Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) Short Interest Update

Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) saw a large decrease in short interest during the month of January. As of January 30th, there was short interest totaling 7,564,612 shares, a decrease of 15.3% from the January 15th total of 8,926,463 shares. Currently, 2.4% of the company’s stock are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 2,510,738 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 3.0 days. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 2,510,738 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 3.0 days. Currently, 2.4% of the company’s stock are short sold.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently commented on ROST shares. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $205.00 price target on shares of Ross Stores in a report on Monday, December 1st. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $188.00 to $224.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on shares of Ross Stores from $190.00 to $214.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. Guggenheim raised shares of Ross Stores to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and set a $170.00 price target on shares of Ross Stores in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $189.94.

Ross Stores Trading Up 0.9%

Ross Stores stock opened at $196.54 on Monday. Ross Stores has a 1 year low of $122.36 and a 1 year high of $197.24. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $186.70 and its 200-day moving average is $166.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a quick ratio of 0.90 and a current ratio of 1.52. The company has a market cap of $63.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.71, a PEG ratio of 3.41 and a beta of 0.99.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 20th. The apparel retailer reported $1.58 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.38 by $0.20. Ross Stores had a net margin of 9.47% and a return on equity of 36.75%. The firm had revenue of $5.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.38 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.48 earnings per share. Ross Stores’s quarterly revenue was up 10.4% on a year-over-year basis. 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 analysts expect that Ross Stores will post 6.17 earnings per share for the current year.

Ross Stores Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 9th were given a dividend of $0.405 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 9th. This represents a $1.62 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. Ross Stores’s payout ratio is currently 25.31%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ross Stores

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Aspect Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Ross Stores by 251.7% in the 2nd quarter. Aspect Partners LLC now owns 204 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 146 shares during the period. American National Bank & Trust bought a new stake in shares of Ross Stores during the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. boosted its position in shares of Ross Stores by 7,000.0% during the fourth quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 142 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 140 shares during the period. Hilton Head Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in Ross Stores in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Finally, Grey Fox Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Ross Stores in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.86% of the company’s stock.

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.