Home Compare MKS.L vs ROST
Stock Comparison · Comparison

Marks and Spencer Group vs Ross Stores: Which Stock Looks Stronger in 2026?

Ross Stores holds the cleaner structural position, with the lead spread across profitability and valuation. Marks and Spencer does not offset that deficit through any equally strong structural edge elsewhere. On the market side, Ross Stores is in better shape — its trend is intact while Marks and Spencer's trend has broken down. That puts structure and market broadly in agreement — Ross Stores's lead looks more confirmed than conflicted.

The comparison is based on similar long-term financial trajectories, not sector labels. Peer scores are normalised within each company's primary universe (MKS.L: STOXX 600, ROST: Nasdaq 100).

Updated 2026-05-17

The clearest separation starts in profitability, but valuation adds another real layer to the result. The overall score gap is 39 points in favour of Ross Stores, Inc..

Trajectory Similarity
0.80
Similar
Peer-set rank: #9
within Marks and Spencer Group plc's functional peer set

This comparison is anchored in long-term financial trajectory similarity within the selected peer universe.

A solid similarity means the pair shares a clearly comparable long-term financial profile, even if individual dimensions still differ.

The clearest structural overlap shows up in capital structure and margin consistency.

Similarity drivers
capital structuremargin consistency
How to read the score
0.85–1.00 · Very similar0.70–0.84 · Similar0.55–0.69 · Moderately similarbelow 0.55 · Loose match
Peer-Relative Score
MKS.L
Marks and Spencer Group plc
30
Peer-Score
Signal qualitylow
Peer basis: STOXX 600
vs
ROST
Ross Stores, Inc.
69
Peer-Score
Signal qualitylow
Peer basis: Nasdaq 100

Scores reflect position relative to comparable companies with similar long-term financial trajectories.

Score differences across key dimensions.

Dimension spread: MKS.L vs ROST Profitability 16 73 Stability 64 73 Valuation 8 63 Growth 47 70 MKS.L ROST
Gap Ranking
#1 Profitability +57
#2 Valuation +55
#3 Growth +23
#4 Stability +9
Price Setup

Left means cheaper relative valuation. Higher means stronger structure.

Price setup map for MKS.L and ROST Stronger + cheaper Stronger + richer Weaker + cheaper Weaker + richer MKS.LROST Relative valuation Structural strength

Ross Stores, Inc. looks stronger on relative valuation, while the broader price setup remains mixed.

Valuation position uses peer-relative PE percentile (idx_pct_pe) where available.

Entry today — historical context

Where MKS.L and ROST each sit in their own 5-year price and valuation history.

BASED ON 5-YEAR HISTORY MKS.L Neutral · above norm 0th 50th 100th 33 pct gap ROST Elevated · above norm 0th 50th 100th 65th 98th
Today MKS.L sits in the upper-middle of its own 5-year history (65th percentile), while ROST sits higher in its own history (98th). Within each stock's own 5-year context, MKS.L is at a historically more favourable entry position than ROST. This reflects entry timing, not which company is structurally stronger — peer-relative analysis is a separate question addressed above.

Describes historical entry positioning only. Descriptive — not investment advice.

Relative Position vs Comparable Companies
Profitability
Ross Stores, Inc. ranks near the top of the group on profitability; Marks and Spencer Group plc sits in the weaker half.
Valuation
On valuation, Ross Stores, Inc. is positioned higher in the group, while Marks and Spencer Group plc is closer to the middle.
Profitability — Dominant Gap
MKS.L
16
ROST
73
Gap+57in favour of ROST

The profitability lead is mainly driven by a 9.4-point operating margin advantage.

What else supports the lead

Absolute pricing gives the lead a second hard layer of support, with a trailing P/E that is 288 turns lower.

What this means for the comparison

The lead is built on both profitability and valuation, making it broader than a single-dimension result.

Explore full peer positioning in AssetNext

Break down the MKS.L vs ROST comparison across all dimensions with the full interactive tool.

Explore full breakdown →
Similar profitability-and-valuation comparisons

Explore how MKS.L and ROST each compare against other companies in their peer groups.

Rule-based, descriptive analysis only. Derived from peer percentile dimensions. Not investment advice. Peer groups are determined algorithmically based on structural similarity — not by sector classification alone.

How AssetNext Peer Scores Work

AssetNext scores reflect each company's structural position within its functional peer group — not a ranking against all stocks simultaneously. Peers are identified by similarity across eight financial dimensions, including revenue growth trajectory, margin structure, capital intensity, and earnings stability. A score of 75 means the company ranks in the top quartile within its own peer group, not the entire market.

Four dimension scores drive the overall peer score: Growth (revenue trajectory and expansion dynamics), Quality (margin structure and capital efficiency), Valuation (peer-relative pricing on standard multiples), and Stability (earnings consistency and financial predictability). Each dimension is scored 0–100 relative to the peer group, then combined into an overall peer score using equal weighting.

Because scores are peer-relative, the same company can have slightly different scores in different index universes. On comparison pages, both companies are shown within their shared peer universe wherever possible — so the scores are directly comparable. The peer basis is stated on each score card.

Scores are recalculated periodically as underlying financial data is updated. All analysis is descriptive and rule-based — AssetNext describes structural realities and never issues buy, sell or hold recommendations.