Railway Pension Investments Ltd Raises Stock Holdings in Ross Stores, Inc. $ROST

Railway Pension Investments Ltd increased its stake in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) by 103.3% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 18,300 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 9,300 shares during the quarter. Railway Pension Investments Ltd’s holdings in Ross Stores were worth $2,789,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in ROST. American National Bank & Trust purchased a new position in shares of Ross Stores in the 3rd quarter worth $26,000. Aspect Partners LLC lifted its holdings in 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 acquiring an additional 146 shares during the period. Bayforest Capital Ltd boosted its position in Ross Stores by 372.5% in the first quarter. Bayforest Capital Ltd now owns 241 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 190 shares during the last quarter. Banque Transatlantique SA purchased a new position in Ross Stores in the first quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC grew its stake in shares of Ross Stores by 152.0% during the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 257 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 155 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 86.86% of the company’s stock.

Ross Stores Stock Up 1.4%

Shares of NASDAQ ROST opened at $182.74 on Monday. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 52-week low of $122.36 and a 52-week high of $185.85. The firm has a market capitalization of $59.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.55, a PEG ratio of 4.02 and a beta of 1.01. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $172.44 and a 200 day moving average price of $153.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a quick ratio of 0.90 and a current ratio of 1.52.

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 the consensus estimate of $1.38 by $0.20. Ross Stores had a return on equity of 36.75% and a net margin of 9.47%.The firm had revenue of $5.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.38 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.48 earnings per share. The business’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 expect that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.17 earnings per share for the current year.

Ross Stores Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 9th were given a $0.405 dividend. This represents a $1.62 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 9th. Ross Stores’s dividend payout ratio is presently 25.31%.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Stephen C. Brinkley sold 6,437 shares of Ross Stores stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $150.97, for a total value of $971,793.89. Following the transaction, the insider directly 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 sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 2.20% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Ross Stores from $180.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 16th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Ross Stores in a research note on Tuesday, October 14th. Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Ross Stores in a research note on Thursday, December 4th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $205.00 price objective on shares of Ross Stores in a report on Monday, December 1st. Finally, Erste Group Bank initiated coverage on Ross Stores in a report on Friday, October 31st. They issued a “buy” rating on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $183.56.

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.