores headquartered in Dublin, California. It is the largest off-price retailer in the U.S.; as of July 2024, Ross operates 1,795 stores in 43 U.S. states, Washington, D.C. Puerto Rico and Guam, covering much of the country, but with no presence in New England and Alaska. The company also operates DD's Discounts, a discount department store chain with over 353 locations across t...
EL vs ROST — Head-to-Head
Income Statement — Q2 FY2026 vs Q3 FY2026
| Metric | | |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $4.2B | $5.6B |
| Net Profit | $162.0M | $511.9M |
| Gross Margin | 76.5% | 28.0% |
| Operating Margin | 9.5% | 11.6% |
| Net Margin | 3.8% | 9.1% |
| Revenue YoY | 5.6% | 10.4% |
| Net Profit YoY | 127.5% | 4.7% |
| EPS (diluted) | $0.44 | $1.58 |
Green = leading value per metric. Periods may differ when fiscal calendars don't align.
8-Quarter Revenue & Profit Trend
Side-by-side quarterly history. Quarters aligned by calendar period so offset fiscal years line up.
| Q4 25 | $4.2B | $5.6B | ||
| Q3 25 | $3.5B | $5.5B | ||
| Q2 25 | $3.4B | $5.0B | ||
| Q1 25 | $3.5B | $5.9B | ||
| Q4 24 | $4.0B | $5.1B | ||
| Q3 24 | $3.4B | $5.3B | ||
| Q2 24 | $3.9B | $4.9B | ||
| Q1 24 | $3.9B | $6.0B |
| Q4 25 | $162.0M | $511.9M | ||
| Q3 25 | $47.0M | $508.0M | ||
| Q2 25 | $-546.0M | $479.2M | ||
| Q1 25 | $159.0M | $586.8M | ||
| Q4 24 | $-590.0M | $488.8M | ||
| Q3 24 | $-156.0M | $527.1M | ||
| Q2 24 | $-286.0M | $488.0M | ||
| Q1 24 | $335.0M | $609.7M |
| Q4 25 | 76.5% | 28.0% | ||
| Q3 25 | 73.4% | 27.6% | ||
| Q2 25 | 72.0% | 28.2% | ||
| Q1 25 | 75.0% | 26.5% | ||
| Q4 24 | 76.1% | 28.3% | ||
| Q3 24 | 72.4% | 28.3% | ||
| Q2 24 | 71.8% | 28.1% | ||
| Q1 24 | 71.9% | 27.3% |
| Q4 25 | 9.5% | 11.6% | ||
| Q3 25 | 4.9% | 11.5% | ||
| Q2 25 | -11.4% | 12.2% | ||
| Q1 25 | 8.6% | 12.4% | ||
| Q4 24 | -14.5% | 11.9% | ||
| Q3 24 | -3.6% | 12.5% | ||
| Q2 24 | -6.0% | 12.2% | ||
| Q1 24 | 13.5% | 13.2% |
| Q4 25 | 3.8% | 9.1% | ||
| Q3 25 | 1.4% | 9.2% | ||
| Q2 25 | -16.0% | 9.6% | ||
| Q1 25 | 4.5% | 9.9% | ||
| Q4 24 | -14.7% | 9.6% | ||
| Q3 24 | -4.6% | 10.0% | ||
| Q2 24 | -7.4% | 10.0% | ||
| Q1 24 | 8.5% | 10.1% |
| Q4 25 | $0.44 | $1.58 | ||
| Q3 25 | $0.13 | $1.56 | ||
| Q2 25 | $-1.52 | $1.47 | ||
| Q1 25 | $0.44 | $1.79 | ||
| Q4 24 | $-1.64 | $1.48 | ||
| Q3 24 | $-0.43 | $1.59 | ||
| Q2 24 | $-0.79 | $1.46 | ||
| Q1 24 | $0.91 | $1.82 |
Balance Sheet & Financial Strength
Snapshot of each company's liquidity, leverage and book value from the latest quarter.
| Metric | | |
|---|---|---|
| Cash + ST InvestmentsLiquidity on hand | — | $4.1B |
| Total DebtLower is stronger | $7.3B | $1.5B |
| Stockholders' EquityBook value | $4.0B | $5.9B |
| Total Assets | $19.6B | $15.4B |
| Debt / EquityLower = less leverage | 1.82× | 0.26× |
8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.
| Q4 25 | — | $4.1B | ||
| Q3 25 | — | $3.8B | ||
| Q2 25 | — | $3.8B | ||
| Q1 25 | — | $4.7B | ||
| Q4 24 | — | $4.3B | ||
| Q3 24 | — | $4.7B | ||
| Q2 24 | — | $4.7B | ||
| Q1 24 | — | $4.9B |
| Q4 25 | $7.3B | $1.5B | ||
| Q3 25 | $7.3B | $1.5B | ||
| Q2 25 | $7.3B | $1.5B | ||
| Q1 25 | $7.3B | $2.2B | ||
| Q4 24 | $7.3B | $2.2B | ||
| Q3 24 | $7.3B | $2.5B | ||
| Q2 24 | $7.3B | $2.5B | ||
| Q1 24 | $7.3B | $2.5B |
| Q4 25 | $4.0B | $5.9B | ||
| Q3 25 | $3.9B | $5.7B | ||
| Q2 25 | $3.9B | $5.6B | ||
| Q1 25 | $4.3B | $5.5B | ||
| Q4 24 | $4.2B | $5.3B | ||
| Q3 24 | $5.1B | $5.1B | ||
| Q2 24 | $5.3B | $4.9B | ||
| Q1 24 | $5.7B | $4.9B |
| Q4 25 | $19.6B | $15.4B | ||
| Q3 25 | $19.3B | $14.5B | ||
| Q2 25 | $19.9B | $14.3B | ||
| Q1 25 | $19.9B | $14.9B | ||
| Q4 24 | $19.8B | $14.9B | ||
| Q3 24 | $21.3B | $14.7B | ||
| Q2 24 | $21.7B | $14.5B | ||
| Q1 24 | $22.7B | $14.3B |
| Q4 25 | 1.82× | 0.26× | ||
| Q3 25 | 1.88× | 0.26× | ||
| Q2 25 | 1.89× | 0.27× | ||
| Q1 25 | 1.68× | 0.40× | ||
| Q4 24 | 1.75× | 0.42× | ||
| Q3 24 | 1.44× | 0.48× | ||
| Q2 24 | 1.37× | 0.50× | ||
| Q1 24 | 1.26× | 0.51× |
Cash Flow & Capital Efficiency
How much cash each business actually produces after reinvestment. Cash flow is harder to manipulate than net income.
| Metric | | |
|---|---|---|
| Operating Cash FlowLast quarter | $1.1B | $827.1M |
| Free Cash FlowOCF − Capex | $1.0B | $617.8M |
| FCF MarginFCF / Revenue | 24.0% | 11.0% |
| Capex IntensityCapex / Revenue | 2.6% | 3.7% |
| Cash ConversionOCF / Net Profit | 6.94× | 1.62× |
| TTM Free Cash FlowTrailing 4 quarters | $1.1B | $2.0B |
8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.
| Q4 25 | $1.1B | $827.1M | ||
| Q3 25 | $-340.0M | $668.4M | ||
| Q2 25 | $601.0M | $409.7M | ||
| Q1 25 | $284.0M | $882.6M | ||
| Q4 24 | $1.1B | $513.4M | ||
| Q3 24 | $-670.0M | $592.1M | ||
| Q2 24 | $889.0M | $368.9M | ||
| Q1 24 | $534.0M | $948.8M |
| Q4 25 | $1.0B | $617.8M | ||
| Q3 25 | $-436.0M | $466.6M | ||
| Q2 25 | $394.0M | $202.3M | ||
| Q1 25 | $162.0M | $676.6M | ||
| Q4 24 | $925.0M | $333.0M | ||
| Q3 24 | $-811.0M | $394.6M | ||
| Q2 24 | $672.0M | $232.7M | ||
| Q1 24 | $359.0M | $726.4M |
| Q4 25 | 24.0% | 11.0% | ||
| Q3 25 | -12.5% | 8.4% | ||
| Q2 25 | 11.6% | 4.1% | ||
| Q1 25 | 4.6% | 11.4% | ||
| Q4 24 | 23.1% | 6.6% | ||
| Q3 24 | -24.1% | 7.5% | ||
| Q2 24 | 17.4% | 4.8% | ||
| Q1 24 | 9.1% | 12.1% |
| Q4 25 | 2.6% | 3.7% | ||
| Q3 25 | 2.8% | 3.6% | ||
| Q2 25 | 6.1% | 4.2% | ||
| Q1 25 | 3.4% | 3.5% | ||
| Q4 24 | 3.3% | 3.6% | ||
| Q3 24 | 4.2% | 3.7% | ||
| Q2 24 | 5.6% | 2.8% | ||
| Q1 24 | 4.4% | 3.7% |
| Q4 25 | 6.94× | 1.62× | ||
| Q3 25 | -7.23× | 1.32× | ||
| Q2 25 | — | 0.85× | ||
| Q1 25 | 1.79× | 1.50× | ||
| Q4 24 | — | 1.05× | ||
| Q3 24 | — | 1.12× | ||
| Q2 24 | — | 0.76× | ||
| Q1 24 | 1.59× | 1.56× |
Financial Flow Comparison
Revenue → gross profit → operating profit → net profit for each company.
Revenue Breakdown by Segment
EL
| Skin Care | $2.1B | 49% |
| Makeup | $1.2B | 28% |
| Fragrance | $812.0M | 19% |
| Hair Care | $168.0M | 4% |
| Other | $31.0M | 1% |
ROST
Segment breakdown not available.
