Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) Hits New 52-Week High on Earnings Beat

Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Wednesday after the company announced better than expected quarterly earnings. The stock traded as high as $210.50 and last traded at $210.50, with a volume of 40077 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $197.64.

The apparel retailer reported $2.00 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.90 by $0.10. Ross Stores had a return on equity of 36.75% and a net margin of 9.47%.The business had revenue of $6.64 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.42 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.65 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 12.2% on a year-over-year basis.

Trending Headlines about Ross Stores

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

• Positive Sentiment: Quarterly beat and raised guidance — ROST reported Q4 EPS of $2.00 and revenue of $6.64B (both above estimates) and provided FY26 EPS guidance of $7.02–7.36 and Q1 EPS guidance of $1.60–1.67 (above consensus), underpinning the bullish reaction. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades and higher price targets — Guggenheim raised its target to $226 (buy), Telsey upgraded to “outperform” with a $240 target, and Barclays lifted its target to $221, providing incremental analyst momentum and signaling upside to current levels. Read More. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Share repurchase and dividend boost — Management authorized a new two‑year repurchase program and raised the quarterly cash dividend by 10%, lifting shareholder-return expectations. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Stronger traffic and comps — Management said spring shopping is off to a “very strong start” and comps were robust (+9% in Q4), supporting the view that off‑price retail is taking share. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Premarket/market coverage — Multiple outlets flagged ROST as a premarket gainer following the results, helping explain volatile intraday moves. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Market context — Roundups noted Ross among market movers alongside unrelated headlines (e.g., biotech/legal settlements, crypto moves), so some price action reflects broader market flows. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks downgrade — Zacks cut ROST from “strong‑buy” to “hold,” which may temper some of the upside from analyst upgrades and add selling pressure for shorter‑term traders. Read More.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ROST has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Bank of America boosted their price objective on shares of Ross Stores from $175.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 21st. Guggenheim increased their price objective on Ross Stores from $199.00 to $226.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. Barclays raised their price objective on Ross Stores from $205.00 to $221.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $215.00 to $232.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 23rd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $205.00 price objective on shares of Ross Stores in a research note on Monday, December 1st. Seventeen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $199.28.

Institutional Trading of Ross Stores

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ROST. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Ross Stores by 14.8% during the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 39,182,660 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $4,998,924,000 after acquiring an additional 5,060,954 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its holdings in Ross Stores by 0.4% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 13,974,551 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $1,782,873,000 after purchasing an additional 61,168 shares during the period. Primecap Management Co. CA boosted its position in Ross Stores by 0.5% during the second quarter. Primecap Management Co. CA now owns 10,268,700 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $1,310,081,000 after purchasing an additional 51,765 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE grew its holdings in Ross Stores by 1.9% in the third quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 9,762,583 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $1,487,720,000 after purchasing an additional 180,182 shares during the period. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Ross Stores by 1.6% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 8,673,823 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $1,102,077,000 after purchasing an additional 133,005 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.86% of the company’s stock.

Ross Stores Price Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 0.90, a current ratio of 1.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17. The firm has a market capitalization of $68.09 billion, a PE ratio of 32.89, a PEG ratio of 3.52 and a beta of 0.97. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $191.34 and a 200 day moving average price of $170.94.

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.