Erste Group Bank Raises Earnings Estimates for Ross Stores

Key Points

• Erste Group Bank raised its FY2028 EPS forecast for Ross to $8.17 from $8.14, versus a consensus estimate of $7.32 per share.
• Ross beat recent quarterly expectations, reporting $2.00 EPS (vs. $1.90 est.) and $6.64 billion in revenue (vs. $6.42 billion), with revenue up 12.2% year‑over‑year.
• Analyst sentiment is broadly positive—16 Buys and 5 Holds with an average price target of $212.06—and several firms have recently raised targets (Goldman Sachs to $244); shares trade around $224.83.

Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST - Free Report) - Erste Group Bank upped their FY2028 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of Ross Stores in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday, May 5th. Erste Group Bank analyst H. Engel now forecasts that the apparel retailer will earn $8.17 per share for the year, up from their prior forecast of $8.14. The consensus estimate for Ross Stores' current full-year earnings is $7.32 per share.

Several other equities analysts have also recently issued reports on ROST. Barclays lifted their price objective on Ross Stores from $205.00 to $221.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, March 2nd. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $200.00 price target on Ross Stores in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $221.00 price target on shares of Ross Stores in a report on Thursday, January 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $214.00 to $244.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Ross Stores in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. Sixteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Ross Stores has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $212.06.

Ross Stores Trading Up 0.2%

NASDAQ:ROST opened at $224.83 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a current ratio of 1.58. Ross Stores has a 1 year low of $124.49 and a 1 year high of $231.16. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $217.05 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $192.73. The stock has a market capitalization of $72.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.06, a PEG ratio of 3.12 and a beta of 0.87.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, March 3rd. The apparel retailer reported $2.00 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 36.70%. The business had revenue of $6.64 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.42 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.65 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 12.2% on a year-over-year basis.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. raised its position in Ross Stores by 7,000.0% in the fourth quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 142 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 140 shares in the last quarter. Hilton Head Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ross Stores in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Bard Associates Inc. bought a new position in shares of Ross Stores during the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. City Holding Co. lifted its position in shares of Ross Stores by 1,080.0% during the 4th quarter. City Holding Co. now owns 177 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 162 shares during the period. Finally, Virtus Advisers LLC acquired a new stake in Ross Stores in the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. 86.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ross Stores

In other news, COO Michael J. Hartshorn sold 15,813 shares of Ross Stores stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $214.91, for a total value of $3,398,371.83. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 116,028 shares of the company's stock, valued at $24,935,577.48. This trade represents a 11.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CMO Karen Sykes sold 5,506 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on 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 of the company's stock, valued at approximately $22,331,883.20. This represents a 5.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 25,756 shares of company stock worth $5,521,004 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 2.10% of the company's stock.

Ross Stores Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 13th were given a dividend of $0.445 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 13th. This is an increase from Ross Stores's previous quarterly dividend of $0.41. This represents a $1.78 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. Ross Stores's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 26.93%.

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.

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