Ross Stores’ (ROST) “Outperform” Rating Reiterated at Telsey Advisory Group

Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed their outperform rating on shares of Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) in a report published on Thursday,Benzinga reports. Telsey Advisory Group currently has a $240.00 price target on the apparel retailer’s stock.

Several other equities analysts also recently commented on the stock. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $205.00 to $221.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, March 2nd. Zacks Research lowered Ross Stores from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $200.00 target price on Ross Stores in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. Robert W. Baird set a $200.00 price target on Ross Stores in a report on Wednesday, December 17th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $221.00 price target on Ross Stores in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Sixteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $208.29.

Ross Stores Trading Down 1.2%

ROST stock opened at $211.69 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 1.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16. Ross Stores has a twelve month low of $124.07 and a twelve month high of $217.51. The stock has a market capitalization of $68.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 0.97. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $200.54 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $178.72.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, March 3rd. The apparel retailer reported $2.00 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.90 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $6.64 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.65 earnings per share. As a group, analysts anticipate that Ross Stores will post 6.17 earnings per share for the current year.

Ross Stores Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 13th will be given a $0.445 dividend. This is a positive change from Ross Stores’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.41. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 13th. This represents a $1.78 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. Ross Stores’s dividend payout ratio is presently 26.93%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CMO Karen Sykes sold 5,506 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $213.40, for a total transaction of $1,174,980.40. Following the transaction, the chief marketing officer directly owned 104,648 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $22,331,883.20. This trade represents a 5.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Patricia H. Mueller sold 1,881 shares of Ross Stores stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $213.13, for a total transaction of $400,897.53. Following the sale, the director directly owned 2,159 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $460,147.67. This represents a 46.56% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 25,756 shares of company stock worth $5,521,004 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 2.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ross Stores

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of ROST. Somerset Trust Co lifted its holdings in shares of Ross Stores by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Somerset Trust Co now owns 14,788 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $2,664,000 after buying an additional 55 shares during the period. Independent Advisor Alliance increased its stake in shares of Ross Stores by 1.7% during the fourth quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance now owns 3,309 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $596,000 after buying an additional 55 shares during the period. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC raised its holdings in shares of Ross Stores by 6.1% in the fourth quarter. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC now owns 954 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $172,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Florida Trust Wealth Management Co raised its holdings in shares of Ross Stores by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Florida Trust Wealth Management Co now owns 3,399 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $612,000 after acquiring an additional 56 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MCF Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Ross Stores by 4.6% in the fourth quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 1,292 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $233,000 after acquiring an additional 57 shares during the period. 86.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Key Ross Stores News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 strength: Ross posted broad-based category strength with record sales and strong Q4 gains, underscoring healthy demand and margin leverage potential—key support for forward earnings. Ross Stores Shows Broad-Based Category Strength: Can Momentum Hold?
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades: Erste Group raised FY2027 and FY2028 EPS forecasts sharply (to ~$7.36 and ~$8.14, respectively), well above current consensus — this lifts forward earnings expectations and supports valuation expansion. MarketBeat ROST
• Positive Sentiment: Brokerage backing: Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $240 price target, signaling continued sell-side confidence and potential upside from current levels. Telsey Reaffirms Outperform
• Positive Sentiment: Longer-term growth view: Analysts and commentary (e.g., Seeking Alpha) argue Ross’ earnings should continue growing at a healthy clip given its off-price positioning and margin profile — a structural bullish argument for investors focused on multi-year returns. Ross Stores: Earnings Should Continue To Grow At A Healthy Clip
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst sentiment coverage: A Zacks piece highlights Wall Street bulls are optimistic and that analyst ratings can move the stock — useful context but not a specific rating change driving action. Wall Street Bulls Look Optimistic About Ross Stores (ROST): Should You Buy?
• Neutral Sentiment: Macro/market commentary: Broader consumer-spending commentary (e.g., Jim Cramer coverage) is referenced — supportive of retail but not a direct company-specific catalyst. Jim Cramer’s 5 Stock Calls and the Truth About Strong Consumer Spending
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: Reports show top Ross executives executed a sizable stock sale on March 26, which can spook investors and prompt short-term selling or profit-taking despite positive fundamentals. Top Ross Stores Executives Quietly Cash In on Major Stock Sale

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.