Ross Stores September same-store sales decline

Same-store sales, or sales at stores open at least a year, is a key indicator of retailer performance, because it measures growth at existing stores rather than newly opened ones.

Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters expected same-store sales to climb 0.9 percent.

Total sales for the five weeks ended Oct. 4 rose 5 percent to $561 million from $537 million.

For the eight months ended Oct. 4, same-store sales rose 3 percent, and total sales rose 11 percent to $4.26 billion.

"Weather was a significant factor during the month, as we estimate that the combination of Hurricanes Gustav and Ike, tropical storm Hannah, and unseasonably warm weather throughout the western United States reduced comparable store sales by about 2 percent," Chief Executive Michael Balmuth said in a statement.

Ross expects earnings per share for the 13 weeks ending Nov. 1 toward the lower end of its expected range between 42 cents per share and 44 cents per share.

Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters expect earnings of 43 cents per share.

For the 13 weeks ending Jan. 31, the company expects earnings between 76 and 81 cents per share, compared with prior expectations between 78 and 81 cents per share.

Analysts expect earnings of 80 cents per share.