Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) Hits New 12-Month High – Here’s Why

Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST)’s share price reached a new 52-week high on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $180.52 and last traded at $180.1240, with a volume of 352530 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $177.02.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ROST has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. UBS Group set a $203.00 price objective on Ross Stores in a research note on Thursday, December 4th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $205.00 target price on shares of Ross Stores in a report on Monday, December 1st. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their price target on Ross Stores from $147.00 to $159.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, November 21st. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective 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. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group raised their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $160.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, November 21st. Fifteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Ross Stores has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $181.19.

Ross Stores Price Performance

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 business has a 50-day simple moving average of $162.59 and a 200 day simple moving average of $148.25. The firm has a market cap of $58.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.92 and a beta of 1.03.

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, beating the consensus estimate of $1.38 by $0.20. The firm had revenue of $5.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations 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% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.48 earnings per share. 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, analysts anticipate that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ross Stores Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Transactions at Ross Stores

In other news, CEO James Grant Conroy sold 39,351 shares of Ross Stores stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $146.00, for a total transaction of $5,745,246.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 157,153 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $22,944,338. The trade was a 20.03% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Stephen C. Brinkley sold 6,437 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $150.97, for a total transaction of $971,793.89. Following the transaction, the insider owned 57,012 shares in the company, valued at $8,607,101.64. This represents a 10.15% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 48,720 shares of company stock valued at $7,154,172. Company insiders own 2.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Aspect Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Ross Stores by 251.7% during the second quarter. Aspect Partners LLC now owns 204 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 146 shares in the last quarter. American National Bank & Trust bought a new position in Ross Stores in the third quarter worth $26,000. Banque Transatlantique SA purchased a new position in Ross Stores during the first quarter valued at $29,000. Grey Fox Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ross Stores during the 3rd quarter valued at $29,000. Finally, Bayforest Capital Ltd boosted its holdings in shares of Ross Stores by 372.5% during the 1st quarter. Bayforest Capital Ltd now owns 241 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 190 shares in the last quarter. 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.