Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) Sets New 12-Month High – Time to Buy?

Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST)’s stock price reached a new 52-week high during trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $186.35 and last traded at $186.4850, with a volume of 1112220 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $182.74.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have commented on ROST. Erste Group Bank initiated coverage on shares of Ross Stores in a research note on Friday, October 31st. They set a “buy” rating for the company. Bank of America boosted their price target on Ross Stores from $175.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 21st. TD Cowen increased their price objective on Ross Stores from $170.00 to $174.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, November 10th. BTIG Research began coverage on shares of Ross Stores in a research note on Tuesday, October 14th. They issued a “neutral” rating on the stock. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group increased their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $160.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 21st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $183.56.

Ross Stores Price Performance

The stock has a fifty day moving average of $172.44 and a 200-day moving average of $153.78. The firm has a market capitalization of $60.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.17, a PEG ratio of 4.02 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a quick ratio of 0.90, a current ratio of 1.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 20th. The apparel retailer reported $1.58 earnings per share 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 firm had revenue of $5.60 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.38 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.48 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 10.4% compared to the same quarter last year. 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. Equities analysts predict that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ross Stores Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 9th were issued a dividend of $0.405 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 9th. This represents a $1.62 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. Ross Stores’s dividend payout ratio is currently 25.31%.

Insider Activity at Ross Stores

In other news, insider Stephen C. Brinkley sold 6,437 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $150.97, for a total transaction of $971,793.89. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 57,012 shares in the company, valued at $8,607,101.64. The trade was a 10.15% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Company insiders own 2.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Ross Stores

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ROST. Aspect Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Ross Stores by 251.7% during the 2nd quarter. Aspect Partners LLC now owns 204 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 146 shares during the period. American National Bank & Trust bought a new position in Ross Stores in the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Banque Transatlantique SA bought a new position in Ross Stores in the first quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Grey Fox Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Ross Stores during the 3rd quarter worth $29,000. Finally, Bayforest Capital Ltd raised its position in shares of Ross Stores by 372.5% during the 1st quarter. Bayforest Capital Ltd now owns 241 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 190 shares during the last quarter. 86.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.