107,500 Shares in Ross Stores, Inc. $ROST Purchased by Rakuten Investment Management Inc.

Rakuten Investment Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) during the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm acquired 107,500 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $16,382,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Aspect Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Ross Stores by 251.7% in the second quarter. Aspect Partners LLC now owns 204 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 146 shares during the period. American National Bank & Trust purchased a new position in Ross Stores in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Grey Fox Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Ross Stores during the 3rd quarter valued at $29,000. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. raised its holdings in Ross Stores by 162.6% during the 3rd quarter. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. now owns 239 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 148 shares during the period. Finally, Ameritas Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ross Stores during the second quarter worth $38,000. Institutional investors own 86.86% of the company’s stock.

Ross Stores Stock Up 1.4%

ROST stock opened at $192.32 on Thursday. The company’s 50 day moving average is $180.21 and its 200 day moving average is $159.23. The stock has a market cap of $62.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.62 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a current ratio of 1.52, a quick ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 1-year low of $122.36 and a 1-year high of $194.92.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, November 20th. The apparel retailer reported $1.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 business had revenue of $5.60 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.38 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.48 earnings per share. Ross Stores’s revenue for the quarter 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. Sell-side analysts predict that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ross Stores Dividend Announcement

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Barclays reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $205.00 price target on shares of Ross Stores in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. UBS Group upped their price target on Ross Stores from $169.00 to $181.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Citigroup increased their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $171.00 to $188.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 21st. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Ross Stores from $180.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 16th. Finally, Bank of America upped their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $175.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 21st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have given a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $186.41.

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.