Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) Sets New 1-Year High – Here’s What Happened

Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST)’s stock price reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $185.85 and last traded at $184.06, with a volume of 107559 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $184.28.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently commented on the company. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Ross Stores from $128.00 to $130.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 22nd. Wall Street Zen upgraded Ross Stores from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 15th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Ross Stores in a research note on Tuesday, October 14th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $180.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group increased their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $160.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, November 21st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have given a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $183.56.

Ross Stores Stock Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $59.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.55, a P/E/G ratio of 4.01 and a beta of 1.03. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $166.19 and its 200 day simple moving average is $150.01. 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 (NASDAQ:ROST) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, November 20th. The apparel retailer reported $1.58 earnings per share (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 analysts’ expectations of $5.38 billion. Ross Stores had a net margin of 9.47% and a return on equity of 36.75%. Ross Stores’s quarterly revenue was up 10.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company 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. On average, equities research analysts expect that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.17 earnings per share for the current year.

Ross Stores Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Activity

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ross Stores

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of ROST. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Ross Stores by 14.8% during the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 39,182,660 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $4,998,924,000 after purchasing an additional 5,060,954 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Ross Stores in the second quarter valued at approximately $521,159,000. Holocene Advisors LP bought a new stake in shares of Ross Stores in the third quarter valued at approximately $351,763,000. Marshall Wace LLP grew its position in Ross Stores by 1,908.8% during the third quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 1,816,763 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $276,857,000 after buying an additional 1,726,324 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE increased its stake in Ross Stores by 20.9% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 9,582,401 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $1,222,523,000 after acquiring an additional 1,657,008 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 86.86% of the company’s stock.

Ross Stores Company Profile

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.