Ross Stores, Inc. $ROST Holdings Lowered by Beacon Investment Advisory Services Inc.

Beacon Investment Advisory Services Inc. decreased its stake in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) by 4.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 161,866 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock after selling 8,086 shares during the quarter. Ross Stores accounts for about 1.2% of Beacon Investment Advisory Services Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 26th largest holding. Beacon Investment Advisory Services Inc. owned 0.05% of Ross Stores worth $29,159,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Jump Financial LLC acquired a new position in Ross Stores in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $7,949,000. GSA Capital Partners LLP purchased a new stake in shares of Ross Stores in the third quarter valued at $1,411,000. Amica Mutual Insurance Co. acquired a new stake in shares of Ross Stores in the third quarter worth $4,790,000. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans grew its holdings in shares of Ross Stores by 84.7% during the third quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 227,340 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $34,645,000 after buying an additional 104,270 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Ross Stores by 6.0% during the third quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 130,610 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $19,904,000 after buying an additional 7,338 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.86% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other Ross Stores news, Director Patricia H. Mueller sold 1,881 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 10th. The stock was 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $460,147.67. This represents a 46.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CMO Karen Sykes sold 5,506 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $213.40, for a total value of $1,174,980.40. Following the transaction, the chief marketing officer owned 104,648 shares in the company, valued at approximately $22,331,883.20. This trade represents a 5.00% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 25,756 shares of company stock valued at $5,521,004. Insiders own 2.20% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Ross Stores

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 strength: Ross posted broad-based category strength with record sales and strong Q4 gains, underscoring healthy demand and margin leverage potential—key support for forward earnings. Ross Stores Shows Broad-Based Category Strength: Can Momentum Hold?
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades: Erste Group raised FY2027 and FY2028 EPS forecasts sharply (to ~$7.36 and ~$8.14, respectively), well above current consensus — this lifts forward earnings expectations and supports valuation expansion. MarketBeat ROST
• Positive Sentiment: Brokerage backing: Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $240 price target, signaling continued sell-side confidence and potential upside from current levels. Telsey Reaffirms Outperform
• Positive Sentiment: Longer-term growth view: Analysts and commentary (e.g., Seeking Alpha) argue Ross’ earnings should continue growing at a healthy clip given its off-price positioning and margin profile — a structural bullish argument for investors focused on multi-year returns. Ross Stores: Earnings Should Continue To Grow At A Healthy Clip
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst sentiment coverage: A Zacks piece highlights Wall Street bulls are optimistic and that analyst ratings can move the stock — useful context but not a specific rating change driving action. Wall Street Bulls Look Optimistic About Ross Stores (ROST): Should You Buy?
• Neutral Sentiment: Macro/market commentary: Broader consumer-spending commentary (e.g., Jim Cramer coverage) is referenced — supportive of retail but not a direct company-specific catalyst. Jim Cramer’s 5 Stock Calls and the Truth About Strong Consumer Spending
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: Reports show top Ross executives executed a sizable stock sale on March 26, which can spook investors and prompt short-term selling or profit-taking despite positive fundamentals. Top Ross Stores Executives Quietly Cash In on Major Stock Sale

Ross Stores Stock Performance

Shares of ROST opened at $211.69 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $68.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 0.97. The company’s fifty day moving average is $200.54 and its 200-day moving average is $178.92. 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 12 month low of $124.07 and a 12 month high of $217.51.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 3rd. The apparel retailer reported $2.00 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.90 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $6.64 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.42 billion. Ross Stores had a net margin of 9.43% and a return on equity of 36.70%. Ross Stores’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.65 earnings per share. Equities analysts expect 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. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 13th will be issued a dividend of $0.445 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 13th. This represents a $1.78 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. This is a positive change from Ross Stores’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.41. Ross Stores’s payout ratio is currently 26.93%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on ROST shares. TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Ross Stores in a research note on Thursday, December 4th. Zacks Research cut Ross Stores from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Citigroup upped their target price on Ross Stores from $224.00 to $240.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $205.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $205.00 price objective on shares of Ross Stores in a research report on Monday, December 1st. Sixteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $208.29.

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.