PBU The Pension Fund of Early Childhood & Youth Educators Acquires New Stake in Ross Stores, Inc. $ROST

PBU The Pension Fund of Early Childhood & Youth Educators acquired a new stake in shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 17,455 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $3,144,000.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ROST. Ethic Inc. lifted its stake in Ross Stores by 25.6% during the fourth quarter. Ethic Inc. now owns 23,772 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $4,282,000 after purchasing an additional 4,847 shares during the last quarter. Financial Planning Hawaii Inc. bought a new stake in Ross Stores during the fourth quarter worth about $1,542,000. GSA Capital Partners LLP bought a new stake in Ross Stores during the third quarter worth about $1,411,000. Amica Mutual Insurance Co. bought a new stake in Ross Stores during the third quarter worth about $4,790,000. Finally, Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ lifted its stake in Ross Stores by 7.1% during the third quarter. Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ now owns 104,406 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $15,910,000 after purchasing an additional 6,941 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.86% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, COO Michael J. Hartshorn sold 15,813 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $214.91, for a total value of $3,398,371.83. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer owned 116,028 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $24,935,577.48. The trade was a 11.99% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CMO Karen Sykes sold 5,506 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the sale, the chief marketing officer directly owned 104,648 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $22,331,883.20. This trade represents a 5.00% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders sold 25,756 shares of company stock valued at $5,521,004. Insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have commented on ROST. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Ross Stores from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday. Telsey Advisory Group increased their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $240.00 to $265.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $242.00 to $260.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 26th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $257.00 price target on shares of Ross Stores in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. Finally, Guggenheim reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $290.00 price target on shares of Ross Stores in a research report on Monday, April 27th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $233.18.

Ross Stores Trading Down 1.2%

NASDAQ ROST opened at $230.37 on Friday. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 1-year low of $124.49 and a 1-year high of $237.41. The company has a current ratio of 1.54, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $223.03 and a 200-day moving average of $201.86. The firm has a market cap of $73.90 billion, a PE ratio of 32.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 0.86.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The apparel retailer reported $2.02 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.73 by $0.29. Ross Stores had a return on equity of 38.42% and a net margin of 9.74%.The company had revenue of $6.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.64 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.47 EPS. Ross Stores’s revenue for the quarter was up 20.6% on a year-over-year basis. Ross Stores has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.500-7.740 EPS and its Q2 2026 guidance at 1.850-1.930 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 7.73 EPS for the current year.

Ross Stores Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 9th will be paid a $0.445 dividend. This represents a $1.78 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 9th. Ross Stores’s payout ratio is 24.86%.

Ross Stores News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research increased several EPS forecasts for Ross Stores, signaling improved profit expectations across 2027-2029. Buy 5 Stocks With High ROE as Markets Swing on War Skirmishes
• Positive Sentiment: The stock is being highlighted as a high-ROE, cash-generating retailer, which can attract investors looking for quality and stability during market volatility. Buy 5 Stocks With High ROE as Markets Swing on War Skirmishes
• Positive Sentiment: Ross Stores recently beat quarterly expectations, reporting EPS and revenue above estimates, which reinforces confidence in its operating momentum.
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent articles question how the investment narrative is evolving and compare Ross Stores with peers like Ollie’s Bargain Outlet, but these pieces are more commentary than new company-specific catalysts. How The Ross Stores (ROST) Investment Narrative Is Evolving Without New Analyst Targets
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage also notes Ross Stores is outperforming the consumer discretionary sector, but this mainly reflects relative strength already supported by analyst optimism. Ross Stores Stock: Is ROST Outperforming the Consumer Discretionary Sector?

About Ross Stores

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.