16,929 Shares in Ross Stores, Inc. $ROST Purchased by Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd.

Key Points

• Meiji Yasuda Asset Management disclosed a new position in Ross Stores, buying 16,929 shares worth about $3.05 million in the fourth quarter. Institutional investors now hold a large majority of the company’s stock at 86.86%.
• Ross Stores reported a strong quarterly beat, with EPS of $2.02 versus $1.73 expected and revenue of $6.01 billion versus $5.64 billion expected. Revenue rose 20.6% year over year, and the company lifted its full-year EPS guidance to $7.50-$7.74.
• The stock has rallied sharply, trading up 8.1% to near its 52-week high, while analysts have generally turned more positive and raised price targets. However, insiders have been selling shares, including the COO and CMO in March.

Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 16,929 shares of the apparel retailer's stock, valued at approximately $3,050,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of ROST. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. grew its holdings in Ross Stores by 7,000.0% during 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 during the period. City Holding Co. grew its holdings in Ross Stores by 1,080.0% during the fourth quarter. City Holding Co. now owns 177 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 162 shares during the period. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Ross Stores by 42.6% during the fourth quarter. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 211 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 63 shares during the period. Salomon & Ludwin LLC grew its holdings in Ross Stores by 89.0% during the fourth quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 223 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares during the period. Finally, Cornerstone Planning Group LLC grew its holdings in Ross Stores by 396.0% during the fourth quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 248 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $46,000 after purchasing an additional 198 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 86.86% of the company's stock.

Ross Stores Trading Up 8.1%

Shares of ROST stock opened at $234.81 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $219.06 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $197.05. The company has a quick ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 1.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16. The company has a market capitalization of $75.64 billion, a PE ratio of 32.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 0.87. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 12-month low of $124.49 and a 12-month high of $235.80.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 21st. The apparel retailer reported $2.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.73 by $0.29. The firm had revenue of $6.01 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.64 billion. Ross Stores had a net margin of 9.74% and a return on equity of 39.02%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 20.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.47 earnings per share. 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. As a group, analysts predict that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 7.37 earnings per share for the current year.

Ross Stores Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 9th will be given a $0.445 dividend. This represents a $1.78 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 9th. Ross Stores's payout ratio is presently 26.93%.

Insider Activity

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 completion of the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 116,028 shares in the company, valued at approximately $24,935,577.48. The trade was a 11.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CMO Karen Sykes sold 5,506 shares of Ross Stores stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $213.40, for a total transaction of $1,174,980.40. Following the completion of the sale, the chief marketing officer owned 104,648 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $22,331,883.20. The trade was a 5.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 25,756 shares of company stock worth $5,521,004. Corporate insiders own 2.10% of the company's stock.

Ross Stores News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Ross Stores reported Q1 EPS of $2.02, easily topping estimates, while revenue of $6.01 billion also exceeded forecasts; same-store sales jumped 17% and revenue rose 20.6% year over year. Ross Stores Reports Robust First Quarter Sales and Earnings Results, Significantly Exceeding Guidance
• Positive Sentiment: The company raised full-year EPS guidance to $7.50-$7.74 and increased its comparable-sales outlook to 6%-7%, signaling continued momentum after a strong quarter. Ross Stores Lifts Outlook as Sales Jump
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts turned more bullish after the beat, with Citigroup lifting its price target to $270 and other firms raising forecasts, reinforcing the post-earnings rally. These Analysts Boost Their Forecasts On Ross Stores After Better-Than-Expected Q1 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple market commentaries highlighted Ross Stores as a beneficiary of consumer demand for value and noted the stock hitting a 52-week high after the earnings release. Why Ross Stores Stock Climbed Today

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently commented on ROST shares. UBS Group lifted their price target on Ross Stores from $227.00 to $232.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $257.00 price target on shares of Ross Stores in a report on Friday. Truist Financial set a $290.00 price objective on shares of Ross Stores and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday. Telsey Advisory Group raised their price objective on shares of Ross Stores from $240.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday. Finally, Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Ross Stores from $205.00 to $221.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Sixteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $230.88.

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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