Basis of presentation. The accompanying unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared from the records of Ross Stores, Inc. and subsidiaries (the “Company”) without audit and, in the opinion of management, include all adjustments (consisting of only normal, recurring adjustments) necessary to present fairly the Company’s financial position as of October 28, 2023 and October 29, 2022, and the results of operations, comprehensive income, and stockholders’ equity for the three and nine month periods ended October 28, 2023 and October 29, 2022, and the cash flows for the nine month periods ended October 28, 2023 and October 29, 2022. The Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet as of January 28, 2023, presented herein, has been derived from the Company’s audited consolidated financial statements for the fiscal year then ended.

Certain information and disclosures normally included in the notes to annual consolidated financial statements prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”) have been condensed or omitted for purposes of these interim condensed consolidated financial statements. The interim condensed consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the audited consolidated financial statements, including notes thereto, contained in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended January 28, 2023.

The results of operations, comprehensive income, and stockholders’ equity for the three and nine month periods ended October 28, 2023 and October 29, 2022, and the cash flows for the nine month periods ended October 28, 2023 and October 29, 2022 presented herein are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for the full fiscal year. The fiscal year ending February 3, 2024 is referred to as fiscal 2023 and is a 53-week year. The fiscal year ended January 28, 2023 is referred to as fiscal 2022 and was a 52-week year.

Recently adopted accounting standards. In September 2022, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update (ASU) 2022-04, Liabilities — Supplier Finance Programs (Subtopic 405-50): Disclosure of Supplier Finance Program Obligations, to enhance transparency about an entity’s use of supplier finance programs. The ASU requires enhanced and additional disclosures about the key terms of supplier finance programs including a description of where in the financial statements any related amounts are presented. The Company adopted ASU 2022-04 in the first quarter of fiscal 2023 on a retrospective basis, excluding the rollforward requirements which will be adopted in fiscal 2024 on a prospective basis. The adoption of this standard did not have a material impact on the Company’s condensed consolidated financial statements for the three and nine month periods ended October 28, 2023 and is not expected to have a material impact on the Company’s fiscal 2023 financial statements.

Use of accounting estimates. The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires the Company to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, and disclosures of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the condensed consolidated financial statements, and the reported amounts of revenue and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ materially from the Company’s estimates. The Company’s significant accounting estimates include valuation reserves for inventory, packaway and other inventory carrying costs, useful lives of fixed assets, insurance reserves, reserves for uncertain tax positions, and legal claims.


	Three Months Ended				Nine Months Ended
	October 28, 2023		October 29, 2022		October 28, 2023		October 29, 2022
Home Accents and Bed and Bath	25	%	25	%	25	%	25	%
Ladies	23	%	25	%	24	%	25	%
Men’s	16	%	15	%	15	%	15	%
Accessories, Lingerie, Fine Jewelry, and Cosmetics	14	%	13	%	14	%	13	%
Shoes	13	%	13	%	13	%	13	%
Children’s	9	%	9	%	9	%	9	%
Total	100	%	100	%	100	%	100	%

Cash and cash equivalents. Cash equivalents consist of highly liquid, fixed income instruments purchased with an original maturity of three months or less. The institutions where these instruments are held could potentially subject the Company to concentrations of credit risk. The Company manages its risk associated with these instruments primarily by holding its cash and cash equivalents across a highly diversified set of banks and other financial institutions.

Restricted cash and cash equivalents. Restricted cash and cash equivalents serve as collateral for certain insurance obligations. These restricted funds are invested in bank deposits, money market funds, and U.S. Government and agency securities and cannot be withdrawn from the Company’s account without the prior written consent of the secured parties. The classification between current and long-term is based on the timing of expected payments of the obligations.

The following table provides a reconciliation of cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash and cash equivalents in the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets that reconcile to the amounts shown on the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows:


($000)	October 28, 2023		January 28, 2023		October 29, 2022
Cash and cash equivalents	$	4,499,497	$	4,551,876	$	3,906,490
Restricted cash and cash equivalents included in:
Prepaid expenses and other	13,127		12,677		11,446
Other long-term assets	49,384		47,688		48,797
Total restricted cash and cash equivalents	62,511		60,365		60,243
Total cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash and cash equivalents	$	4,562,008	$	4,612,241	$	3,966,733

Property and equipment. As of October 28, 2023 and October 29, 2022, the Company had $47.0 million and $30.2 million, respectively, of property and equipment purchased but not yet paid. These purchases are included in Property and equipment, Accounts payable, and Accrued expenses and other in the accompanying Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets.

Operating leases. Supplemental cash flow disclosures related to operating lease assets obtained in exchange for operating lease liabilities (includes new leases and remeasurements or modifications of existing leases) were as follows:


	Three Months Ended				Nine Months Ended
($000)	October 28, 2023		October 29, 2022		October 28, 2023		October 29, 2022
Operating lease assets obtained in exchange for operating lease liabilities	$	159,616	$	235,186	$	550,467	$	549,267

Cash dividends. On November 15, 2023, the Company’s Board of Directors declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.335 per common share, payable on December 29, 2023. The Company’s Board of Directors declared a cash dividend of $0.335 per common share in February, May, and August 2023, and $0.310 per common share in March, May, August, and November 2022.

Stock repurchase program. In March 2022, the Company’s Board of Directors approved a two-year program to repurchase up to $1.9 billion of the Company’s common stock through fiscal 2023. During the nine month period ended October 28, 2023, the Company repurchased 6.4 million shares of common stock for $703.4 million, excluding excise tax due under the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. The Company repurchased 8.2 million shares of common stock for $718.7 million during the nine month period ended October 29, 2022.

Litigation, claims, and assessments. Like many retailers, the Company has been named in class/representative action lawsuits, primarily in California, alleging violations by the Company of wage and hour laws. Class/representative action litigation remains pending as of October 28, 2023.

The Company is also party to various other legal and regulatory proceedings arising in the normal course of business. Actions filed against the Company may include commercial, product and product safety, consumer, intellectual property, environmental, and labor and employment-related claims, including lawsuits in which private plaintiffs or governmental agencies allege that the Company violated federal, state, and/or local laws. Actions against the Company are in various procedural stages. Many of these proceedings raise factual and legal issues and are subject to uncertainties.

In the opinion of management, the resolution of currently pending class/representative action litigation and other currently pending legal and regulatory proceedings will not have a material adverse effect on the Company’s financial condition, results of operations, or cash flows.

Supply chain finance program. The Company facilitates a voluntary supply chain finance program (the “program”) to provide certain suppliers with the opportunity to sell receivables due from the Company to participating financial institutions at the sole discretion of both the suppliers and the financial institutions. A third-party bank administers the program. The Company’s responsibility is limited to making payment on the terms originally negotiated with each supplier, regardless of whether a supplier sells its receivable to a financial institution. The Company is not a party to the agreements between the participating financial institutions and the suppliers in connection with the program and receives no financial incentives from the suppliers or the financial institutions. No guarantees are provided by the Company under the program and the Company’s rights and obligations to its suppliers are not affected by the program. The range of payment terms negotiated with a supplier is consistent, irrespective of whether a supplier participates in the program.

All outstanding payments owed under the program are recorded within Accounts payable in the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets. The Company accounts for all payments made under the program as a reduction to operating cash flows in Accounts payable within the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows. The amounts owed to a participating financial institution under the program and included in Accounts payable were $141.0 million, $119.2 million, and $128.0 million at October 28, 2023, January 28, 2023, and October 29, 2022, respectively.