Zacks Research Lifts Earnings Estimates for Ross Stores

Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) – Investment analysts at Zacks Research raised their FY2025 EPS estimates for Ross Stores in a research note issued on Wednesday, December 4th. Zacks Research analyst R. Lohia now forecasts that the apparel retailer will earn $6.17 per share for the year, up from their previous forecast of $6.10. The consensus estimate for Ross Stores’ current full-year earnings is $6.17 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Ross Stores’ Q4 2025 earnings at $1.64 EPS, Q1 2026 earnings at $1.54 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $1.58 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $1.83 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $6.65 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $1.68 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $1.83 EPS and Q3 2027 earnings at $1.71 EPS.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 21st. The apparel retailer reported $1.48 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.41 by $0.07. Ross Stores had a net margin of 9.95% and a return on equity of 41.83%. The firm had revenue of $5.10 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.15 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.33 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 3.6% compared to the same quarter last year.

Several other analysts have also weighed in on ROST. UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of Ross Stores from $147.00 to $167.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, August 23rd. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Ross Stores from $165.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, August 23rd. Citigroup lowered shares of Ross Stores from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their price objective for the stock from $179.00 to $152.00 in a report on Tuesday, November 12th. Guggenheim reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $180.00 price objective on shares of Ross Stores in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Ross Stores from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $171.69.

Ross Stores Stock Performance

NASDAQ:ROST opened at $156.48 on Friday. Ross Stores has a 12-month low of $127.53 and a 12-month high of $163.60. The company has a quick ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The firm has a market capitalization of $51.91 billion, a PE ratio of 24.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 1.10. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $145.58 and a 200 day moving average price of $145.88.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ross Stores

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of ROST. Cetera Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Ross Stores by 40.8% in the first quarter. Cetera Advisors LLC now owns 7,074 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $1,038,000 after acquiring an additional 2,050 shares during the last quarter. CWM LLC boosted its stake in Ross Stores by 33.5% in the second quarter. CWM LLC now owns 13,099 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $1,904,000 after acquiring an additional 3,285 shares during the last quarter. Simplicity Wealth LLC boosted its stake in Ross Stores by 2.4% in the second quarter. Simplicity Wealth LLC now owns 6,125 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $890,000 after acquiring an additional 142 shares during the last quarter. Mechanics Bank Trust Department boosted its stake in Ross Stores by 0.5% in the second quarter. Mechanics Bank Trust Department now owns 34,343 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $4,991,000 after acquiring an additional 164 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Czech National Bank boosted its position in shares of Ross Stores by 7.9% during the second quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 63,896 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $9,285,000 after purchasing an additional 4,660 shares in the last quarter. 86.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ross Stores

In other Ross Stores news, COO Michael J. Hartshorn sold 8,366 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $155.64, for a total value of $1,302,084.24. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 103,049 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $16,038,546.36. This trade represents a 7.51 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

Ross Stores Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 10th will be paid a dividend of $0.3675 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 10th. This represents a $1.47 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.94%. Ross Stores’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 23.15%.

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.