Handelsbanken Fonder AB Sells 24,598 Shares of Ross Stores, Inc. $ROST

Handelsbanken Fonder AB cut its holdings in shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) by 12.8% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 167,651 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock after selling 24,598 shares during the quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB’s holdings in Ross Stores were worth $30,201,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ROST. Woodline Partners LP lifted its position in Ross Stores by 39.9% during the 1st quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 27,875 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $3,562,000 after purchasing an additional 7,951 shares during the period. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its stake in Ross Stores by 23.5% in the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 615 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $79,000 after acquiring an additional 117 shares during the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Ross Stores by 35.8% in the second quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 10,581 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $1,350,000 after acquiring an additional 2,792 shares during the last quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina boosted its stake in Ross Stores by 1.0% in the second quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 150,491 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $19,200,000 after acquiring an additional 1,508 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Main Street Financial Solutions LLC boosted its stake in Ross Stores by 2.2% in the second quarter. Main Street Financial Solutions LLC now owns 12,580 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $1,605,000 after acquiring an additional 265 shares during the last quarter. 86.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ross Stores

In other Ross Stores news, COO Michael J. Hartshorn sold 15,813 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $214.91, for a total value of $3,398,371.83. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 116,028 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $24,935,577.48. The trade was a 11.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, 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 value of $1,174,980.40. Following the completion of the transaction, 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 25,756 shares of company stock valued at $5,521,004. Company insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

Ross Stores Trading Up 0.8%

ROST opened at $212.68 on Wednesday. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $218.42 and its two-hundred day moving average is $195.95. 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 firm has a market cap of $68.51 billion, a PE ratio of 32.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 0.87. Ross Stores, Inc. has a twelve month low of $124.49 and a twelve month high of $231.16.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last posted 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.42 billion. Ross Stores had a net margin of 9.43% and a return on equity of 36.70%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.65 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 7.36 EPS for the current year.

Ross Stores Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 13th were paid a $0.445 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 13th. 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 yield of 0.8%. Ross Stores’s payout ratio is presently 26.93%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on ROST shares. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Ross Stores from $205.00 to $221.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Ross Stores in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $240.00 price objective on shares of Ross Stores in a research note on Thursday, March 26th. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $200.00 price objective on shares of Ross Stores in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. Finally, Zacks Research cut shares of Ross Stores from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Seventeen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $218.56.

Key Stories Impacting Ross Stores

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

• Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan Chase raised its price target on Ross Stores (ROST) to $251 from $248 and kept an overweight rating, reinforcing expectations for further upside. Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) Price Target Raised to $251.00 at JPMorgan Chase & Co.
• Positive Sentiment: Truist Securities initiated coverage of Ross Stores (ROST) with a buy rating and a $270 price target, signaling strong confidence in the retailer’s growth outlook and valuation. Truist Securities initiates coverage of Ross Stores (ROST) with buy recommendation
• Positive Sentiment: Another Truist note called Ross Stores and TJX top names in an attractive discount retail sector, which supports the bull case for the stock. TJX Companies, Ross Stores top names in an attractive vertical—Truist Securities
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and Zacks previews suggest Ross Stores may deliver solid Q1 results, with expectations for double-digit sales and EPS growth driven by traffic, merchandising, and store expansion. Ross Stores Gears Up to Report Q1 Earnings: Is a Beat in Store?
• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street remains optimistic on ROST, with additional coverage highlighting it as a GARP-style stock and a potentially attractive value play versus peers. Add These 4 GARP Stocks to Your Portfolio to Receive Handsome Returns
• Neutral Sentiment: Several recent articles compare Ross Stores with other discount retailers or discuss analyst-rating trends, but they largely reinforce the existing bullish narrative rather than adding new company-specific catalysts. DG or ROST: Which Is the Better Value Stock Right Now?
• Neutral Sentiment: Estimate revisions for FY2027 EPS also point to improving sentiment, though this is more of a long-term valuation signal than an immediate trading catalyst. Ross Stores FY2027 EPS Estimate Boosted by Erste Group Bank

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.