Zacks Research Raises Earnings Estimates for Ross Stores

Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) – Stock analysts at Zacks Research raised their Q4 2026 earnings per share estimates for Ross Stores in a report released on Wednesday, December 3rd. Zacks Research analyst Team now forecasts that the apparel retailer will earn $1.85 per share for the quarter, up from their previous estimate of $1.74. The consensus estimate for Ross Stores’ current full-year earnings is $6.17 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Ross Stores’ Q2 2027 earnings at $1.70 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $2.03 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $7.00 EPS.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 20th. The apparel retailer reported $1.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.38 by $0.20. The business had revenue of $5.60 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.38 billion. Ross Stores had a return on equity of 37.21% and a net margin of 9.47%.The business’s revenue was up 10.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business 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.

ROST has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of Ross Stores from $128.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, August 22nd. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $164.00 to $183.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 21st. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Ross Stores in a report on Tuesday, October 14th. BTIG Research began coverage on Ross Stores in a report on Tuesday, October 14th. They issued a “neutral” rating for the company. Finally, Bank of America lifted their target price on Ross Stores from $175.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 21st. Fourteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $180.00.

Ross Stores Stock Performance

ROST stock opened at $177.09 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a current ratio of 1.58. The stock has a market capitalization of $57.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.67, a PEG ratio of 3.92 and a beta of 1.03. Ross Stores has a 1 year low of $122.36 and a 1 year high of $179.05. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $161.05 and its two-hundred day moving average is $147.70.

Ross Stores Dividend Announcement

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Ross Stores news, CMO Karen Fleming sold 2,932 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 directly owned 88,335 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $13,169,865.15. This trade represents a 3.21% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Stephen C. Brinkley sold 6,437 shares of Ross Stores stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $150.97, for a total value of $971,793.89. Following the transaction, the insider owned 57,012 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,607,101.64. This trade represents a 10.15% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 48,720 shares of company stock worth $7,154,172 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 2.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ross Stores

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of ROST. Louisbourg Investments Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Ross Stores by 54.2% during the 2nd quarter. Louisbourg Investments Inc. now owns 30,235 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $3,857,000 after acquiring an additional 10,625 shares in the last quarter. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. lifted its holdings in shares of Ross Stores by 22.0% during the second quarter. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. now owns 11,676 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $1,490,000 after purchasing an additional 2,109 shares during the last quarter. Virtus Investment Advisers LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ross Stores in the 2nd quarter valued at $1,265,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Ross Stores by 1.5% in the 2nd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,001,526 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $255,355,000 after purchasing an additional 30,232 shares during the period. Finally, Primecap Management Co. CA increased its stake in Ross Stores by 0.5% in the 2nd quarter. Primecap Management Co. CA now owns 10,268,700 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $1,310,081,000 after purchasing an additional 51,765 shares in the last quarter. 86.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Ross Stores

Ross Stores, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, operates off-price retail apparel and home fashion stores under the Ross Dress for Less and dd’s DISCOUNTS brand names in the United States. Its stores primarily offer apparel, accessories, footwear, and home fashions. The company’s Ross Dress for Less stores sell its products at department and specialty stores to middle income households; and dd’s DISCOUNTS stores sell its products at department and discount stores for households with moderate income.