AlphaQuest LLC Buys 12,549 Shares of Ross Stores, Inc. $ROST

Key Points

• AlphaQuest LLC more than doubled its stake in Ross Stores during the fourth quarter, buying 12,549 additional shares and bringing its total holdings to 22,465 shares worth about $4.05 million.
• Ross Stores posted strong quarterly results, reporting EPS of $2.02 versus expectations of $1.73 and revenue of $6.01 billion, with revenue up 20.6% year over year.
• The retailer also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.445 per share, while analysts remain broadly positive with a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $230.88.

AlphaQuest LLC increased its stake in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST - Free Report) by 126.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 22,465 shares of the apparel retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 12,549 shares during the period. AlphaQuest LLC's holdings in Ross Stores were worth $4,047,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC raised its position in shares of Ross Stores by 5.1% during the 4th quarter. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 3,043 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $548,000 after acquiring an additional 149 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Shields Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ross Stores in the 4th quarter valued at $252,000. Capital Management Associates NY acquired a new position in shares of Ross Stores in the 4th quarter valued at $1,081,000. Harbour Investments Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Ross Stores by 26.9% in the 4th quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. now owns 855 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $154,000 after buying an additional 181 shares during the period. Finally, Eukles Asset Management grew its holdings in shares of Ross Stores by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Eukles Asset Management now owns 18,228 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $3,284,000 after buying an additional 90 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 86.86% of the company's stock.

Ross Stores Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:ROST opened at $234.81 on Tuesday. The company's 50-day moving average price is $219.56 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $197.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a current ratio of 1.58 and a quick ratio of 1.04. Ross Stores, Inc. has a one year low of $124.49 and a one year high of $235.80. The stock has a market capitalization of $75.64 billion, a PE ratio of 32.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.11 and a beta of 0.87.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The apparel retailer reported $2.02 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.73 by $0.29. Ross Stores had a net margin of 9.74% and a return on equity of 39.02%. The firm had revenue of $6.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.64 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.47 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter 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, equities analysts forecast that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 7.74 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ross Stores Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 9th will be given a dividend of $0.445 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 9th. This represents a $1.78 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. Ross Stores's payout ratio is 24.86%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Ross Stores news, CMO Karen Sykes sold 5,506 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the chief marketing officer directly owned 104,648 shares of the company's stock, valued at $22,331,883.20. The trade was a 5.00% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Patricia H. Mueller sold 1,881 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $213.13, for a total transaction of $400,897.53. Following the sale, the director directly owned 2,159 shares in the company, valued at $460,147.67. This trade represents a 46.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 25,756 shares of company stock valued at $5,521,004 in the last three months. 2.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ROST has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $261.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $227.00 to $232.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday. Telsey Advisory Group boosted their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $240.00 to $265.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday. Guggenheim reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $290.00 price target on shares of Ross Stores in a report on Monday, April 27th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $205.00 to $221.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, March 2nd. Sixteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $230.88.

Ross Stores 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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