Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) Issues Q4 2026 Earnings Guidance

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) updated its fourth quarter 2026 earnings guidance on Thursday morning. The company provided earnings per share guidance of 2.170-2.260 for the period, compared to the consensus EPS estimate of 2.120. The company issued revenue guidance of -. Ross Stores also updated its FY 2026 guidance to 8.610-8.770 EPS.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on ROST. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued a “market perform” rating and issued a $230.00 target price on shares of Ross Stores in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. Zacks Research lowered Ross Stores from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 4th. Guggenheim reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $290.00 price target on shares of Ross Stores in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Telsey Advisory Group increased their price objective on Ross Stores from $265.00 to $280.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, August 14th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Ross Stores in a report on Monday, July 6th. Sixteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $244.76.

Ross Stores Stock Down 2.4%

Shares of NASDAQ:ROST traded down $5.70 on Thursday, hitting $228.99. 4,893,380 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,717,548. The company has a quick ratio of 0.94, a current ratio of 1.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12. The company has a market cap of $73.46 billion, a PE ratio of 31.98, a PEG ratio of 2.64 and a beta of 0.86. Ross Stores has a 52 week low of $143.39 and a 52 week high of $257.00. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $234.03 and a 200-day simple moving average of $221.46.

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

Ross Stores Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced 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 is Tuesday, September 8th. This represents a $1.78 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. Ross Stores’s payout ratio is currently 24.86%.

Key Ross Stores News

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

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

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.