Zacks Research Upgrades Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) to Strong-Buy

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) was upgraded by research analysts at Zacks Research from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report issued on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other research firms have also issued reports on ROST. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated a “market perform” rating and set a $170.00 target price on shares of Ross Stores in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. BTIG Research assumed coverage on Ross Stores in a research note on Tuesday, October 14th. They issued a “neutral” rating on the stock. Erste Group Bank began coverage on Ross Stores in a research note on Friday, October 31st. They set a “buy” rating for the company. Bank of America increased their price target on Ross Stores from $175.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 21st. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $221.00 price objective on Ross Stores in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Ross Stores has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $186.41.

Ross Stores Trading Down 0.9%

Shares of NASDAQ ROST traded down $1.83 during trading on Monday, reaching $191.40. The stock had a trading volume of 448,848 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,120,854. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $176.58 and its 200-day moving average price is $156.83. Ross Stores has a fifty-two week low of $122.36 and a fifty-two week high of $193.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a quick ratio of 0.90 and a current ratio of 1.52. The company has a market cap of $61.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.90, a PEG ratio of 3.67 and a beta of 1.01.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 20th. The apparel retailer reported $1.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.38 by $0.20. The company had revenue of $5.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.38 billion. Ross Stores had a net margin of 9.47% and a return on equity of 36.75%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.48 earnings per share. Ross Stores has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.380-6.46 EPS and its Q4 2025 guidance at 1.770-1.85 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Ross Stores will post 6.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ross Stores

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Woodline Partners LP boosted its position in shares of Ross Stores by 39.9% in the 1st quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 27,875 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $3,562,000 after purchasing an additional 7,951 shares during the period. Focus Partners Wealth grew its position in shares of Ross Stores by 6.6% during the first quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 18,129 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $2,317,000 after acquiring an additional 1,118 shares during the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Ross Stores by 23.5% in the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 615 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $79,000 after acquiring an additional 117 shares during the period. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB boosted its stake in Ross Stores by 25.8% during the 2nd quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 1,274 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $163,000 after purchasing an additional 261 shares during the period. Finally, Czech National Bank grew its position in Ross Stores by 6.1% during the 2nd quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 80,378 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $10,255,000 after purchasing an additional 4,587 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.86% of the company’s stock.

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.