Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) Receives Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) has been assigned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-one research firms that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12 month target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $233.1765.

ROST has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Ross Stores from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $248.00 to $251.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, May 18th. Telsey Advisory Group lifted their price objective on shares of Ross Stores from $240.00 to $265.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Ross Stores from $242.00 to $260.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 26th. Finally, Guggenheim reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $290.00 price objective on shares of Ross Stores in a research report on Monday, April 27th.

Ross Stores Price Performance

NASDAQ ROST opened at $229.45 on Wednesday. Ross Stores has a 12 month low of $124.49 and a 12 month high of $237.41. The stock has a market cap of $73.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.05, a PEG ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.86. The company’s 50 day moving average is $223.65 and its two-hundred day moving average is $203.12. The company has a current ratio of 1.54, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The apparel retailer reported $2.02 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.73 by $0.29. Ross Stores had a net margin of 9.74% and a return on equity of 38.42%. The company had revenue of $6.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.64 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.47 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 20.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Ross Stores has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.500-7.740 EPS and its Q2 2026 guidance at 1.850-1.930 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Ross Stores will post 7.73 earnings per share for the current year.

Ross Stores Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 9th will be given a dividend of $0.445 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 9th. This represents a $1.78 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. Ross Stores’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 24.86%.

Insider Activity at Ross Stores

In related news, CMO Karen Sykes sold 5,506 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $213.40, for a total value of $1,174,980.40. Following the sale, the chief marketing officer owned 104,648 shares in the company, valued at approximately $22,331,883.20. The trade was a 5.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, COO Michael J. Hartshorn sold 15,813 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $214.91, for a total transaction of $3,398,371.83. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer owned 116,028 shares in the company, valued at $24,935,577.48. This represents a 11.99% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Company insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ross Stores

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of ROST. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Ross Stores in the fourth quarter worth $868,360,000. Holocene Advisors LP bought a new stake in Ross Stores during the third quarter worth approximately $351,763,000. Marshall Wace LLP raised its position in Ross Stores by 1,908.8% during the third quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 1,816,763 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $276,857,000 after purchasing an additional 1,726,324 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its stake in shares of Ross Stores by 20.9% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 9,582,401 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $1,222,523,000 after purchasing an additional 1,657,008 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Viking Global Investors LP lifted its stake in shares of Ross Stores by 56.5% in the 4th quarter. Viking Global Investors LP now owns 3,167,479 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $570,590,000 after purchasing an additional 1,143,611 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.86% of the company’s stock.

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.