Analysts Set Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) Price Target at $208.29

Shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) have been given a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the twenty-one analysts that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and sixteen have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $208.2941.

Several analysts have recently commented on the company. Guggenheim raised their price target on Ross Stores from $199.00 to $226.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Ross Stores from $205.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $221.00 price objective on Ross Stores in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $205.00 target price on shares of Ross Stores in a research report on Monday, December 1st. Finally, Barclays upped their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $205.00 to $221.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, March 2nd.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Ross Stores news, Director Patricia H. Mueller sold 1,881 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $213.13, for a total value of $400,897.53. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 2,159 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $460,147.67. This trade represents a 46.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CMO Karen Sykes sold 5,506 shares of Ross Stores stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $213.40, for a total transaction of $1,174,980.40. Following the sale, the chief marketing officer owned 104,648 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $22,331,883.20. The trade was a 5.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 25,756 shares of company stock worth $5,521,004. 2.20% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ross Stores

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of ROST. Virtus Investment Advisers LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ross Stores in the second quarter valued at about $1,265,000. Jump Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ross Stores in the second quarter valued at approximately $7,949,000. GSA Capital Partners LLP purchased a new position in shares of Ross Stores during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,411,000. Amica Mutual Insurance Co. purchased a new position in shares of Ross Stores during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $4,790,000. Finally, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans raised its position in shares of Ross Stores by 84.7% during the 3rd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 227,340 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $34,645,000 after purchasing an additional 104,270 shares during the last quarter. 86.86% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

More Ross Stores News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 strength: Ross posted broad-based category strength with record sales and strong Q4 gains, underscoring healthy demand and margin leverage potential—key support for forward earnings. Ross Stores Shows Broad-Based Category Strength: Can Momentum Hold?
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades: Erste Group raised FY2027 and FY2028 EPS forecasts sharply (to ~$7.36 and ~$8.14, respectively), well above current consensus — this lifts forward earnings expectations and supports valuation expansion. MarketBeat ROST
• Positive Sentiment: Brokerage backing: Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $240 price target, signaling continued sell-side confidence and potential upside from current levels. Telsey Reaffirms Outperform
• Positive Sentiment: Longer-term growth view: Analysts and commentary (e.g., Seeking Alpha) argue Ross’ earnings should continue growing at a healthy clip given its off-price positioning and margin profile — a structural bullish argument for investors focused on multi-year returns. Ross Stores: Earnings Should Continue To Grow At A Healthy Clip
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst sentiment coverage: A Zacks piece highlights Wall Street bulls are optimistic and that analyst ratings can move the stock — useful context but not a specific rating change driving action. Wall Street Bulls Look Optimistic About Ross Stores (ROST): Should You Buy?
• Neutral Sentiment: Macro/market commentary: Broader consumer-spending commentary (e.g., Jim Cramer coverage) is referenced — supportive of retail but not a direct company-specific catalyst. Jim Cramer’s 5 Stock Calls and the Truth About Strong Consumer Spending
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: Reports show top Ross executives executed a sizable stock sale on March 26, which can spook investors and prompt short-term selling or profit-taking despite positive fundamentals. Top Ross Stores Executives Quietly Cash In on Major Stock Sale

Ross Stores Stock Performance

NASDAQ ROST opened at $211.69 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 1.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16. The stock has a market capitalization of $68.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.03, a P/E/G ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 0.97. Ross Stores has a 52-week low of $124.07 and a 52-week high of $217.51. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $200.54 and a 200 day moving average price of $178.92.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 3rd. The apparel retailer reported $2.00 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.90 by $0.10. Ross Stores had a return on equity of 36.70% and a net margin of 9.43%.The company had revenue of $6.64 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.42 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.65 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts expect that Ross Stores will post 6.17 EPS for the current year.

Ross Stores Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Investors of record on Friday, March 13th will be issued a dividend of $0.445 per share. This is an increase from Ross Stores’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.41. This represents a $1.78 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 13th. Ross Stores’s payout ratio is presently 26.93%.

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.