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

Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST)’s share price hit a new 52-week high on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $198.98 and last traded at $198.21, with a volume of 2528696 shares. The stock had previously closed at $196.54.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have commented on the company. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Ross Stores in a report on Thursday, December 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Ross Stores from $188.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 21st. Bank of America lifted their price objective on Ross Stores from $175.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 21st. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Ross Stores in a research report on Friday, January 9th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $205.00 price target on shares of Ross Stores in a report on Monday, December 1st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $190.94.

Ross Stores Stock Up 0.8%

The firm has a market cap of $64.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.97, a PEG ratio of 3.41 and a beta of 0.99. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $187.49 and a 200 day moving average of $167.03. The company has a quick ratio of 0.90, a current ratio of 1.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 20th. The apparel retailer reported $1.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.38 by $0.20. The firm had revenue of $5.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.38 billion. Ross Stores had a return on equity of 36.75% and a net margin of 9.47%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.48 EPS. 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 predict that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.17 earnings per share for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ross Stores

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Somerset Trust Co increased its position in Ross Stores by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Somerset Trust Co now owns 14,788 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $2,664,000 after buying an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance grew 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 acquiring an additional 55 shares during the period. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC increased its holdings in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Florida Trust Wealth Management Co increased its holdings in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 56 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MCF Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Ross Stores by 4.6% during the fourth quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 1,292 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $233,000 after purchasing an additional 57 shares during the period. 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.