Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd Raises Stake in Ross Stores, Inc. $ROST

Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd lifted its stake in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) by 17.6% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 28,356 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,245 shares during the period. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd’s holdings in Ross Stores were worth $4,321,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. American National Bank & Trust purchased a new stake in Ross Stores in the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,000. Grey Fox Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ross Stores during the third quarter worth approximately $29,000. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. increased its position in shares of Ross Stores by 162.6% during the third quarter. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. now owns 239 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 148 shares during the period. Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ross Stores during the second quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC raised its stake in shares of Ross Stores by 152.0% during the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 257 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 155 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.86% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Ross Stores

In other Ross Stores news, CMO Karen Sykes sold 2,556 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $213.91, for a total transaction of $546,753.96. Following the completion of the sale, the chief marketing officer directly owned 103,945 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $22,234,874.95. This represents a 2.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Patricia H. Mueller sold 1,881 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $213.13, for a total transaction of $400,897.53. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 2,159 shares in the company, valued at $460,147.67. This represents a 46.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 2.20% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Key Stories Impacting Ross Stores

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

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised multiple near‑term and multi‑year EPS forecasts (Q1–Q4 2027, FY2027, FY2028 and FY2029), which improves forward earnings visibility and supports higher target earnings power. Zacks still carries a “Hold” rating, so upside is driven mainly by estimate revisions. Zacks boosts EPS estimates for Ross Stores
• Positive Sentiment: Barron’s lists Ross among “defensive” retail names with favorable technicals and fundamentals — a recognition that can attract risk‑averse and momentum buyers into ROST. Walmart, Ross Stores, and Other ‘Defensive’ Retail Stocks
• Positive Sentiment: Recent reported quarter (Mar. 3) beat estimates: $2.00 EPS vs. $1.90 consensus and revenue of $6.64B (+12.2% Y/Y). Strong margins and ROE plus above‑average intraday volume point to investor affirmation of execution. Ross Stores latest results and profile
• Neutral Sentiment: TV/market coverage (CNBC “Final Trades”, Benzinga summary) mentioned ROST alongside other notable names — helpful for liquidity/flow but not a fundamental catalyst on its own. Zoom, Ross Stores and a big bank on CNBC’s ‘Final Trades’ Benzinga: Zoom, Ross Stores And A Big Bank On CNBC’s ‘Final Trades’
• Neutral Sentiment: Some outlets note analyst disagreement on consumer cyclicals (Ross vs. peers like Kohl’s), which can mean higher volatility around updates but not necessarily a directional change. Analysts Conflicted on These Consumer Cyclical Names

Ross Stores Stock Performance

Shares of ROST stock opened at $211.19 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $68.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.95, a PEG ratio of 2.92 and a beta of 0.97. The company’s 50 day moving average is $198.40 and its 200 day moving average is $176.69. The company has a quick ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 1.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 52-week low of $122.36 and a 52-week high of $216.80.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, March 3rd. The apparel retailer reported $2.00 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.90 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $6.64 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.42 billion. Ross Stores had a return on equity of 36.70% and a net margin of 9.43%.Ross Stores’s revenue was up 12.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.65 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ross Stores Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Investors of record on Friday, March 13th will be paid a dividend of $0.445 per share. This is an increase from Ross Stores’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.41. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 13th. This represents a $1.78 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. Ross Stores’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 26.93%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the company. Citigroup boosted their price target on Ross Stores from $224.00 to $240.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. Telsey Advisory Group raised Ross Stores from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $220.00 to $240.00 in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Ross Stores in a report on Thursday, December 4th. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $200.00 price target on Ross Stores in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $205.00 price target on shares of Ross Stores in a research note on Monday, December 1st. Sixteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Ross Stores has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $208.29.

Ross Stores 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.