4,237 Shares in Ross Stores, Inc. $ROST Bought by AXQ Capital LP

AXQ Capital LP acquired a new stake in shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 4,237 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $541,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of ROST. Aspect Partners LLC increased 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 valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 146 shares during the last quarter. Banque Transatlantique SA bought a new stake in Ross Stores during the first quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Bayforest Capital Ltd increased its holdings in Ross Stores by 372.5% during the first quarter. Bayforest Capital Ltd now owns 241 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 190 shares during the last quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in Ross Stores during the second quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Finally, Zions Bancorporation National Association UT bought a new position in Ross Stores in the first quarter worth approximately $48,000. 86.86% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ross Stores Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:ROST opened at $174.00 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $155.63 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $145.87. The company has a quick ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 1.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. The stock has a market capitalization of $56.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.62, a PEG ratio of 3.04 and a beta of 1.16. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 52 week low of $122.36 and a 52 week high of $174.86.

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. Ross Stores had a net margin of 9.60% and a return on equity of 37.37%. The firm had revenue of $5.60 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.38 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.48 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter 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. Q4 2025 guidance at 1.770-1.85 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ross Stores Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 9th will be issued a dividend of $0.405 per share. This represents a $1.62 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 9th. Ross Stores’s dividend payout ratio is presently 25.71%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Stephen C. Brinkley sold 6,437 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $150.97, for a total value of $971,793.89. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 57,012 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,607,101.64. This trade represents a 10.15% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO James Grant Conroy sold 39,351 shares of Ross Stores stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $146.00, for a total transaction of $5,745,246.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 157,153 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $22,944,338. This represents a 20.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 52,720 shares of company stock valued at $7,761,212 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 2.20% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Ross Stores from $164.00 to $183.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Ross Stores from $175.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, October 27th. Evercore ISI raised their price objective on Ross Stores from $175.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday. Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on Ross Stores from $170.00 to $182.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $163.00 to $169.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday. Fourteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Ross Stores currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $174.07.

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.