Free cash flow
Ross Stores Free cash flow increased by 49.0% to $920.81M in Q4 2025 compared to the prior quarter. Year-over-year, this metric grew by 36.1%, from $676.58M to $920.81M. Over 4 years (FY 2022 to FY 2026), Free cash flow shows an upward trend with a 16.9% CAGR. This is a positive signal — higher values indicate stronger performance for this metric.
Analysis
How to read this metric
An increase suggests strong operational efficiency and the ability to self-fund future innovation or return capital to shareholders, while a decrease may indicate heavy capital expenditure cycles or declining operational profitability.
Detailed definition
Free cash flow represents the cash generated by a company after accounting for cash outflows to support operations and m...
Peer comparison
High-growth semiconductor and AI infrastructure peers typically prioritize reinvestment, so free cash flow margins are often compared against R&D intensity and capital expenditure requirements of industry rivals.
free_cash_flowHistorical Data
| Q1 '21 | Q2 '21 | Q3 '21 | Q4 '21 | Q1 '22 | Q2 '22 | Q3 '22 | Q4 '22 | Q1 '23 | Q2 '23 | Q3 '23 | Q4 '23 | Q1 '24 | Q2 '24 | Q3 '24 | Q4 '24 | Q1 '25 | Q2 '25 | Q3 '25 | Q4 '25 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Value | $615.88M | $475.08M | $34.78M | $55.27M | -$526.12M | $226.50M | $354.38M | $980.54M | $245.90M | $506.92M | $272.46M | $726.40M | $232.67M | $394.64M | $333.00M | $676.58M | $202.34M | $466.64M | $617.83M | $920.81M |
| QoQ Change | — | -22.9% | -92.7% | +58.9% | <-999% | +143.1% | +56.5% | +176.7% | -74.9% | +106.2% | -46.3% | +166.6% | -68.0% | +69.6% | -15.6% | +103.2% | -70.1% | +130.6% | +32.4% | +49.0% |
| YoY Change | — | — | — | — | -185.4% | -52.3% | +918.9% | >999% | +146.7% | +123.8% | -23.1% | -25.9% | -5.4% | -22.2% | +22.2% | -6.9% | -13.0% | +18.2% | +85.5% | +36.1% |
Free cash flow at Other Companies
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is Ross Stores's free cash flow?
- Ross Stores (ROST) reported free cash flow of $920.81M in Q4 2025.
- How has Ross Stores's free cash flow changed year-over-year?
- Ross Stores's free cash flow increased by 36.1% year-over-year, from $676.58M to $920.81M.
- What is the long-term trend for Ross Stores's free cash flow?
- Over 4 years (2022 to 2026), Ross Stores's free cash flow has grown at a 16.9% compound annual growth rate (CAGR), from $1.18B to $2.21B.
- What does free cash flow mean?
- The cash a company has left over after paying for its operating expenses and capital investments.