Brokerages Set Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) Price Target at $182.44

Shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) have earned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty research firms that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $183.5625.

Several brokerages recently weighed in on ROST. Cowen restated a “buy” rating on shares of Ross Stores in a research note on Thursday, December 4th. Telsey Advisory Group boosted their price objective on Ross Stores from $160.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 21st. UBS Group set a $203.00 target price on Ross Stores in a research report on Thursday, December 4th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Ross Stores in a research note on Tuesday, October 14th. Finally, BTIG Research initiated coverage on shares of Ross Stores in a report on Tuesday, October 14th. They issued a “neutral” rating for the company.

Ross Stores Trading Down 0.1%

Shares of NASDAQ:ROST opened at $182.41 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.52, a quick ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17. Ross Stores has a 12-month low of $122.36 and a 12-month high of $185.85. The business has a 50 day moving average of $167.54 and a two-hundred day moving average of $150.51. The company has a market capitalization of $59.00 billion, a PE ratio of 28.50, a PEG ratio of 4.02 and a beta of 1.03.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 20th. The apparel retailer reported $1.58 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.38 by $0.20. The business had revenue of $5.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.38 billion. Ross Stores had a net margin of 9.47% and a return on equity of 36.75%. The business’s revenue was up 10.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.48 EPS. Ross Stores has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.380-6.46 EPS and its Q4 2025 guidance at 1.770-1.85 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that Ross Stores will post 6.17 EPS for the current year.

Ross Stores Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 9th will be given a dividend of $0.405 per share. This represents a $1.62 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 9th. Ross Stores’s dividend payout ratio is 25.31%.

Insider Activity at Ross Stores

In other Ross Stores news, CMO Karen Fleming sold 2,932 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $149.09, for a total transaction of $437,131.88. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief marketing officer owned 88,335 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $13,169,865.15. This represents a 3.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO James Grant Conroy sold 39,351 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $146.00, for a total value of $5,745,246.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 157,153 shares in the company, valued at approximately $22,944,338. This trade represents a 20.03% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last three months, insiders have sold 48,720 shares of company stock valued at $7,154,172. 2.20% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Ross Stores

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Aspect Partners LLC boosted its stake in Ross Stores by 251.7% during the 2nd quarter. Aspect Partners LLC now owns 204 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 146 shares during the last quarter. American National Bank & Trust acquired a new position in Ross Stores during the third quarter worth about $26,000. Banque Transatlantique SA purchased a new stake in Ross Stores during the 1st quarter valued at about $29,000. Grey Fox Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Ross Stores in the 3rd quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, Bayforest Capital Ltd raised its holdings in Ross Stores by 372.5% in the 1st quarter. Bayforest Capital Ltd now owns 241 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 190 shares during the last quarter. 86.86% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.