Commerce Bank Purchases Shares of 21,908 Ross Stores, Inc. $ROST

Commerce Bank purchased a new position in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) during the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm purchased 21,908 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $4,663,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Ross Stores in the second quarter valued at about $5,938,711,000. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Ross Stores during the fourth quarter worth about $868,360,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp bought a new position in Ross Stores during the second quarter valued at about $385,441,000. Marshall Wace LLP increased 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 acquiring an additional 1,726,324 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE raised its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 1,657,008 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.86% of the company’s stock.

Ross Stores Stock Performance

ROST stock opened at $239.04 on Monday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $233.81 and a 200 day moving average price of $222.09. Ross Stores, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $143.39 and a fifty-two week high of $257.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12, a current ratio of 1.61 and a quick ratio of 0.98. The stock has a market capitalization of $76.68 billion, a PE ratio of 28.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.30 and a beta of 0.86.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 20th. The apparel retailer reported $2.66 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.95 by $0.71. The firm had revenue of $6.26 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.16 billion. Ross Stores had a return on equity of 39.29% and a net margin of 10.85%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 13.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.56 EPS. Analysts forecast that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 8.13 EPS for the current year.

Ross Stores Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 8th will be issued a $0.445 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 8th. This represents a $1.78 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. Ross Stores’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 21.55%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have commented on ROST. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Ross Stores from $262.00 to $272.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday. Wall Street Zen cut Ross Stores from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, June 20th. Citigroup upped their target price on Ross Stores from $270.00 to $290.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday. Evercore set a $290.00 target price on Ross Stores in a research report on Friday. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $231.00 to $234.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday. Fifteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Ross Stores presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $263.76.

Ross Stores News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q2 results exceeded expectations: Ross reported diluted EPS of $2.66 versus the approximately $1.95 consensus estimate, while revenue rose 13.3% year over year to $6.26 billion, ahead of the $6.16 billion forecast. Comparable-store sales increased 10%, supported by stronger customer traffic, improved merchandising and higher margins. Ross Stores Q2 Earnings Top Estimates on Strong Sales Growth Momentum
• Positive Sentiment: Higher outlook signals continued momentum: Management raised fiscal 2026 EPS guidance to $8.61-$8.77, well above the prior outlook and the roughly $7.31 analyst consensus. Third- and fourth-quarter EPS guidance also came in above expectations. The company cited resilient demand for discounted apparel and accessories and raised its fiscal-year store-opening plan to 115 locations. Ross Stores raises annual profit forecast again on discounted apparel demand
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts raised price targets: JPMorgan increased its target to $272 and maintained an Overweight rating, while Robert W. Baird raised its target to $270 and kept an Outperform rating. These revisions reinforce expectations that Ross is gaining market share from rivals. Analysts Boost Forecasts on Ross Stores
• Neutral Sentiment: Approximately $253 million of tariff refunds benefited second-quarter operating income, creating a potential comparison headwind when assessing underlying profitability. Ross Stores Q2 Sales Rise 13% as Diluted EPS Reaches $2.66
• Negative Sentiment: BTIG analyst Robert Drbul reiterated a Hold rating, indicating that strong execution may already be reflected in ROST’s premium valuation. Recent insider activity also showed sales but no purchases, a modest sentiment caution. Analyst Reiterates Hold on Ross Stores

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.