Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) Reaches New 12-Month High – Should You Buy?

Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) reached a new 52-week high on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $179.05 and last traded at $177.6640, with a volume of 271448 shares. The stock had previously closed at $178.00.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on ROST shares. Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Ross Stores in a research report on Thursday. Barclays lifted their price objective on Ross Stores from $164.00 to $183.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, November 21st. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $128.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, August 22nd. BTIG Research initiated coverage on Ross Stores in a research note on Tuesday, October 14th. They set a “neutral” rating for the company. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Ross Stores from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, November 15th. Fourteen research 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.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $177.73.

Ross Stores Trading Up 0.1%

The company has a current ratio of 1.58, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. The business has a 50 day moving average of $160.49 and a two-hundred day moving average of $147.50. The firm has a market cap of $57.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.85, a PEG ratio of 3.90 and a beta of 1.03.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 20th. The apparel retailer reported $1.58 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.38 by $0.20. The business had revenue of $5.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.38 billion. Ross Stores had a net margin of 9.47% and a return on equity of 37.21%. Ross Stores’s quarterly revenue was up 10.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.48 EPS. 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. Analysts predict that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.17 earnings per share for the current year.

Ross Stores Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 9th will be given a $0.405 dividend. This represents a $1.62 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 9th. Ross Stores’s payout ratio is presently 25.31%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CMO Karen Fleming sold 2,932 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $149.09, for a total value of $437,131.88. Following the completion of the sale, the chief marketing officer directly owned 88,335 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,169,865.15. The trade was a 3.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO James Grant Conroy sold 39,351 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $146.00, for a total value of $5,745,246.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 157,153 shares in the company, valued at approximately $22,944,338. This trade represents a 20.03% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 48,720 shares of company stock valued at $7,154,172. 2.20% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ross Stores

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Allworth Financial LP lifted its holdings in shares of Ross Stores by 20.8% during the 3rd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 5,085 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $775,000 after acquiring an additional 874 shares during the period. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd increased its stake in shares of Ross Stores by 17.6% in the 3rd quarter. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd now owns 28,356 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $4,321,000 after purchasing an additional 4,245 shares during the last quarter. Groupama Asset Managment raised its holdings in shares of Ross Stores by 58.8% during the 3rd quarter. Groupama Asset Managment now owns 4,266 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $650,000 after buying an additional 1,579 shares in the last quarter. Polar Asset Management Partners Inc. acquired a new stake in Ross Stores in the third quarter valued at about $2,898,000. Finally, CIBC Bancorp USA Inc. bought a new position in Ross Stores in the third quarter valued at about $60,780,000. 86.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.