Vestcor Inc Has $1.57 Million Stock Holdings in Ross Stores, Inc. $ROST

Vestcor Inc boosted its holdings in shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) by 52.6% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 8,722 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,005 shares during the quarter. Vestcor Inc’s holdings in Ross Stores were worth $1,571,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Peachtree Investment Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Ross Stores by 9.1% in the fourth quarter. Peachtree Investment Partners LLC now owns 7,118 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $1,282,000 after purchasing an additional 594 shares during the last quarter. MCF Advisors LLC raised its position in Ross Stores by 4.6% during the 4th quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 1,292 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $233,000 after purchasing an additional 57 shares during the last quarter. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S lifted its holdings in Ross Stores by 155.7% during the 4th quarter. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S now owns 103,904 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $18,717,000 after buying an additional 63,276 shares during the period. Pinebridge Investments LLC acquired a new position in Ross Stores during the 4th quarter worth about $1,309,000. Finally, PBU The Pension Fund of Early Childhood & Youth Educators bought a new stake in shares of Ross Stores in the 4th quarter valued at about $3,144,000. 86.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ross Stores Price Performance

Ross Stores stock opened at $230.37 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $73.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.17, a PEG ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 0.86. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 52-week low of $124.49 and a 52-week high of $237.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a current ratio of 1.54. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $223.03 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $202.16.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 21st. The apparel retailer reported $2.02 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.73 by $0.29. The company had revenue of $6.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.64 billion. Ross Stores had a net margin of 9.74% and a return on equity of 38.42%. Ross Stores’s revenue for the quarter was up 20.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.47 EPS. 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. On average, equities analysts predict that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 7.73 earnings per share for the current year.

Ross Stores Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Activity

In related 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 directly owned 116,028 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $24,935,577.48. The trade was a 11.99% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Patricia H. Mueller sold 1,881 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $213.13, for a total value of $400,897.53. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 2,159 shares in the company, valued at approximately $460,147.67. This trade represents a 46.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 25,756 shares of company stock worth $5,521,004. Company insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Ross Stores

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?

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Wall Street Zen raised Ross Stores from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Ross Stores in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $235.00 to $245.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “buy” rating and set a $257.00 price target on shares of Ross Stores in a report on Friday, May 22nd. Finally, Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Ross Stores from $242.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 26th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $233.18.

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.