Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) CMO Karen Sykes Sells 5,506 Shares

Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) CMO Karen Sykes sold 5,506 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $213.40, for a total transaction of $1,174,980.40. Following the completion of the sale, the chief marketing officer owned 104,648 shares in the company, valued at $22,331,883.20. This represents a 5.00% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

Karen Sykes also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Tuesday, March 10th, Karen Sykes sold 2,556 shares of Ross Stores stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $213.91, for a total transaction of $546,753.96.

Ross Stores Price Performance

ROST stock opened at $211.69 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a current ratio of 1.58. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $200.54 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $178.51. The company has a market capitalization of $68.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.92 and a beta of 0.97. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 52-week low of $124.07 and a 52-week high of $217.51.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 3rd. The apparel retailer reported $2.00 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.90 by $0.10. Ross Stores had a return on equity of 36.70% and a net margin of 9.43%.The firm had revenue of $6.64 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.42 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.65 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 12.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts expect that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ross Stores Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Investors of record on Friday, March 13th will be given a $0.445 dividend. This represents a $1.78 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 13th. This is an increase from Ross Stores’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.41. Ross Stores’s payout ratio is currently 26.93%.

Key Ross Stores News

Here are the key news stories impacting Ross Stores this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 strength: Ross posted broad-based category strength with record sales and strong Q4 gains, underscoring healthy demand and margin leverage potential—key support for forward earnings. Ross Stores Shows Broad-Based Category Strength: Can Momentum Hold?
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades: Erste Group raised FY2027 and FY2028 EPS forecasts sharply (to ~$7.36 and ~$8.14, respectively), well above current consensus — this lifts forward earnings expectations and supports valuation expansion. MarketBeat ROST
• Positive Sentiment: Brokerage backing: Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $240 price target, signaling continued sell-side confidence and potential upside from current levels. Telsey Reaffirms Outperform
• Positive Sentiment: Longer-term growth view: Analysts and commentary (e.g., Seeking Alpha) argue Ross’ earnings should continue growing at a healthy clip given its off-price positioning and margin profile — a structural bullish argument for investors focused on multi-year returns. Ross Stores: Earnings Should Continue To Grow At A Healthy Clip
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst sentiment coverage: A Zacks piece highlights Wall Street bulls are optimistic and that analyst ratings can move the stock — useful context but not a specific rating change driving action. Wall Street Bulls Look Optimistic About Ross Stores (ROST): Should You Buy?
• Neutral Sentiment: Macro/market commentary: Broader consumer-spending commentary (e.g., Jim Cramer coverage) is referenced — supportive of retail but not a direct company-specific catalyst. Jim Cramer’s 5 Stock Calls and the Truth About Strong Consumer Spending
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: Reports show top Ross executives executed a sizable stock sale on March 26, which can spook investors and prompt short-term selling or profit-taking despite positive fundamentals. Top Ross Stores Executives Quietly Cash In on Major Stock Sale

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ROST has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Ross Stores in a report on Friday, January 9th. TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Ross Stores in a research report on Thursday, December 4th. UBS Group set a $208.00 price target on shares of Ross Stores in a report on Thursday, March 5th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $205.00 price objective on shares of Ross Stores in a research report on Monday, December 1st. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $221.00 price objective on shares of Ross Stores in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Sixteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $208.29.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ross Stores

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Virtus Investment Advisers LLC bought a new position in Ross Stores during the second quarter valued at $1,265,000. Jump Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ross Stores in the second quarter valued at $7,949,000. GSA Capital Partners LLP bought a new stake in shares of Ross Stores in the third quarter valued at $1,411,000. Amica Mutual Insurance Co. purchased a new position in shares of Ross Stores during the 3rd quarter valued at $4,790,000. Finally, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans lifted its position in shares of Ross Stores by 84.7% during the 3rd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 227,340 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $34,645,000 after buying an additional 104,270 shares during the last quarter. 86.86% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ross Stores Company 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.