Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) Hits New 12-Month High – Should You Buy?

Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) shares hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $196.84 and last traded at $196.4290, with a volume of 250644 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $192.54.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have weighed in on ROST. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $221.00 price objective on shares of Ross Stores in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Bank of America upped their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $175.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 21st. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $205.00 price target on shares of Ross Stores in a research note on Monday, December 1st. Evercore increased their price objective on Ross Stores from $175.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, November 21st. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein restated a “market perform” rating and issued a $170.00 target price on shares of Ross Stores in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $189.94.

Ross Stores Stock Performance

The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $186.70 and its 200 day simple moving average is $165.80. The stock has a market cap of $63.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.71, a PEG ratio of 3.38 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a current ratio of 1.52, a quick ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last released its earnings results on Thursday, November 20th. The apparel retailer reported $1.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.38 by $0.20. The company had revenue of $5.60 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.38 billion. Ross Stores had a return on equity of 36.75% and a net margin of 9.47%.Ross Stores’s quarterly revenue was up 10.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.48 earnings per share. 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. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ross Stores Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 9th were paid a dividend of $0.405 per share. This represents a $1.62 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 9th. Ross Stores’s payout ratio is presently 25.31%.

Institutional Trading of Ross Stores

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Somerset Trust Co grew its position in shares of Ross Stores by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Somerset Trust Co now owns 14,788 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $2,664,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares during the period. Independent Advisor Alliance lifted its stake in Ross Stores by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance now owns 3,309 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $596,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC grew its holdings in Ross Stores by 6.1% during the fourth quarter. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC now owns 954 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $172,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the period. Florida Trust Wealth Management Co grew its holdings in Ross Stores by 1.7% during the fourth quarter. Florida Trust Wealth Management Co now owns 3,399 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $612,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares during the period. Finally, MCF Advisors LLC increased its position in Ross Stores by 4.6% in the fourth quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 1,292 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $233,000 after buying an additional 57 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.86% of the company’s stock.

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.