Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) CMO Karen Sykes Sells 5,506 Shares

Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) CMO Karen Sykes sold 5,506 shares of the firm’s 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 completion of the transaction, the chief marketing officer owned 104,648 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $22,331,883.20. This trade represents a 5.00% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link.

Karen Sykes also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Tuesday, March 10th, Karen Sykes sold 2,556 shares of Ross Stores stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $213.91, for a total transaction of $546,753.96.

Ross Stores Stock Down 1.2%

Shares of ROST opened at $211.69 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $200.54 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $178.72. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 12 month low of $124.07 and a 12 month high of $217.51. The company has a market capitalization of $68.47 billion, a PE ratio of 32.03, a PEG ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 0.97. The company has a current ratio of 1.58, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last released its earnings results 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 net margin of 9.43% and a return on equity of 36.70%. The business had revenue of $6.64 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.42 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.65 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts anticipate that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.17 EPS for the current year.

Ross Stores Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 13th will be paid a $0.445 dividend. This represents a $1.78 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. This is a boost from Ross Stores’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.41. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 13th. Ross Stores’s payout ratio is presently 26.93%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Ross Stores in a research report on Thursday, December 4th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $221.00 target price on shares of Ross Stores in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. UBS Group set a $208.00 price target on shares of Ross Stores in a report on Thursday, March 5th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Ross Stores in a research report on Friday, January 9th. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $200.00 target price on shares of Ross Stores in a research report on Wednesday, December 17th. Sixteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $208.29.

Institutional Trading of Ross Stores

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Ross Stores in the 4th quarter worth about $868,360,000. Holocene Advisors LP purchased a new stake in Ross Stores during the 3rd quarter valued at about $351,763,000. Marshall Wace LLP increased its position in shares of Ross Stores by 1,908.8% during the third quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 1,816,763 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $276,857,000 after acquiring an additional 1,726,324 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE increased its holdings in shares of Ross Stores by 20.9% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 9,582,401 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $1,222,523,000 after purchasing an additional 1,657,008 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Viking Global Investors LP lifted its stake in Ross Stores by 56.5% during the 4th quarter. Viking Global Investors LP now owns 3,167,479 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $570,590,000 after acquiring an additional 1,143,611 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.86% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Ross Stores

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

About Ross Stores

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.