Bed Bath & Beyond, Ross Stores: S&P Gainers

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- It was a bullish day for a few retail stocks within the S&P 500, buoyed by better than expected sales numbers.

Bed Bath & Beyond(BBBY) and Ross Stores(ROST) were among the best-performing stocks as the S&P 500 fell 0.88 points, or 0.06%, to 1,398.08 on Thursday.

Shares of Bed Bath & Beyond increased 8.49% to $71.85 on about five times the stock's average daily trading volume. The Union, N.J.-based home goods retailer reported Wednesday fourth-quarter earnings that beat analysts' expectations.

Bed Bath & Beyond reported fourth-quarter earnings of $351 million, or $1.48 a share, up from year-earlier earnings of $283.5 million, or $1.12 a share. Analysts expected earnings of $1.33 a share.

Shares of Bed Bath & Beyond hit a 52-week high Thursday of $72.75. The stock's 52-week low of $47.89 was set one year ago.

Bed Bath & Beyond has an estimated price-to-earnings ratio of 14.16X; the average for specialty retail companies is 16.35X. For comparison, Williams-Sonoma(WSM) has a lower forward P/E of 13.81X; Mattress Firm Holdings'(MFRM) forward P/E is 28.88X.

Sixteen of the 29 analysts who cover Bed Bath & Beyond rate it buy. Twelve analysts give the stock a hold rating and one rates it sell.