Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) Releases Q3 2026 Earnings Guidance

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) issued an update on its third quarter 2026 earnings guidance on Thursday morning. The company provided EPS guidance of 1.750-1.830 for the period, compared to the consensus earnings per share estimate of 1.740. The company issued revenue guidance of -. Ross Stores also updated its FY 2026 guidance to 8.610-8.770 EPS.

Ross Stores Trading Down 2.4%

Ross Stores stock traded down $5.70 during trading on Thursday, hitting $228.99. The company had a trading volume of 4,893,380 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,717,548. The stock has a market cap of $73.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.64 and a beta of 0.86. The company has a current ratio of 1.54, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12. Ross Stores has a 1-year low of $143.39 and a 1-year high of $257.00. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $234.03 and its 200-day simple moving average is $221.46.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 20th. The apparel retailer reported $2.06 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.94 by $0.12. Ross Stores had a return on equity of 38.42% and a net margin of 9.74%. As a group, analysts expect that Ross Stores will post 7.78 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ross Stores Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 8th will be paid 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 0.8%. Ross Stores’s dividend payout ratio is presently 24.86%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have weighed in on ROST shares. Barclays lifted their target price on Ross Stores from $242.00 to $260.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 26th. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued a “market perform” rating and set a $230.00 price target on shares of Ross Stores in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company lowered shares of Ross Stores from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and set a $245.00 price objective for the company. in a research note on Tuesday, June 23rd. UBS Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of Ross Stores in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $231.00 target price on shares of Ross Stores in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Sixteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $244.76.

Key Stories Impacting Ross Stores

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

• Positive Sentiment: Ross Stores’ first-quarter performance provided a strong foundation, with the company posting its strongest comparable-store sales growth in its 40-year history. Investors are looking for evidence that the momentum is continuing into the second quarter. Live: Will Ross Crush Q2 Earnings Tonight After Its Record Q1?
• Positive Sentiment: The board declared a regular quarterly dividend of $0.445 per share, payable September 30 to shareholders of record September 8. The dividend supports investor returns, although the annualized yield is modest at approximately 0.8%. Ross Stores Announces Quarterly Dividend
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts generally expect second-quarter earnings per share of roughly $1.94–$1.95 and revenue of about $6.15–$6.16 billion. The company also opened 47 new stores, highlighting ongoing expansion. Ross Stores Earnings Preview
• Negative Sentiment: Shares were trading near their 52-week high before the report, leaving less room for disappointment. Options markets implied a potential move of about 6.94% around earnings, signaling elevated volatility and concern that results or guidance may not exceed already-optimistic expectations. Retail Earnings Implied Moves

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ross Stores

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Marshall Wace LLP increased its stake in shares of Ross Stores by 1,908.8% during the third quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 1,816,763 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $276,857,000 after buying an additional 1,726,324 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its stake in Ross Stores by 20.9% in the second quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 9,582,401 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $1,222,523,000 after acquiring an additional 1,657,008 shares during the last quarter. Viking Global Investors LP lifted its stake in Ross Stores by 56.5% in the fourth quarter. Viking Global Investors LP now owns 3,167,479 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $570,590,000 after acquiring an additional 1,143,611 shares during the last quarter. Bank of Montreal Can grew its holdings in Ross Stores by 357.4% during the 4th quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 1,451,569 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $261,486,000 after acquiring an additional 1,134,186 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Scopus Asset Management L.P. acquired a new position in Ross Stores during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $102,281,000. 86.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.