Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) Announces Earnings Results, Beats Expectations By $0.20 EPS

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) posted its earnings results on Thursday. The apparel retailer reported $1.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.38 by $0.20, FiscalAI reports. Ross Stores had a return on equity of 37.37% and a net margin of 9.60%.The business had revenue of $5.60 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.38 billion. Ross Stores updated its FY 2025 guidance to 6.380-6.46 EPS and its Q4 2025 guidance to 1.770-1.85 EPS.

Ross Stores Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ ROST traded up $0.08 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $160.53. The company had a trading volume of 2,835,725 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,917,448. The firm has a market cap of $52.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.48, a PEG ratio of 3.04 and a beta of 1.16. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $154.92 and its 200 day simple moving average is $145.51. Ross Stores has a one year low of $122.36 and a one year high of $165.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a current ratio of 1.58.

Ross Stores Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Stockholders 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 dividend yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 9th. Ross Stores’s dividend payout ratio is 25.71%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on ROST. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Ross Stores from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, November 15th. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and issued a $160.00 target price on shares of Ross Stores in a research note on Thursday, November 13th. Cowen reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Ross Stores in a research note on Friday, August 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Ross Stores from $156.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, August 22nd. Finally, Erste Group Bank assumed coverage on shares of Ross Stores in a report on Friday, October 31st. They issued a “buy” rating on the stock. Fourteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $163.53.

Insider Activity

In other Ross Stores news, CMO Karen Sykes sold 4,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $151.76, for a total transaction of $607,040.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief marketing officer owned 106,413 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $16,149,236.88. The trade was a 3.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CMO Karen Fleming sold 2,932 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $149.09, for a total transaction of $437,131.88. Following the completion of the sale, the chief marketing officer owned 88,335 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,169,865.15. The trade was a 3.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 52,720 shares of company stock valued at $7,761,212. 2.20% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Ross Stores

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ROST. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Ross Stores by 23.5% during the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 615 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $79,000 after buying an additional 117 shares during the last quarter. MUFG Securities EMEA plc acquired a new stake in shares of Ross Stores during the second quarter valued at about $124,000. Larson Financial Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Ross Stores by 93.5% during the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 1,045 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $159,000 after purchasing an additional 505 shares during the last quarter. Zacks Investment Management acquired a new position in shares of Ross Stores in the third quarter valued at approximately $205,000. Finally, Curi Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Ross Stores during the second quarter worth about $209,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.86% of the company’s stock.

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.