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Side-by-side financial comparison of Ross Stores (ROST) and Southern Company (SO). Click either name above to swap in a different company.
Southern Company is the larger business by last-quarter revenue ($7.0B vs $5.6B, roughly 1.2× Ross Stores). Ross Stores runs the higher net margin — 9.1% vs 4.9%, a 4.3% gap on every dollar of revenue. On growth, Southern Company posted the faster year-over-year revenue change (146.8% vs 10.4%). Over the past eight quarters, Southern Company's revenue compounded faster (3.9% CAGR vs -3.6%).
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...
Southern Company is an American gas and electric utility holding company based in the Southern United States. It is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, with executive offices located in Birmingham, Alabama. As of 2021 it is the second largest utility company in the U.S. in terms of customer base. Through its subsidiaries it serves 9 million gas and electric utility customers in 6 states. Southern Company's regulated regional electric utilities serve a 120,000-square-mile (310,000 km2) territor...
ROST vs SO — Head-to-Head
Income Statement — Q3 FY2026 vs Q1 FY2026
| Metric | | |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $5.6B | $7.0B |
| Net Profit | $511.9M | $341.0M |
| Gross Margin | 28.0% | — |
| Operating Margin | 11.6% | 13.1% |
| Net Margin | 9.1% | 4.9% |
| Revenue YoY | 10.4% | 146.8% |
| Net Profit YoY | 4.7% | 483.1% |
| EPS (diluted) | $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.
| Q1 26 | — | $7.0B | ||
| Q4 25 | $5.6B | $7.0B | ||
| Q3 25 | $5.5B | $7.8B | ||
| Q2 25 | $5.0B | $7.0B | ||
| Q1 25 | $5.9B | $7.8B | ||
| Q4 24 | $5.1B | $6.3B | ||
| Q3 24 | $5.3B | $7.3B | ||
| Q2 24 | $4.9B | $6.5B |
| Q1 26 | — | $341.0M | ||
| Q4 25 | $511.9M | $341.0M | ||
| Q3 25 | $508.0M | $1.7B | ||
| Q2 25 | $479.2M | $880.0M | ||
| Q1 25 | $586.8M | $1.3B | ||
| Q4 24 | $488.8M | $466.0M | ||
| Q3 24 | $527.1M | $1.5B | ||
| Q2 24 | $488.0M | $1.2B |
| Q1 26 | — | — | ||
| Q4 25 | 28.0% | — | ||
| Q3 25 | 27.6% | — | ||
| Q2 25 | 28.2% | — | ||
| Q1 25 | 26.5% | — | ||
| Q4 24 | 28.3% | — | ||
| Q3 24 | 28.3% | — | ||
| Q2 24 | 28.1% | — |
| Q1 26 | — | 13.1% | ||
| Q4 25 | 11.6% | 13.1% | ||
| Q3 25 | 11.5% | 33.2% | ||
| Q2 25 | 12.2% | 25.3% | ||
| Q1 25 | 12.4% | 25.9% | ||
| Q4 24 | 11.9% | 16.7% | ||
| Q3 24 | 12.5% | 32.6% | ||
| Q2 24 | 12.2% | 30.0% |
| Q1 26 | — | 4.9% | ||
| Q4 25 | 9.1% | 4.9% | ||
| Q3 25 | 9.2% | 21.9% | ||
| Q2 25 | 9.6% | 12.6% | ||
| Q1 25 | 9.9% | 16.3% | ||
| Q4 24 | 9.6% | 7.3% | ||
| Q3 24 | 10.0% | 21.1% | ||
| Q2 24 | 10.0% | 18.6% |
| Q1 26 | — | — | ||
| Q4 25 | $1.58 | $0.38 | ||
| Q3 25 | $1.56 | $1.54 | ||
| Q2 25 | $1.47 | $0.79 | ||
| Q1 25 | $1.79 | $1.21 | ||
| Q4 24 | $1.48 | $0.48 | ||
| Q3 24 | $1.59 | $1.39 | ||
| Q2 24 | $1.46 | $1.09 |
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 | $1.5B | — |
| Stockholders' EquityBook value | $5.9B | — |
| Total Assets | $15.4B | — |
| Debt / EquityLower = less leverage | 0.26× | — |
8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.
| Q1 26 | — | — | ||
| Q4 25 | $4.1B | $1.6B | ||
| Q3 25 | $3.8B | $3.3B | ||
| Q2 25 | $3.8B | $1.3B | ||
| Q1 25 | $4.7B | $2.3B | ||
| Q4 24 | $4.3B | $1.1B | ||
| Q3 24 | $4.7B | $1.0B | ||
| Q2 24 | $4.7B | $1.2B |
| Q1 26 | — | — | ||
| Q4 25 | $1.5B | $65.6B | ||
| Q3 25 | $1.5B | $64.6B | ||
| Q2 25 | $1.5B | $63.0B | ||
| Q1 25 | $2.2B | $62.9B | ||
| Q4 24 | $2.2B | $58.8B | ||
| Q3 24 | $2.5B | $61.3B | ||
| Q2 24 | $2.5B | $59.9B |
| Q1 26 | — | — | ||
| Q4 25 | $5.9B | $36.0B | ||
| Q3 25 | $5.7B | $38.3B | ||
| Q2 25 | $5.6B | $37.3B | ||
| Q1 25 | $5.5B | $37.2B | ||
| Q4 24 | $5.3B | $33.2B | ||
| Q3 24 | $5.1B | $36.9B | ||
| Q2 24 | $4.9B | $36.1B |
| Q1 26 | — | — | ||
| Q4 25 | $15.4B | $155.7B | ||
| Q3 25 | $14.5B | $153.2B | ||
| Q2 25 | $14.3B | $148.9B | ||
| Q1 25 | $14.9B | $148.1B | ||
| Q4 24 | $14.9B | $145.2B | ||
| Q3 24 | $14.7B | $144.0B | ||
| Q2 24 | $14.5B | $141.9B |
| Q1 26 | — | — | ||
| Q4 25 | 0.26× | 1.82× | ||
| Q3 25 | 0.26× | 1.69× | ||
| Q2 25 | 0.27× | 1.69× | ||
| Q1 25 | 0.40× | 1.69× | ||
| Q4 24 | 0.42× | 1.77× | ||
| Q3 24 | 0.48× | 1.66× | ||
| Q2 24 | 0.50× | 1.66× |
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 | $827.1M | — |
| Free Cash FlowOCF − Capex | $617.8M | — |
| FCF MarginFCF / Revenue | 11.0% | — |
| Capex IntensityCapex / Revenue | 3.7% | — |
| Cash ConversionOCF / Net Profit | 1.62× | — |
| TTM Free Cash FlowTrailing 4 quarters | $2.0B | — |
8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.
| Q1 26 | — | — | ||
| Q4 25 | $827.1M | $2.6B | ||
| Q3 25 | $668.4M | $3.8B | ||
| Q2 25 | $409.7M | $2.2B | ||
| Q1 25 | $882.6M | $1.3B | ||
| Q4 24 | $513.4M | $2.2B | ||
| Q3 24 | $592.1M | $3.6B | ||
| Q2 24 | $368.9M | $2.7B |
| Q1 26 | — | — | ||
| Q4 25 | $617.8M | $-1.7B | ||
| Q3 25 | $466.6M | $559.0M | ||
| Q2 25 | $202.3M | $-619.0M | ||
| Q1 25 | $676.6M | $-1.2B | ||
| Q4 24 | $333.0M | $-576.0M | ||
| Q3 24 | $394.6M | $1.3B | ||
| Q2 24 | $232.7M | $563.0M |
| Q1 26 | — | — | ||
| Q4 25 | 11.0% | -24.2% | ||
| Q3 25 | 8.4% | 7.1% | ||
| Q2 25 | 4.1% | -8.9% | ||
| Q1 25 | 11.4% | -15.3% | ||
| Q4 24 | 6.6% | -9.1% | ||
| Q3 24 | 7.5% | 17.9% | ||
| Q2 24 | 4.8% | 8.7% |
| Q1 26 | — | — | ||
| Q4 25 | 3.7% | 61.4% | ||
| Q3 25 | 3.6% | 41.1% | ||
| Q2 25 | 4.2% | 40.2% | ||
| Q1 25 | 3.5% | 31.3% | ||
| Q4 24 | 3.6% | 43.4% | ||
| Q3 24 | 3.7% | 31.8% | ||
| Q2 24 | 2.8% | 32.9% |
| Q1 26 | — | — | ||
| Q4 25 | 1.62× | 7.62× | ||
| Q3 25 | 1.32× | 2.21× | ||
| Q2 25 | 0.85× | 2.48× | ||
| Q1 25 | 1.50× | 0.98× | ||
| Q4 24 | 1.05× | 4.66× | ||
| Q3 24 | 1.12× | 2.36× | ||
| Q2 24 | 0.76× | 2.23× |
Financial Flow Comparison
Revenue → gross profit → operating profit → net profit for each company.
