Foyston Gordon & Payne Inc Invests $3.61 Million in Ross Stores, Inc. $ROST

Foyston Gordon & Payne Inc bought a new position in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 16,951 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $3,608,000.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of ROST. Cooper Financial Group boosted its stake in Ross Stores by 2.8% during the second quarter. Cooper Financial Group now owns 1,919 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $409,000 after buying an additional 52 shares during the period. Independent Advisor Alliance grew its position in Ross Stores by 1.7% during the fourth quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance now owns 3,309 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $596,000 after buying an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC increased its stake in Ross Stores by 6.1% in the 4th quarter. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC now owns 954 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $172,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. MCF Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Ross Stores by 4.6% in the 4th quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 1,292 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $233,000 after acquiring an additional 57 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Caxton Associates LLP raised its holdings in shares of Ross Stores by 4.3% in the 1st quarter. Caxton Associates LLP now owns 1,421 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $308,000 after acquiring an additional 58 shares in the last quarter. 86.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $265.00 to $285.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Ross Stores from $262.00 to $272.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $260.00 to $298.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday. UBS Group raised their price target on Ross Stores from $232.00 to $239.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday. Finally, Robert W. Baird upped their price objective on Ross Stores from $250.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday. Fifteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $263.76.

Key Headlines Impacting Ross Stores

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q2 results exceeded expectations: Ross reported diluted EPS of $2.66 versus the approximately $1.95 consensus estimate, while revenue rose 13.3% year over year to $6.26 billion, ahead of the $6.16 billion forecast. Comparable-store sales increased 10%, supported by stronger customer traffic, improved merchandising and higher margins. Ross Stores Q2 Earnings Top Estimates on Strong Sales Growth Momentum
• Positive Sentiment: Higher outlook signals continued momentum: Management raised fiscal 2026 EPS guidance to $8.61-$8.77, well above the prior outlook and the roughly $7.31 analyst consensus. Third- and fourth-quarter EPS guidance also came in above expectations. The company cited resilient demand for discounted apparel and accessories and raised its fiscal-year store-opening plan to 115 locations. Ross Stores raises annual profit forecast again on discounted apparel demand
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts raised price targets: JPMorgan increased its target to $272 and maintained an Overweight rating, while Robert W. Baird raised its target to $270 and kept an Outperform rating. These revisions reinforce expectations that Ross is gaining market share from rivals. Analysts Boost Forecasts on Ross Stores
• Neutral Sentiment: Approximately $253 million of tariff refunds benefited second-quarter operating income, creating a potential comparison headwind when assessing underlying profitability. Ross Stores Q2 Sales Rise 13% as Diluted EPS Reaches $2.66
• Negative Sentiment: BTIG analyst Robert Drbul reiterated a Hold rating, indicating that strong execution may already be reflected in ROST’s premium valuation. Recent insider activity also showed sales but no purchases, a modest sentiment caution. Analyst Reiterates Hold on Ross Stores

Ross Stores Trading Up 4.4%

Shares of ROST stock opened at $239.04 on Friday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $233.81 and a 200 day moving average of $221.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12, a current ratio of 1.54 and a quick ratio of 0.94. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 1-year low of $143.39 and a 1-year high of $257.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $76.68 billion, a PE ratio of 28.94, a P/E/G ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.86.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 20th. The apparel retailer reported $2.66 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.95 by $0.71. Ross Stores had a return on equity of 40.28% and a net margin of 10.85%.The business had revenue of $6.26 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.16 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.56 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 13.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 8.13 earnings per share for the current year.

Ross Stores Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 8th will be given a dividend of $0.445 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 8th. This represents a $1.78 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. Ross Stores’s dividend payout ratio is presently 21.55%.

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.