ING Groep NV Acquires 68,089 Shares of Ross Stores, Inc. $ROST

ING Groep NV increased its stake in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) by 125.1% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 122,505 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 68,089 shares during the period. ING Groep NV’s holdings in Ross Stores were worth $18,669,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ROST. Aspect Partners LLC boosted its stake in Ross Stores by 251.7% in the second quarter. Aspect Partners LLC now owns 204 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 146 shares in the last quarter. American National Bank & Trust bought a new position in shares of Ross Stores during the third quarter valued at $26,000. Grey Fox Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Ross Stores during the 3rd quarter worth about $29,000. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. increased its position in Ross Stores by 162.6% during the 3rd quarter. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. now owns 239 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 148 shares during the period. Finally, Ameritas Advisory Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ross Stores during the second quarter worth $38,000. 86.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Ross Stores Trading Up 0.1%

Shares of ROST stock opened at $192.54 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $62.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.08, a PEG ratio of 3.34 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a 50 day moving average of $185.97 and a 200-day moving average of $165.21. The company has a quick ratio of 0.90, a current ratio of 1.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 12-month low of $122.36 and a 12-month high of $194.92.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 20th. The apparel retailer reported $1.58 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.38 by $0.20. The company had revenue of $5.60 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.38 billion. Ross Stores had a return on equity of 36.75% and a net margin of 9.47%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $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. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.17 earnings per share for the current year.

Ross Stores Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 9th were given a $0.405 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 9th. This represents a $1.62 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. Ross Stores’s payout ratio is 25.31%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ROST has been the subject of several research analyst reports. TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Ross Stores in a research note on Thursday, December 4th. Erste Group Bank began coverage on Ross Stores in a research report on Friday, October 31st. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Ross Stores in a research report on Friday, January 9th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Ross Stores from $180.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 16th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Ross Stores from $169.00 to $181.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Ross Stores has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $189.94.

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.