AEO vs ROST
American Eagle Outfitters Inc. and Ross Stores, Inc., side by side — 10 fiscal years reported in USD, drawn from SEC filings.
Most recent reported year
| Metric | AEO | ROST |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $5.5B | $22.8B |
| Net income | $192.0M | $2.1B |
| Gross margin | 36.5% | 27.7% |
| Net margin | 3.3% | 9.4% |
| Return on equity | 11.1% | 36.7% |
| Diluted EPS | $1.09 | $6.61 |
| Dividend / share | $0.50 | $1.62 |
| Payout ratio | 44.4% | 24.6% |
| Free cash flow | $195.4M | $2.2B |
| Equity | $1.7B | $6.2B |
| Net debt / equity | −0.14× | −0.50× |
| Current ratio | 1.51× | 1.58× |
| Revenue CAGR 5y | 8.1% | 12.7% |
| Profit CAGR 5y | · | 90.6% |
ROST bills 4.1× the revenue of AEO, and keeps more of each dollar of revenue as profit (9.4% against 3.3%).
The stronger figure of the pair is set in bold. That is arithmetic, not a recommendation — this page does not pick a winner. "·" marks a figure not available in our data.
10 years side by side
| Fiscal year | AEO | ROST |
|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | $5.5B | $22.8B |
| FY2024 | $5.3B | $21.1B |
| FY2023 | $5.3B | $20.4B |
| FY2022 | $5.0B | $18.7B |
| FY2021 | $5.0B | $18.9B |
| FY2020 | $3.8B | $12.5B |
| FY2019 | $4.3B | $16.0B |
| FY2018 | $4.0B | $15.0B |
| FY2017 | $3.8B | $14.1B |
| FY2016 | $3.6B | $12.9B |
Bottom line
| Fiscal year | AEO | ROST |
|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | $192.0M | $2.1B |
| FY2024 | $329.4M | $2.1B |
| FY2023 | $170.0M | $1.9B |
| FY2022 | $125.1M | $1.5B |
| FY2021 | $419.6M | $1.7B |
| FY2020 | $-209.3M | $85.4M |
| FY2019 | $191.3M | $1.7B |
| FY2018 | $261.9M | $1.6B |
| FY2017 | $204.2M | $1.4B |
| FY2016 | $212.4M | $1.1B |
18 fiscal years
| Fiscal year | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | −$17,203,323,000 | ROST |
| FY2024 | −$15,800,567,000 | ROST |
| FY2023 | −$15,115,171,000 | ROST |
| FY2022 | −$13,705,996,000 | ROST |
| FY2021 | −$13,905,459,000 | ROST |
| FY2020 | −$8,772,452,000 | ROST |
| FY2019 | −$11,730,861,000 | ROST |
| FY2018 | −$10,947,821,000 | ROST |
| FY2017 | −$10,339,183,000 | ROST |
| FY2016 | −$9,256,892,000 | ROST |
| FY2015 | −$8,418,151,000 | ROST |
| FY2014 | −$7,758,810,000 | ROST |
| FY2013 | −$6,924,551,000 | ROST |
| FY2012 | −$6,245,263,000 | ROST |
| FY2011 | −$5,488,226,000 | ROST |
| FY2010 | −$4,920,806,000 | ROST |
| FY2009 | −$4,243,944,000 | ROST |
| FY2008 | −$3,537,460,000 | ROST |
ROST has reported the higher revenue in every one of these 18 fiscal years. The gap has widened since the earliest year compared.
18 of 18 comparable fiscal years — a year missing data on either side is not counted.
18 fiscal years
| Fiscal year | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | −6.1 pp | ROST |
| FY2024 | −3.8 pp | ROST |
| FY2023 | −6.0 pp | ROST |
| FY2022 | −5.6 pp | ROST |
| FY2021 | −0.7 pp | ROST |
| FY2020 | −6.2 pp | ROST |
| FY2019 | −5.9 pp | ROST |
| FY2018 | −4.1 pp | ROST |
| FY2017 | −4.3 pp | ROST |
| FY2016 | −2.8 pp | ROST |
| FY2015 | −2.4 pp | ROST |
| FY2014 | −5.9 pp | ROST |
| FY2013 | −5.7 pp | ROST |
| FY2012 | −1.4 pp | ROST |
| FY2011 | −2.8 pp | ROST |
| FY2010 | −2.3 pp | ROST |
| FY2009 | −0.4 pp | ROST |
| FY2008 | +1.4 pp | AEO |
The higher net margin has changed hands between AEO and ROST over this period.
18 of 18 comparable fiscal years — a year missing data on either side is not counted.
Standard deviation, each side
AEO's net margin has been more volatile than ROST's over the 18 comparable fiscal years — 2.9 percentage points of standard deviation against 2.3.
18 of 18 comparable fiscal years — a year missing data on either side is not counted.
Year by year
The lead in net margin changed hands between AEO and ROST over these 18 fiscal years — AEO led in 1 and ROST in 17.
18 of 18 comparable fiscal years — a year missing data on either side is not counted.
Standard deviation, each side
ROST's return on equity has been more volatile than AEO's over the 18 comparable fiscal years — 10.5 percentage points of standard deviation against 9.8.
18 of 18 comparable fiscal years — a year missing data on either side is not counted.
Year by year
ROST led in return on equity in every one of the 18 comparable fiscal years — a structural lead, not a recent swing.
18 of 18 comparable fiscal years — a year missing data on either side is not counted.