Forsta AP Fonden cut its stake in shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST – Free Report) by 16.6% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 68,229 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock after selling 13,600 shares during the quarter. Forsta AP Fonden’s holdings in Ross Stores were worth $12,291,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.
Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Ethic Inc. increased its holdings in Ross Stores by 25.6% in the fourth quarter. Ethic Inc. now owns 23,772 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $4,282,000 after purchasing an additional 4,847 shares during the period. GSA Capital Partners LLP acquired a new stake in shares of Ross Stores in the 3rd quarter worth about $1,411,000. Financial Planning Hawaii Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Ross Stores during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,542,000. Amica Mutual Insurance Co. purchased a new stake in shares of Ross Stores during the third quarter valued at approximately $4,790,000. Finally, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans increased its stake in shares of 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 during the last quarter. 86.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Insider Buying and Selling
In related news, COO Michael J. Hartshorn sold 15,813 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $214.91, for a total transaction of $3,398,371.83. Following the sale, the chief operating officer owned 116,028 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $24,935,577.48. The trade was a 11.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CMO Karen Sykes sold 5,506 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $213.40, for a total transaction of $1,174,980.40. Following the sale, the chief marketing officer directly owned 104,648 shares in the company, valued at $22,331,883.20. The trade was a 5.00% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 25,756 shares of company stock valued at $5,521,004 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.
Ross Stores Price Performance
Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The apparel retailer reported $2.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.73 by $0.29. Ross Stores had a net margin of 9.74% and a return on equity of 38.42%. The company had revenue of $6.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.64 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.47 earnings per share. Ross Stores’s quarterly revenue was up 20.6% on a year-over-year basis. 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, sell-side analysts expect that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 7.75 earnings per share for the current year.
Ross Stores Announces Dividend
The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 9th will be given 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 payout ratio is currently 24.86%.
Analyst Ratings Changes
ROST has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Telsey Advisory Group lifted their price objective on shares of Ross Stores from $240.00 to $265.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $248.00 to $251.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, May 18th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “buy” rating and issued a $257.00 price objective on shares of Ross Stores in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective 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. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein restated a “market perform” rating and issued a $230.00 price objective on shares of Ross Stores in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Ross Stores presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $233.18.
Check Out Our Latest Research Report on ROST
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.
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