Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) Rating Increased to Strong-Buy at Zacks Research

Zacks Research upgraded shares of Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating in a research report sent to investors on Monday morning,Zacks.com reports.

Several other brokerages also recently weighed in on ROST. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $205.00 price target on shares of Ross Stores in a report on Monday, December 1st. Bank of America increased their price objective on shares of Ross Stores from $175.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 21st. Guggenheim raised shares of Ross Stores to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. TD Cowen upped their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $170.00 to $174.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 10th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Ross Stores from $188.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, November 21st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $186.41.

Ross Stores Trading Down 0.8%

Ross Stores stock traded down $1.50 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $191.74. The company had a trading volume of 442,273 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,120,854. Ross Stores has a 1 year low of $122.36 and a 1 year high of $193.79. The firm has a market cap of $62.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.98, a P/E/G ratio of 3.67 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $176.58 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $156.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a quick ratio of 0.90 and a current ratio of 1.52.

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 company had revenue of $5.60 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.38 billion. Ross Stores had a net margin of 9.47% and a return on equity of 36.75%. Ross Stores’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.48 earnings per share. 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. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Ross Stores will post 6.17 earnings per share for the current year.

Ross Stores Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 9th were issued a $0.405 dividend. This represents a $1.62 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 9th. Ross Stores’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 25.31%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ross Stores

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. American National Bank & Trust acquired a new stake in shares of Ross Stores in the third quarter worth $26,000. Grey Fox Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Ross Stores during the 3rd quarter valued at about $29,000. Aspect Partners LLC grew 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 valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 146 shares in the last quarter. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Ross Stores by 42.6% in the fourth quarter. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 211 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 63 shares in the last quarter. Finally, E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Ross Stores by 162.6% during the third quarter. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. now owns 239 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 148 shares during the period. 86.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ross Stores Company Profile

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.