Key Points
- COO Michael Hartshorn sold 15,813 shares of Ross Stores at an average price of $214.91 for a total of $3,398,371.83, reducing his ownership by 11.99% to 116,028 shares; the transaction was disclosed in an SEC Form 4 filing.
- Ross posted strong Q4 results and raised its dividend, reporting $2.00 EPS (vs. $1.90 est.) and $6.64B revenue (vs. $6.42B est.), increasing the quarterly dividend to $0.445 (annual $1.78), while analysts maintain a "Moderate Buy" consensus with an average target near $208.29.
Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST - Get Free Report) 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 transaction of $1,174,980.40. Following the sale, the chief marketing officer directly owned 104,648 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $22,331,883.20. The trade was a 5.00% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website.
Karen Sykes also recently made the following trade(s):
- On Tuesday, March 10th, Karen Sykes sold 2,556 shares of Ross Stores stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $213.91, for a total value of $546,753.96.
Ross Stores Trading Down 1.2%
Ross Stores stock opened at $211.69 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $200.54 and a 200 day moving average of $178.72. The company has a current ratio of 1.58, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16. The firm has a market capitalization of $68.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.03, a P/E/G ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 0.97. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 12-month low of $124.07 and a 12-month high of $217.51.
Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, March 3rd. The apparel retailer reported $2.00 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.90 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $6.64 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.42 billion. Ross Stores had a net margin of 9.43% and a return on equity of 36.70%. Ross Stores's quarterly revenue was up 12.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.65 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.17 earnings per share for the current year.
Ross Stores Increases Dividend
The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Investors of record on Friday, March 13th will be given a dividend of $0.445 per share. This is a positive change from Ross Stores's previous quarterly dividend of $0.41. This represents a $1.78 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 13th. Ross Stores's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 26.93%.
Key Stories Impacting Ross Stores
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
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
ROST has been the subject of several research reports. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Ross Stores from $205.00 to $221.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Weiss Ratings reissued a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Ross Stores in a research report on Friday, January 9th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $221.00 price objective on Ross Stores in a report on Thursday, January 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Ross Stores from $215.00 to $232.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, February 23rd. Finally, UBS Group set a $208.00 price target on shares of Ross Stores in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. Sixteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $208.29.
Get Our Latest Research Report on ROST
Institutional Trading of Ross Stores
Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. J. Derek Lewis & Associates Inc. acquired a new stake in Ross Stores in the 4th quarter worth about $411,000. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. lifted its holdings in Ross Stores by 39.5% in the fourth quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 46,918 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $8,452,000 after acquiring an additional 13,273 shares during the last quarter. World Investment Advisors purchased a new position in shares of Ross Stores during the 4th quarter worth $250,000. Meadowbrook Advisors Group LLC purchased a new position in Ross Stores during the fourth quarter worth about $2,253,000. Finally, Hsbc Holdings PLC raised its position in Ross Stores by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 673,254 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $121,398,000 after purchasing an additional 10,175 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.86% of the company's stock.
About Ross Stores
(
Get Free Report)
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.
Further Reading
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