Aware Super Pty Ltd as trustee of Aware Super Invests $39.58 Million in Ross Stores, Inc. $ROST

Key Points

• Aware Super disclosed a new first-quarter position in Ross Stores, buying 182,714 shares worth about $39.6 million. Institutional ownership remains high, with about 86.86% of shares held by institutions.
• Ross Stores said its latest quarterly results beat Wall Street expectations, posting EPS of $2.02 versus the $1.73 estimate and revenue of $6.01 billion, up 20.6% year over year. The company also raised guidance for fiscal 2026 and Q2 2026.
• The stock was trading up 3.1% at $232.72, near its 52-week high of $242.81. Analysts remain generally positive, with a Moderate Buy consensus and an average price target of $233.18.

Aware Super Pty Ltd as trustee of Aware Super purchased a new position in shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 182,714 shares of the apparel retailer's stock, valued at approximately $39,581,000. Aware Super Pty Ltd as trustee of Aware Super owned 0.06% of Ross Stores at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wealthfront Advisers LLC boosted its position in shares of Ross Stores by 15.5% during the first quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC now owns 45,873 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $9,937,000 after buying an additional 6,170 shares during the period. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt lifted its stake in shares of Ross Stores by 1,509.8% during the 1st quarter. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt now owns 31,987 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $6,927,000 after acquiring an additional 30,000 shares during the last quarter. Advisors Preferred LLC purchased a new position in Ross Stores during the 1st quarter valued at $505,000. Sanctuary Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Ross Stores by 15.5% during the 1st quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 25,820 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $5,593,000 after acquiring an additional 3,461 shares during the period. Finally, Sigma Planning Corp bought a new position in Ross Stores in the 1st quarter valued at $1,225,000. 86.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Ross Stores Trading Up 3.1%

Shares of NASDAQ ROST opened at $232.72 on Friday. Ross Stores, Inc. has a twelve month low of $128.82 and a twelve month high of $242.81. The firm has a market cap of $74.65 billion, a PE ratio of 32.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 0.87. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $224.06 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $211.77. The company has a quick ratio of 0.94, a current ratio of 1.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The apparel retailer reported $2.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.73 by $0.29. Ross Stores had a return on equity of 38.42% and a net margin of 9.74%.The business had revenue of $6.01 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.64 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.47 EPS. The business's revenue was up 20.6% compared to the same quarter last year. 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. Analysts expect that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 7.74 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ross Stores Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 9th were issued a $0.445 dividend. The ex-dividend date was 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%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have weighed in on ROST. Telsey Advisory Group increased their target price on Ross Stores from $240.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued a "market perform" rating and set a $230.00 target price on shares of Ross Stores in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company cut shares of Ross Stores from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and set a $245.00 price target on the stock. in a report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Truist Financial raised their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $270.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $270.00 price target on shares of Ross Stores in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have given a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $233.18.

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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