Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) Updates Q1 2026 Earnings Guidance

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) issued an update on its first quarter 2026 earnings guidance on Wednesday morning. The company provided earnings per share guidance of 1.600-1.670 for the period, compared to the consensus earnings per share estimate of 1.620. The company issued revenue guidance of -. Ross Stores also updated its FY 2026 guidance to 7.020-7.360 EPS.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on ROST shares. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Ross Stores in a research note on Friday, January 9th. Robert W. Baird set a $200.00 target price on shares of Ross Stores in a research report on Wednesday, December 17th. Zacks Research lowered shares of Ross Stores from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $221.00 price target on shares of Ross Stores in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on shares of Ross Stores from $190.00 to $214.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Seventeen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $199.28.

Ross Stores Price Performance

Shares of Ross Stores stock opened at $210.00 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $67.92 billion, a PE ratio of 32.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.52 and a beta of 0.97. Ross Stores has a 12 month low of $122.36 and a 12 month high of $210.00. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $191.34 and its 200-day moving average price is $170.94. 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 (NASDAQ:ROST) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, March 3rd. The apparel retailer reported $2.00 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.90 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $6.64 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.42 billion. Ross Stores had a net margin of 9.47% and a return on equity of 36.75%. The firm’s revenue was up 12.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.65 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Ross Stores will post 6.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Key Headlines Impacting 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.

Institutional Trading of Ross Stores

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Virtus Advisers LLC bought a new stake in Ross Stores during the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. Quarry LP lifted its stake in shares of Ross Stores by 1,124.0% during the fourth quarter. Quarry LP now owns 306 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $55,000 after buying an additional 281 shares during the period. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Ross Stores during the fourth quarter worth about $60,000. Quattro Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Ross Stores during the fourth quarter valued at $70,000. Finally, Johnson Financial Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Ross Stores by 189.1% in the fourth quarter. Johnson Financial Group Inc. now owns 396 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $71,000 after buying an additional 259 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.86% of the company’s stock.

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.