Q2 EPS Estimates for Ross Stores Decreased by William Blair

Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) – Investment analysts at William Blair decreased their Q2 2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for Ross Stores in a research note issued to investors on Friday, May 23rd. William Blair analyst D. Carden now forecasts that the apparel retailer will post earnings of $1.49 per share for the quarter, down from their previous forecast of $1.64. The consensus estimate for Ross Stores’ current full-year earnings is $6.17 per share. William Blair also issued estimates for Ross Stores’ Q3 2026 earnings at $1.41 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $1.60 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $5.96 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $1.63 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $1.68 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $1.66 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $1.82 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $6.79 EPS.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 22nd. The apparel retailer reported $1.47 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.44 by $0.03. Ross Stores had a net margin of 9.95% and a return on equity of 41.83%. The firm had revenue of $4.98 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.94 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.46 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 2.6% on a year-over-year basis.

ROST has been the subject of several other research reports. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and set a $150.00 price target on shares of Ross Stores in a research note on Friday. UBS Group decreased their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $168.00 to $163.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of Ross Stores from $157.00 to $156.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday. BMO Capital Markets reduced their price objective on shares of Ross Stores from $168.00 to $156.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on shares of Ross Stores from $128.00 to $126.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $158.67.

Ross Stores Stock Performance

Ross Stores stock opened at $137.26 on Monday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $138.19 and a 200-day moving average price of $142.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a current ratio of 1.57. Ross Stores has a fifty-two week low of $122.36 and a fifty-two week high of $163.60. The company has a market capitalization of $45.13 billion, a PE ratio of 21.62, a P/E/G ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 1.17.

Ross Stores Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 10th will be given a dividend of $0.405 per share. This represents a $1.62 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.18%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 10th. Ross Stores’s payout ratio is presently 25.63%.

Insider Transactions at Ross Stores

In other news, COO Michael J. Hartshorn sold 7,492 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $127.69, for a total transaction of $956,653.48. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 139,091 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $17,760,529.79. The trade was a 5.11% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CMO Karen Fleming sold 5,339 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $125.73, for a total transaction of $671,272.47. Following the sale, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 94,063 shares in the company, valued at $11,826,540.99. This trade represents a 5.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 34,398 shares of company stock valued at $4,439,950. Corporate insiders own 2.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ross Stores

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Ross Stores by 23.5% during the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 615 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $79,000 after buying an additional 117 shares during the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth grew its holdings in shares of Ross Stores by 6.6% during the first quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 18,129 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $2,317,000 after buying an additional 1,118 shares during the last quarter. Bayforest Capital Ltd boosted its holdings in Ross Stores by 372.5% in the first quarter. Bayforest Capital Ltd now owns 241 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 190 shares during the last quarter. Optimize Financial Inc boosted its holdings in Ross Stores by 53.0% in the first quarter. Optimize Financial Inc now owns 5,157 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $659,000 after purchasing an additional 1,786 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Woodline Partners LP boosted its holdings in Ross Stores by 39.9% in the first quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 27,875 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $3,562,000 after purchasing an additional 7,951 shares during the last quarter. 86.86% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.