Ross Stores, Inc. $ROST Shares Acquired by AustralianSuper Pty Ltd

AustralianSuper Pty Ltd increased its holdings in shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) by 1,713.6% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 156,898 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 148,247 shares during the quarter. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd’s holdings in Ross Stores were worth $23,910,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Aspect Partners LLC raised its holdings in Ross Stores by 251.7% during the second quarter. Aspect Partners LLC now owns 204 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 146 shares in the last quarter. American National Bank & Trust acquired a new position in shares of Ross Stores in the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. Grey Fox Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ross Stores in the 3rd quarter valued at $29,000. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. raised its stake in Ross Stores by 162.6% during the 3rd quarter. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. now owns 239 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 148 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ameritas Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in Ross Stores in the second quarter valued at $38,000. 86.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ross Stores Stock Performance

NASDAQ:ROST opened at $186.50 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a current ratio of 1.52 and a quick ratio of 0.90. The firm has a market cap of $60.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.55 and a beta of 1.01. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $183.39 and its 200 day moving average price is $161.36. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 1-year low of $122.36 and a 1-year high of $194.92.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last released its earnings results on Thursday, November 20th. The apparel retailer reported $1.58 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.38 by $0.20. The company had revenue of $5.60 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.38 billion. Ross Stores had a net margin of 9.47% and a return on equity of 36.75%. The business’s revenue was up 10.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.48 EPS. Ross Stores has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.380-6.46 EPS and its Q4 2025 guidance at 1.770-1.85 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.17 EPS for the current year.

Ross Stores Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 9th were issued a $0.405 dividend. This represents a $1.62 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 9th. Ross Stores’s payout ratio is currently 25.31%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have issued reports on ROST. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $221.00 price objective on shares of Ross Stores in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Erste Group Bank assumed coverage on Ross Stores in a research report on Friday, October 31st. They issued a “buy” rating for the company. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Ross Stores from $180.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 16th. BTIG Research assumed coverage on shares of Ross Stores in a research report on Tuesday, October 14th. They set a “neutral” rating on the stock. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of Ross Stores from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Ross Stores presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $186.41.

Ross Stores Profile

Ross Stores, Inc (NASDAQ: ROST) is an American off‑price retailer headquartered in Dublin, California, that operates the Ross Dress for Less and dd’s DISCOUNTS store formats. The company sells a broad assortment of apparel, footwear, home fashions, accessories and other soft goods, positioning itself as a value-oriented destination for brand‑name and fashion merchandise at reduced prices.

Ross’s business model centers on opportunistic buying of excess inventory, closeouts, cancelled orders and overstocks from manufacturers, department stores and other suppliers.