Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) Price Target Raised to $235.00

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) had its target price lifted by Wells Fargo & Company from $205.00 to $235.00 in a research report report published on Wednesday morning,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an overweight rating on the apparel retailer’s stock.

Other research analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. Zacks Research cut shares of Ross Stores from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Evercore raised their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $175.00 to $195.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, November 21st. TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Ross Stores in a research report on Thursday, December 4th. Barclays boosted their price target on Ross Stores from $205.00 to $221.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on Ross Stores from $190.00 to $214.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Sixteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $208.29.

Ross Stores Price Performance

Shares of ROST stock opened at $211.75 on Wednesday. The business’s fifty day moving average is $193.33 and its 200 day moving average is $172.00. The company has a quick ratio of 0.90, a current ratio of 1.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16. The stock has a market cap of $68.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.03, a PEG ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.97. Ross Stores has a twelve month low of $122.36 and a twelve month high of $216.80.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 3rd. The apparel retailer reported $2.00 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.90 by $0.10. Ross Stores had a return on equity of 36.70% and a net margin of 9.43%.The business had revenue of $6.64 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.42 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.65 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.2% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect that Ross Stores will post 6.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ross Stores Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 13th will be paid a $0.445 dividend. This is a boost from Ross Stores’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.41. This represents a $1.78 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 13th. Ross Stores’s payout ratio is currently 24.51%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ross Stores

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Somerset Trust Co lifted its position in Ross Stores by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Somerset Trust Co now owns 14,788 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $2,664,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance increased its holdings in shares of Ross Stores by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance now owns 3,309 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $596,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC raised its stake in shares of Ross Stores by 6.1% in the fourth quarter. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC now owns 954 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $172,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Florida Trust Wealth Management Co raised its stake in shares of Ross Stores by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Florida Trust Wealth Management Co now owns 3,399 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $612,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. Finally, MCF Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Ross Stores by 4.6% during the fourth quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 1,292 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $233,000 after purchasing an additional 57 shares in the last quarter. 86.86% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting Ross Stores

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 beat, raised dividend and bigger buybacks — Ross reported $6.64B revenue and $2.00 EPS, raised the quarterly dividend ~10% and expanded buybacks by ~25%, which supports EPS accretion and shareholder returns. MarketBeat Q4 analysis
• Positive Sentiment: Strong analyst momentum — several firms upgraded or lifted targets (Citigroup to $240, Goldman to $244, Telsey upgraded, Guggenheim bullish), reinforcing upside expectations after the results. Citigroup PT raise Goldman PT raise Telsey upgrade Guggenheim note
• Positive Sentiment: Technical/long-term momentum — ROST hit a 12?month high and has outperformed benchmarks over the past year, supporting momentum-driven flows. 12-month high report Outperformance write-up
• Neutral Sentiment: Macro/sector tailwind — the “treasure hunt” or off?price theme (value-seeking consumers) is lifting both Ross and TJX, suggesting favorable secular demand but not guaranteed sustained outsized growth. Treasure hunt thesis
• Negative Sentiment: Profit-taking / short-term consolidation risk — shares gave back a portion of the post-earnings pop and analysts/coverage notes flag possible consolidation or a pullback toward the low?$200s if momentum cools. Price-action risk
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation and forward pacing — ROST trades at a premium (P/E ~32, PEG ~3.1) and management’s commentary implies the back half could slow, so upside now depends on persistent comp strength and margin maintenance. Valuation/Outlook piece

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.