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BURL or DBI or ROST
Which Stock Would AI Choose? Burlington Stores (BURL) vs. Designer Brands (DBI) vs. Ross Stores (ROST) Stock Comparison
Key Takeaways
- Burlington Stores (BURL), Designer Brands (DBI), and Ross Stores (ROST) operate in the off-price retail sector, where value-focused consumers continue to drive traffic amid broader economic uncertainty.
- Over recent weeks, ROST has shown greater price stability and positive analyst sentiment compared to BURL’s pre-earnings consolidation and DBI’s higher volatility at lower price levels.
- BURL and ROST benefit from extensive store networks and broad merchandise assortments, while DBI maintains a more specialized focus on footwear and accessories with ongoing brand initiatives.
- Upcoming first-quarter earnings releases for BURL (May 28) and ROST (May 21) represent key near-term catalysts that could influence relative performance across the group.
- Market sentiment favors established off-price leaders with proven execution, positioning ROST and BURL ahead of DBI in recent trading activity and analyst coverage.
- Valuation sensitivity remains elevated for all three names due to consumer spending patterns and sector rotation within consumer discretionary stocks.
Introduction
Retail investors and traders frequently compare off-price apparel and footwear retailers when evaluating value-oriented consumer plays. Burlington Stores (BURL), Designer Brands (DBI), and Ross Stores (ROST) represent distinct yet overlapping approaches within this category, each with established store footprints and exposure to discretionary spending trends. This comparison appeals to market participants seeking to assess relative momentum, earnings visibility, and positioning ahead of the current reporting season. Professionals monitoring sector rotation and individual traders evaluating short-term catalysts may find the analysis useful for understanding performance differentials in the present environment.
BURL Overview and Recent Performance
Burlington Stores operates a national chain of off-price retail stores offering branded apparel, footwear, accessories, and home goods at significant discounts. In recent market activity, BURL shares have traded in a relatively narrow range near $290, reflecting consolidation ahead of the company’s fiscal first-quarter 2026 earnings release scheduled for May 28. The stock posted modest year-to-date gains of approximately 0.5 percent through mid-May, lagging broader market indices while remaining below its 200-day moving average. Recent store expansion announcements and prior-quarter results that exceeded expectations have supported underlying business fundamentals, though elevated volatility in consumer discretionary names has tempered broader sentiment in recent weeks.
DBI Overview and Recent Performance
Designer Brands focuses on footwear and accessories through its retail banners and owned brands, emphasizing value pricing and product diversification. Over recent weeks, DBI shares have experienced notable price swings around the $6 level, with the stock closing near $6.07 on May 18 amid continued market rotation. Year-to-date returns reached approximately 17.5 percent through mid-May, outperforming peers on a percentage basis from lower absolute price levels. Recent quarterly results highlighted mixed sales trends and margin pressures, while analyst consensus remains at a hold rating with a modest price target. Ongoing initiatives around brand development and cost management have provided some support, yet the smaller market capitalization contributes to higher relative volatility compared with larger sector participants.
ROST Overview and Recent Performance
Ross Stores runs off-price stores under the Ross Dress for Less and dd’s DISCOUNTS banners, serving middle-income households with a wide assortment of apparel, home goods, and accessories. In recent market activity, ROST shares have maintained relative stability near $211, supported by consistent analyst coverage and positive ratings. The stock has delivered stronger year-to-date and longer-term returns than several peers, trading close to recent highs with a consensus buy rating and price targets in the $209–$270 range. Upcoming first-quarter 2026 earnings on May 21 represent a near-term focus, with expectations centered on revenue growth and traffic trends. Broad-based consumer engagement and market-share gains have contributed to constructive sentiment in recent weeks.
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Head-to-Head Comparison
Burlington Stores and Ross Stores share similar large-scale off-price models with extensive geographic coverage, whereas Designer Brands maintains a narrower focus on footwear that creates both differentiation and higher category-specific risk. Recent momentum has favored ROST through steadier price action and broader analyst support, while BURL exhibits pre-earnings caution and DBI shows greater percentage volatility. Risk factors include consumer discretionary sensitivity for all three, though DBI’s smaller scale amplifies potential swings. Sector exposure centers on value retail, with valuation multiples reflecting growth expectations tied to traffic and margin trends. Market sentiment currently highlights execution consistency and earnings visibility as key differentiators among the group.
Tickeron AI Verdict
Based on observable trend consistency, earnings positioning, and relative stability in recent market activity, Tickeron’s AI would currently assign the highest probabilistic favorability to Ross Stores (ROST). The company’s established market leadership, supportive analyst framework, and upcoming earnings visibility provide measurable advantages over peers experiencing more consolidation or volatility. Burlington Stores (BURL) follows closely due to upcoming catalysts, while Designer Brands (DBI) ranks lower on current momentum metrics. This assessment reflects probabilistic evaluation of available data rather than any forward guarantee.
Disclaimer
The information on this webpage is provided for general informational and educational purposes only and is not intended as investment advice, a recommendation to purchase or sell any security, or an offer or solicitation related to investments. It does not consider your personal financial situation, goals, or risk profile, and all investing carries inherent risks, including the possibility of losing your entire investment. For more details, please review our full disclaimer.
Long-Term Analysis
It is best to consider a long-term outlook for a ticker by using Fundamental Analysis (FA) ratings. The rating of 1 to 100, where 1 is best and 100 is worst, is divided into thirds. The first third (a green rating of 1-33) indicates that the ticker is undervalued; the second third (a grey number between 34 and 66) means that the ticker is valued fairly; and the last third (red number of 67 to 100) reflects that the ticker is undervalued. We use an FA Score to show how many ratings show the ticker to be undervalued (green) or overvalued (red).
BURL’s FA Score shows that 1 FA rating(s) are green whileDBI’s FA Score has 1 green FA rating(s), and ROST’s FA Score reflects 4 green FA rating(s).
- BURL’s FA Score: 1 green, 4 red.
- DBI’s FA Score: 1 green, 4 red.
- ROST’s FA Score: 4 green, 1 red.
Short-Term Analysis
It is best to consider a short-term outlook for a ticker by using Technical Analysis (TA) indicators. We use Odds of Success as the percentage of outcomes which confirm successful trade signals in the past.
If the Odds of Success (the likelihood of the continuation of a trend) for each indicator are greater than 50%, then the generated signal is confirmed. A green percentage from 90% to 51% indicates that the ticker is in a bullish trend. A red percentage from 90% - 51% indicates that the ticker is in a bearish trend. All grey percentages are below 50% and are considered not to confirm the trend signal.
BURL’s TA Score shows that 6 TA indicator(s) are bullish while DBI’s TA Score has 3 bullish TA indicator(s), and ROST’s TA Score reflects 5 bullish TA indicator(s).
- BURL’s TA Score: 6 bullish, 4 bearish.
- DBI’s TA Score: 3 bullish, 7 bearish.
- ROST’s TA Score: 5 bullish, 3 bearish.
Price Growth
BURL (@Apparel/Footwear Retail) experienced а +1.15% price change this week, while DBI (@Wholesale Distributors) price change was -11.14% , and ROST (@Apparel/Footwear Retail) price fluctuated +2.21% for the same time period.
The average weekly price growth across all stocks in the @Apparel/Footwear Retail industry was +0.10%. For the same industry, the average monthly price growth was +11.59%, and the average quarterly price growth was +1.76%.
The average weekly price growth across all stocks in the @Wholesale Distributors industry was -0.79%. For the same industry, the average monthly price growth was +8.44%, and the average quarterly price growth was +3.58%.
Reported Earning Dates
BURL is expected to report earnings on Aug 20, 2026.
DBI is expected to report earnings on Sep 02, 2026.
ROST is expected to report earnings on Aug 13, 2026.
Industries' Descriptions
@Apparel/Footwear Retail (+0.10% weekly)Companies in the apparel and/or footwear retail industry sell clothing, accessories and footwear, for different age groups and genders. The industry’s product categories could range from basics, such as underwear, to luxury items. Some retailers source items from wholesalers or an apparel brand to sell in their stores; some others are licensed to make and market their own retail goods under particular brands. Several companies outsource production of clothing to developing/emerging economies where labor costs are relatively inexpensive. Apparel retail is often influenced by fashion trends, and many companies feel the need to adapt to what’s “in vogue” to retain customers and attract new ones. A major disruption in this industry has been the burgeoning trend in digital shopping – to compete with rapidly growing e-commerce, even traditional retail players are upping the ante on their online platforms. Much of the products’ performance in apparel/footwear retail is cyclical, i.e., economic boom times encourage consumer spending, while recessions induce thriftiness among people. Some large-cap U.S. apparel/footwear retail companies include TJX Companies Inc., Ross Stores, Inc., Lululemon Athletica Inc. and Burlington Stores, Inc.
@Wholesale Distributors (-0.79% weekly)Companies in this industry handle the wholesale shipments for the manufacturer of a product. They have warehouses and distribution centers, and they ship products directly to the retailer. Digitization, increasing competition, emerging customer demand, and product innovation are some of shifts that the industry has been facing in recent times – something that is potentially creating needs/opportunities for business model revisions or transformations. Data, analytics, and technology are becoming increasingly important for whole distributors in anticipating and analyzing consumer needs, and therefore planning their business strategies accordingly. Fastenal Company, W.W. Grainger, Inc., Genuine Parts Company and Pool Corporation are some of the largest names in the business.
| BURL | DBI | ROST | |
| Capitalization | 20.8B | 316M | 74.8B |
| EBITDA | 1.33B | 107M | 3.6B |
| Gain YTD | 14.509 | -15.507 | 30.007 |
| P/E Ratio | 34.03 | 28.27 | 32.58 |
| Revenue | 11.9B | 2.89B | 23.8B |
| Total Cash | 747M | 50.9M | N/A |
| Total Debt | 5.87B | 1.21B | 5.21B |
BURL | DBI | ROST | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
OUTLOOK RATING 1..100 | 65 | 20 | 24 | |
VALUATION overvalued / fair valued / undervalued 1..100 | 82 Overvalued | 10 Undervalued | 94 Overvalued | |
PROFIT vs RISK RATING 1..100 | 95 | 100 | 20 | |
SMR RATING 1..100 | 100 | 92 | 24 | |
PRICE GROWTH RATING 1..100 | 42 | 38 | 12 | |
P/E GROWTH RATING 1..100 | 33 | 66 | 17 | |
SEASONALITY SCORE 1..100 | n/a | n/a | 50 |
Tickeron ratings are formulated such that a rating of 1 designates the most successful stocks in a given industry, while a rating of 100 points to the least successful stocks for that industry.
DBI's Valuation (10) in the Apparel Or Footwear Retail industry is significantly better than the same rating for BURL (82) and is significantly better than the same rating for ROST (94). This means that DBI's stock grew significantly faster than BURL’s and significantly faster than ROST’s over the last 12 months.
ROST's Profit vs Risk Rating (20) in the Apparel Or Footwear Retail industry is significantly better than the same rating for BURL (95) and is significantly better than the same rating for DBI (100). This means that ROST's stock grew significantly faster than BURL’s and significantly faster than DBI’s over the last 12 months.
ROST's SMR Rating (24) in the Apparel Or Footwear Retail industry is significantly better than the same rating for DBI (92) and is significantly better than the same rating for BURL (100). This means that ROST's stock grew significantly faster than DBI’s and significantly faster than BURL’s over the last 12 months.
ROST's Price Growth Rating (12) in the Apparel Or Footwear Retail industry is in the same range as DBI (38) and is in the same range as BURL (42). This means that ROST's stock grew similarly to DBI’s and similarly to BURL’s over the last 12 months.
ROST's P/E Growth Rating (17) in the Apparel Or Footwear Retail industry is in the same range as BURL (33) and is somewhat better than the same rating for DBI (66). This means that ROST's stock grew similarly to BURL’s and somewhat faster than DBI’s over the last 12 months.
| BURL | DBI | ROST | |
|---|---|---|---|
| RSI ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 79% | 2 days ago 81% | N/A |
| Stochastic ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 66% | 2 days ago 80% | 2 days ago 39% |
| Momentum ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 78% | 2 days ago 87% | 2 days ago 57% |
| MACD ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 82% | 2 days ago 76% | 2 days ago 75% |
| TrendWeek ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 72% | 2 days ago 82% | 2 days ago 63% |
| TrendMonth ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 74% | 2 days ago 80% | 2 days ago 66% |
| Advances ODDS (%) | 7 days ago 70% | 3 days ago 80% | 6 days ago 60% |
| Declines ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 68% | 7 days ago 84% | 2 days ago 54% |
| BollingerBands ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 57% | 2 days ago 82% | 2 days ago 44% |
| Aroon ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 68% | 2 days ago 83% | N/A |
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ROST and
Correlation & Price change
A.I.dvisor indicates that over the last year, ROST has been loosely correlated with TJX. These tickers have moved in lockstep 56% of the time. This A.I.-generated data suggests there is some statistical probability that if ROST jumps, then TJX could also see price increases.
| Ticker / NAME | Correlation To ROST | 1D Price Change % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ROST | 100% | -0.53% | ||
| TJX - ROST | 56% Loosely correlated | -1.32% | ||
| BURL - ROST | 50% Loosely correlated | -0.92% | ||
| CAL - ROST | 43% Loosely correlated | -6.72% | ||
| BOOT - ROST | 38% Loosely correlated | +1.97% | ||
| GCO - ROST | 37% Loosely correlated | -3.68% | ||
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