Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co Acquires New Shares in Ross Stores, Inc. $ROST

Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co purchased a new stake in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) during the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 59,300 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $12,622,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. 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 in the last quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance raised its holdings in Ross Stores by 1.7% in the 4th 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 grew its holdings in Ross Stores by 6.1% in the 4th 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 in the last quarter. MCF Advisors LLC increased 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 worth $233,000 after acquiring an additional 57 shares during the period. Finally, Caxton Associates LLP grew its position 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 in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.86% of the company’s stock.

Ross Stores News Summary

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 Price Performance

Ross Stores stock opened at $239.04 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 1.61, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12. The company has a market cap of $76.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.94, a PEG ratio of 2.30 and a beta of 0.86. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 12 month low of $143.39 and a 12 month high of $257.00. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $233.81 and its 200 day simple moving average is $222.09.

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

Ross Stores Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Shareholders 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 dividend yield of 0.7%. Ross Stores’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 21.55%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Citigroup upped their target price on Ross Stores from $270.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday. Truist Financial raised their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $290.00 to $310.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Ross Stores from $231.00 to $234.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday. Barclays boosted their price objective on Ross Stores from $260.00 to $298.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Ross Stores from $245.00 to $248.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday. Fifteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six 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 $263.76.

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.