Quantbot Technologies LP Makes New Investment in Ross Stores, Inc. $ROST

Quantbot Technologies LP acquired a new stake in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) in the second quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor acquired 18,991 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $4,042,000.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in ROST. Cooper Financial Group raised its stake in shares of Ross Stores by 2.8% during the 2nd quarter. Cooper Financial Group now owns 1,919 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $409,000 after purchasing an additional 52 shares during the period. Independent Advisor Alliance boosted its holdings in shares of Ross Stores by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance now owns 3,309 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $596,000 after buying an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC grew its position 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 buying an additional 55 shares during the period. MCF Advisors LLC grew its position in Ross Stores by 4.6% during the fourth quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 1,292 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $233,000 after buying an additional 57 shares during the period. Finally, Caxton Associates LLP increased its holdings in Ross Stores by 4.3% during the first quarter. Caxton Associates LLP now owns 1,421 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $308,000 after buying an additional 58 shares during the last quarter. 86.86% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ross Stores News Roundup

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have commented on ROST. Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on shares of Ross Stores from $250.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $231.00 to $234.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday. Guggenheim restated a “buy” rating and set a $290.00 price target on shares of Ross Stores in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Ross Stores in a report on Monday, July 6th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded Ross Stores from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, June 20th. Fifteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $263.76.

Ross Stores Stock Performance

NASDAQ ROST opened at $239.04 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12, a current ratio of 1.61 and a quick ratio of 0.98. 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 2.30 and a beta of 0.86. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $233.81 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $222.09.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, August 20th. The apparel retailer reported $2.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.95 by $0.71. The business had revenue of $6.26 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.16 billion. Ross Stores had a net margin of 10.85% and a return on equity of 39.29%. Ross Stores’s revenue for the quarter was up 13.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.56 earnings per share. Analysts predict that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 8.13 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ross Stores Dividend Announcement

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

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.