Daiwa Securities Group Inc. Increases Stock Holdings in Ross Stores, Inc. $ROST

Daiwa Securities Group Inc. grew its position in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) by 5.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 81,820 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock after buying an additional 3,961 shares during the quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc.’s holdings in Ross Stores were worth $14,739,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in ROST. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Ross Stores in the fourth quarter valued at $868,360,000. Holocene Advisors LP purchased a new stake in Ross Stores during the 3rd quarter worth about $351,763,000. Marshall Wace LLP raised its stake in Ross Stores by 1,908.8% in the 3rd 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 last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE raised its stake in 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, Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. acquired a new position in Ross Stores in the 4th quarter valued at about $204,750,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.86% of the company’s stock.

Ross Stores News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research increased several EPS forecasts for Ross Stores, signaling improved profit expectations across 2027-2029. Buy 5 Stocks With High ROE as Markets Swing on War Skirmishes
• Positive Sentiment: The stock is being highlighted as a high-ROE, cash-generating retailer, which can attract investors looking for quality and stability during market volatility. Buy 5 Stocks With High ROE as Markets Swing on War Skirmishes
• Positive Sentiment: Ross Stores recently beat quarterly expectations, reporting EPS and revenue above estimates, which reinforces confidence in its operating momentum.
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent articles question how the investment narrative is evolving and compare Ross Stores with peers like Ollie’s Bargain Outlet, but these pieces are more commentary than new company-specific catalysts. How The Ross Stores (ROST) Investment Narrative Is Evolving Without New Analyst Targets
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage also notes Ross Stores is outperforming the consumer discretionary sector, but this mainly reflects relative strength already supported by analyst optimism. Ross Stores Stock: Is ROST Outperforming the Consumer Discretionary Sector?

Ross Stores Stock Down 1.2%

Shares of NASDAQ:ROST opened at $230.37 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $223.03 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $201.86. 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, Inc. has a 12-month low of $124.49 and a 12-month high of $237.41. The firm has a market cap of $73.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.17, a PEG ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 0.86.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The apparel retailer reported $2.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.73 by $0.29. Ross Stores had a return on equity of 38.42% and a net margin of 9.74%.The firm had revenue of $6.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.64 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.47 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 20.6% on a year-over-year basis. 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. On average, research analysts forecast that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 7.73 EPS for the current year.

Ross Stores Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 9th will be paid 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 Tuesday, June 9th. Ross Stores’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 24.86%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Ross Stores news, Director Patricia H. Mueller sold 1,881 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $213.13, for a total value of $400,897.53. Following the sale, the director directly owned 2,159 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $460,147.67. This trade represents a 46.56% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CMO Karen Sykes sold 5,506 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $213.40, for a total value of $1,174,980.40. Following the completion of the sale, the chief marketing officer directly 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 disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 25,756 shares of company stock valued at $5,521,004. Insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $261.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $227.00 to $232.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. Guggenheim reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $290.00 target price on shares of Ross Stores in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Truist Financial boosted their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $270.00 to $290.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $248.00 to $251.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, May 18th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $233.18.

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.