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Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
3 Months Ended
May 02, 2026
Accounting Policies [Abstract]  
Summary of Significant Accounting Policies Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
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 May 2, 2026 and May 3, 2025, and the results of operations, comprehensive income, stockholders’ equity, and cash flows for the three month periods ended May 2, 2026 and May 3, 2025. The Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet as of January 31, 2026, 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 Generally Accepted Accounting Principles 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 31, 2026.

The results of operations, comprehensive income, stockholders’ equity, and cash flows for the three month periods ended May 2, 2026 and May 3, 2025 presented herein are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for the full fiscal year. The fiscal years ending January 30, 2027 and January 31, 2026 are referred to as fiscal 2026 and fiscal 2025, respectively, and are both 52-week years. The three month periods ended May 2, 2026 and May 3, 2025 are referred to as the first quarter of fiscal 2026 and fiscal 2025, respectively.

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.

Segment reporting. The Company has one reportable segment. Refer to Note G: Segment Reporting for additional information.

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 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)May 2, 2026January 31, 2026May 3, 2025
Cash and cash equivalents$4,130,980 $4,594,392 $3,783,413 
Restricted cash and cash equivalents included in:
  Prepaid expenses and other21,137 20,950 17,050 
  Other long-term assets47,047 46,631 48,527 
Total restricted cash and cash equivalents68,184 67,581 65,577 
Total cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash and cash equivalents$4,199,164 $4,661,973 $3,848,990 
Property and equipment. As of May 2, 2026 and May 3, 2025, the Company had $54.7 million and $29.2 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. The Company capitalizes interest during the construction period of facilities and during the development and implementation phase of software projects.

Depreciation and amortization expense on property and equipment for the three month periods ended May 2, 2026 and May 3, 2025 were as follows:

Three Months Ended
($000)May 2, 2026May 3, 2025
Depreciation and amortization expense
$132,599 $115,938 

Operating leases. Operating lease assets obtained in exchange for operating lease liabilities (includes new leases and remeasurements or modifications of existing leases) for the three month periods ended May 2, 2026 and May 3, 2025 were $189.1 million and $202.7 million, respectively.

Supply chain finance program. The Company facilitates a voluntary supply chain finance program (“SCF program”) to provide certain suppliers with the opportunity to sell their receivables due from the Company to participating financial institutions at the sole discretion of both the suppliers and the financial institutions. A third-party financial institution administers the SCF program. The Company’s responsibility is limited to making payments 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 SCF program, and the Company does not receive financial incentives from the suppliers or the financial institutions. The Company does not provide guarantees under the SCF program, and the Company’s rights and obligations to its suppliers are not affected by the SCF program. The range of payment terms negotiated with a supplier is consistent, irrespective of whether a supplier participates in the SCF program.

All outstanding payments owed under the SCF program are recorded within Accounts payable in the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets. The Company accounts for all payments made under the SCF program as a reduction to operating cash flows in Accounts payable within the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows. The amounts owed to participating financial institutions under the SCF program and included in Accounts payable were $215.3 million, $208.2 million, and $162.2 million as of May 2, 2026, January 31, 2026, and May 3, 2025, respectively.

Cash dividends. On May 20, 2026, the Company’s Board of Directors declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.4450 per common share, payable on June 30, 2026. The Company’s Board of Directors declared quarterly cash dividends of $0.4450 per common share in March 2026, and $0.4050 per common share in March, May, August, and November 2025.
Stock repurchases. In March 2026, the Company’s Board of Directors approved a new, two-year stock repurchase program to repurchase up to $2.55 billion of the Company’s common stock through January 29, 2028. During the three month period ended May 2, 2026, the Company repurchased 1.5 million shares of common stock for $318.7 million (excluding excise tax) under this program. As of May 2, 2026, there was $2.2 billion available for future repurchases under this program. During the three month period ended May 3, 2025, the Company repurchased 2.0 million shares of common stock for $262.5 million (excluding excise tax) under the previous publicly announced repurchase program.

Stock purchased for tax withholding is considered treasury stock which is available for reissuance. During the three month periods ended May 2, 2026 and May 3, 2025, stock purchased by the Company for tax withholding totaled 0.6 million shares and 0.5 million shares, respectively.

Commitments and contingencies. 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 remained pending as of May 2, 2026.

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.

The Company believes that 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 its financial condition, results of operations, or cash flows.

In February 2026, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a decision that tariffs imposed beginning in 2025 under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (“IEEPA”) were not authorized under the statute. U.S. Customs and Border Protection has initiated a process for claiming refunds of tariffs paid under IEEPA, and the Company has submitted claims for IEEPA tariffs paid. The claims submitted remain subject to ongoing legal, regulatory, or administrative developments and the timing, amount, and availability of refunds remains uncertain. As of May 2, 2026, the Company has not recognized a receivable or gain relating to tariff refunds because realization was not assured.

Revenue recognition. The following sales mix table disaggregates revenue by merchandise category for the three month periods ended May 2, 2026 and May 3, 2025:

Three Months Ended
May 2, 2026

May 3, 2025
Home Accents and Bed and Bath25%26%
Ladies23%23%
Accessories, Lingerie, Fine Jewelry, and Cosmetics15%15%
Men’s14%14%
Shoes14%13%
Children’s9%9%
Total100%100%
Interest income, net. The table below shows the components of interest income, net for the three month periods ended May 2, 2026 and May 3, 2025:

Three Months Ended
($000)May 2, 2026May 3, 2025
Interest income$(41,051)$(46,868)
Capitalized interest(3,077)(5,404)
Interest expense on long-term debt10,333 17,463 
Other interest expense346 400 
Interest income, net$(33,449)$(34,409)

Recently issued accounting standards. In November 2024, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2024-03, Income Statement—Reporting Comprehensive Income—Expense Disaggregation Disclosures (Subtopic 220-40): Disaggregation of Income Statement Expenses. The ASU is intended to enhance transparency of income statement disclosures primarily through additional disaggregation of relevant expense captions. The standard is effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2026, and interim periods within annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2027, with prospective or retrospective application permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of this guidance on its disclosures in the consolidated financial statements.