Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) Price Target Raised to $240.00 at Citigroup

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) had its price target raised by Citigroup from $224.00 to $240.00 in a research note published on Wednesday morning,Benzinga reports. Citigroup currently has a buy rating on the apparel retailer’s stock.

A number of other brokerages have also commented on ROST. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Ross Stores from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, November 15th. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $200.00 price target on shares of Ross Stores in a research note on Wednesday. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $181.00 to $199.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Ross Stores in a report on Thursday, December 4th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Ross Stores in a research report on Friday, January 9th. Sixteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Ross Stores presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $207.76.

Ross Stores Stock Up 8.0%

ROST opened at $213.52 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $69.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.30, a PEG ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.97. 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 firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $192.02 and its 200-day simple moving average is $171.24. Ross Stores has a twelve month low of $122.36 and a twelve month high of $216.80.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, March 3rd. The apparel retailer reported $2.00 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.90 by $0.10. Ross Stores had a net margin of 9.43% and a return on equity of 37.43%. The company had revenue of $6.64 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.42 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.65 earnings per share. Ross Stores’s quarterly revenue was up 12.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that Ross Stores will post 6.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ross Stores Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 13th will be given a dividend of $0.445 per share. This represents a $1.78 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 13th. This is a positive change from Ross Stores’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.41. Ross Stores’s dividend payout ratio is presently 24.51%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ross Stores

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Virtus Investment Advisers LLC acquired a new position in Ross Stores in the second quarter valued at about $1,265,000. Jump Financial LLC bought a new position in shares of Ross Stores during the 2nd quarter valued at about $7,949,000. GSA Capital Partners LLP acquired a new position in shares of Ross Stores in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $1,411,000. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans increased its stake in Ross Stores by 84.7% during the 3rd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 227,340 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $34,645,000 after purchasing an additional 104,270 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. raised its holdings in Ross Stores by 6.0% during the 3rd quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 130,610 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $19,904,000 after buying an additional 7,338 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 86.86% of the company’s stock.

Key Ross Stores News

Here are the key news stories impacting Ross Stores this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results and comps beat — Ross reported ~$6.64B in revenue (up ~12% YoY), comparable-store sales +9%, and adjusted EPS of $2.00, topping estimates and showing sustained traffic gains. PR Newswire: Ross Stores Q4 release
• Positive Sentiment: Upbeat guidance — Management raised the FY26 EPS range (7.02–7.36) and issued a Q1 EPS guide whose midpoint sits above consensus, signaling momentum into spring. Reuters: Ross forecasts sales above estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Shareholder returns stepped up — Board approved a two?year $2.55B repurchase program and raised the quarterly dividend by 10% (to $0.45), improving capital-return optionality and EPS leverage. QuiverQuant: buyback/dividend coverage
• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street reaction — Multiple firms raised forecasts and price targets (Goldman, Citi, Wells Fargo, Telsey, Guggenheim among them) and issued upgrades or “buy/overweight” views after the print. Benzinga: analysts boost forecasts
• Neutral Sentiment: Off-price thematic tailwind — Coverage notes Ross is capturing share from full-price peers and benefitting from a “treasure-hunt” shift to value, supporting durable demand but also higher expectations. MarketBeat: off-price trend analysis
• Neutral Sentiment: Mixed ownership activity and insider sales — Reports show heavy institutional turnover and some insider selling; these are worth monitoring but not an immediate red flag given the strong quarter. QuiverQuant: institutional & insider notes
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation and pullback risk — Some analysts and commentary warn the strong print stretched near?term valuation and that the stock could consolidate after the post-earnings move. Seeking Alpha: valuation caution
• Negative Sentiment: Minor sell-side divergence — Zacks trimmed its rating from strong?buy to hold, a reminder some shops are dialing back near-term enthusiasm. Zacks: rating change

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.