Zacks Research Has Weak Forecast for Ross Stores Q1 Earnings

Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) – Stock analysts at Zacks Research reduced their Q1 2026 EPS estimates for shares of Ross Stores in a research report issued on Thursday, March 13th. Zacks Research analyst R. Lohia now expects that the apparel retailer will post earnings of $1.42 per share for the quarter, down from their previous estimate of $1.54. The consensus estimate for Ross Stores’ current full-year earnings is $6.17 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Ross Stores’ Q2 2026 earnings at $1.62 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $1.54 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $1.80 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $6.38 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $1.54 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $1.79 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $1.69 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $1.90 EPS, FY2027 earnings at $6.91 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $7.17 EPS.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 4th. The apparel retailer reported $1.79 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.65 by $0.14. Ross Stores had a return on equity of 41.83% and a net margin of 9.95%. The business had revenue of $5.91 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.95 billion.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. Loop Capital lowered their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $190.00 to $175.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Robert W. Baird dropped their price objective on Ross Stores from $175.00 to $160.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. UBS Group decreased their target price on Ross Stores from $168.00 to $163.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Barclays set a $150.00 price target on Ross Stores in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Evercore ISI decreased their price objective on Ross Stores from $175.00 to $170.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Ross Stores has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $161.40.

Ross Stores Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:ROST opened at $125.54 on Monday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $142.26 and its 200 day simple moving average is $146.34. Ross Stores has a fifty-two week low of $122.77 and a fifty-two week high of $163.60. The company has a market capitalization of $41.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.77, a P/E/G ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 1.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 1.57 and a quick ratio of 0.98.

Ross Stores Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 18th will be issued a $0.405 dividend. This is a boost from Ross Stores’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.37. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 18th. This represents a $1.62 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.29%. Ross Stores’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 25.63%.

Institutional Trading of Ross Stores

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Ross Stores by 8.3% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,965,695 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $295,857,000 after purchasing an additional 151,255 shares in the last quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP bought a new stake in Ross Stores during the third quarter worth $392,000. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. lifted its stake in Ross Stores by 61.3% in the third quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 6,567 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $988,000 after acquiring an additional 2,495 shares during the last quarter. Curi RMB Capital LLC grew its position in shares of Ross Stores by 13.0% in the 3rd quarter. Curi RMB Capital LLC now owns 1,744 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $262,000 after acquiring an additional 201 shares during the period. Finally, Natixis Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Ross Stores by 8.8% during the 3rd quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 666,450 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $100,307,000 after purchasing an additional 54,037 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.