Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) Cut to Hold at Zacks Research

Zacks Research lowered shares of Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a research report report published on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued reports about the company. Evercore increased their price target on Ross Stores from $175.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, November 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $190.00 to $214.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Ross Stores in a research note on Thursday, December 4th. Telsey Advisory Group lifted their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $175.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Ross Stores from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, November 15th. Sixteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $207.76.

Ross Stores Stock Performance

Shares of Ross Stores stock opened at $213.52 on Monday. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $192.02 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $171.24. Ross Stores has a 1-year low of $122.36 and a 1-year high of $216.80. The company has a current ratio of 1.52, a quick ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17. The company has a market cap of $69.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.30, a PEG ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.97.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, March 3rd. The apparel retailer reported $2.00 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.90 by $0.10. Ross Stores had a return on equity of 37.43% and a net margin of 9.43%.The company had revenue of $6.64 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.42 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.65 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts anticipate that Ross Stores will post 6.17 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of ROST. Pure Financial Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Ross Stores during the fourth quarter worth $234,000. Rehmann Capital Advisory Group boosted its holdings in Ross Stores by 23.5% during the 4th quarter. Rehmann Capital Advisory Group now owns 2,955 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $534,000 after acquiring an additional 562 shares during the last quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd purchased a new position in Ross Stores during the 4th quarter worth $78,000. Reflection Asset Management bought a new stake in shares of Ross Stores in the 4th quarter worth $1,095,000. Finally, Sankala Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ross Stores in the fourth quarter valued at about $221,000. Institutional investors own 86.86% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Ross Stores

Here are the key news stories impacting Ross Stores this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results and comps beat — Ross reported ~$6.64B in revenue (up ~12% YoY), comparable-store sales +9%, and adjusted EPS of $2.00, topping estimates and showing sustained traffic gains. PR Newswire: Ross Stores Q4 release
• Positive Sentiment: Upbeat guidance — Management raised the FY26 EPS range (7.02–7.36) and issued a Q1 EPS guide whose midpoint sits above consensus, signaling momentum into spring. Reuters: Ross forecasts sales above estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Shareholder returns stepped up — Board approved a two‑year $2.55B repurchase program and raised the quarterly dividend by 10% (to $0.45), improving capital-return optionality and EPS leverage. QuiverQuant: buyback/dividend coverage
• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street reaction — Multiple firms raised forecasts and price targets (Goldman, Citi, Wells Fargo, Telsey, Guggenheim among them) and issued upgrades or “buy/overweight” views after the print. Benzinga: analysts boost forecasts
• Neutral Sentiment: Off-price thematic tailwind — Coverage notes Ross is capturing share from full-price peers and benefitting from a “treasure-hunt” shift to value, supporting durable demand but also higher expectations. MarketBeat: off-price trend analysis
• Neutral Sentiment: Mixed ownership activity and insider sales — Reports show heavy institutional turnover and some insider selling; these are worth monitoring but not an immediate red flag given the strong quarter. QuiverQuant: institutional & insider notes
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation and pullback risk — Some analysts and commentary warn the strong print stretched near‑term valuation and that the stock could consolidate after the post-earnings move. Seeking Alpha: valuation caution
• Negative Sentiment: Minor sell-side divergence — Zacks trimmed its rating from strong‑buy to hold, a reminder some shops are dialing back near-term enthusiasm. Zacks: rating change

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.