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

Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) CMO Karen Sykes sold 5,506 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the transaction, the chief marketing officer owned 104,648 shares in the company, valued at $22,331,883.20. The trade was a 5.00% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, 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 shares were sold at an average price of $213.91, for a total value of $546,753.96.

Ross Stores Stock Performance

NASDAQ ROST opened at $211.69 on Monday. Ross Stores, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $124.07 and a fifty-two week high of $217.51. 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 stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $200.54 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $178.92. The stock has a market cap of $68.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 0.97.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, March 3rd. The apparel retailer reported $2.00 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.90 by $0.10. Ross Stores had a return on equity of 36.70% and a net margin of 9.43%.The company had revenue of $6.64 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.42 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.65 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts forecast 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. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 13th will be given a $0.445 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 13th. This represents a $1.78 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. This is a positive change from Ross Stores’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.41. Ross Stores’s dividend payout ratio is 26.93%.

Institutional Trading of Ross Stores

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Norges Bank bought a new position in Ross Stores during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $868,360,000. Holocene Advisors LP purchased a new position in Ross Stores during the third quarter valued at $351,763,000. Marshall Wace LLP raised its stake 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 buying an additional 1,726,324 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its holdings in Ross Stores by 20.9% in the second quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 9,582,401 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $1,222,523,000 after acquiring an additional 1,657,008 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Viking Global Investors LP boosted its holdings in Ross Stores by 56.5% in the fourth quarter. Viking Global Investors LP now owns 3,167,479 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $570,590,000 after acquiring an additional 1,143,611 shares in the last quarter. 86.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ROST has been the subject of a number of research reports. Robert W. Baird set a $200.00 price target on shares of Ross Stores in a research note on Wednesday, December 17th. TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Ross Stores in a report on Thursday, December 4th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $221.00 target price on Ross Stores in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $205.00 price target on shares of Ross Stores in a research report on Monday, December 1st. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $240.00 price objective on shares of Ross Stores in a report on Thursday. Sixteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $208.29.

Ross Stores News Roundup

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

About Ross Stores

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.