Commerce Bank Makes New Investment in Ross Stores, Inc. $ROST

Key Points

• Commerce Bank initiated a Ross Stores position in the second quarter, purchasing 21,908 shares valued at approximately $4.66 million. Institutional investors collectively own 86.86% of the company.
• Ross Stores reported a strong second quarter, with EPS of $2.66 versus $1.95 expected and revenue up 13.3% year over year to $6.26 billion. Management raised fiscal 2026 EPS guidance to $8.61–$8.77 and increased its store-opening plan to 115 locations.
• Analyst sentiment remains favorable, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and a $263.76 price target, although some analysts caution that the stock’s premium valuation may already reflect its strong execution. Shares recently traded near $239, while the company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.445 per share.

Commerce Bank bought a new position in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST - Free Report) during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 21,908 shares of the apparel retailer's stock, valued at approximately $4,663,000.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Ethic Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Ross Stores by 25.6% during the 4th quarter. Ethic Inc. now owns 23,772 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $4,282,000 after buying an additional 4,847 shares during the last quarter. National Pension Service increased its holdings in Ross Stores by 138.4% in the fourth quarter. National Pension Service now owns 1,300,056 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $234,192,000 after buying an additional 754,816 shares during the last quarter. Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. bought a new position in Ross Stores during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $204,750,000. NewEdge Wealth LLC raised its position in Ross Stores by 99.5% during the fourth quarter. NewEdge Wealth LLC now owns 14,745 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $2,656,000 after acquiring an additional 7,353 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CIBC Asset Management Inc raised its position in Ross Stores by 33.2% during the fourth quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 136,426 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $24,576,000 after acquiring an additional 33,995 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.86% of the company's stock.

Trending Headlines about Ross Stores

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q2 results exceeded expectations: Ross reported diluted EPS of $2.66 versus the approximately $1.95 consensus estimate, while revenue rose 13.3% year over year to $6.26 billion, ahead of the $6.16 billion forecast. Comparable-store sales increased 10%, supported by stronger customer traffic, improved merchandising and higher margins. Ross Stores Q2 Earnings Top Estimates on Strong Sales Growth Momentum
• Positive Sentiment: Higher outlook signals continued momentum: Management raised fiscal 2026 EPS guidance to $8.61-$8.77, well above the prior outlook and the roughly $7.31 analyst consensus. Third- and fourth-quarter EPS guidance also came in above expectations. The company cited resilient demand for discounted apparel and accessories and raised its fiscal-year store-opening plan to 115 locations. Ross Stores raises annual profit forecast again on discounted apparel demand
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts raised price targets: JPMorgan increased its target to $272 and maintained an Overweight rating, while Robert W. Baird raised its target to $270 and kept an Outperform rating. These revisions reinforce expectations that Ross is gaining market share from rivals. Analysts Boost Forecasts on Ross Stores
• Neutral Sentiment: Approximately $253 million of tariff refunds benefited second-quarter operating income, creating a potential comparison headwind when assessing underlying profitability. Ross Stores Q2 Sales Rise 13% as Diluted EPS Reaches $2.66
• Negative Sentiment: BTIG analyst Robert Drbul reiterated a Hold rating, indicating that strong execution may already be reflected in ROST’s premium valuation. Recent insider activity also showed sales but no purchases, a modest sentiment caution. Analyst Reiterates Hold on Ross Stores

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have commented on the stock. Evercore set a $290.00 target price on shares of Ross Stores in a research report on Friday. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a "buy" rating and set a $270.00 price target on shares of Ross Stores in a report on Friday, May 22nd. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of Ross Stores from $231.00 to $234.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Ross Stores from $260.00 to $298.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein increased their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $230.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research report on Friday. Fifteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $263.76.

Ross Stores Price Performance

Shares of Ross Stores stock opened at $239.04 on Monday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $233.81 and a 200-day simple moving average of $222.09. The company has a current ratio of 1.61, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 1-year low of $143.39 and a 1-year high of $257.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $76.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.94, a PEG ratio of 2.30 and a beta of 0.86.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, August 20th. The apparel retailer reported $2.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.95 by $0.71. The business had revenue of $6.26 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.16 billion. Ross Stores had a net margin of 10.85% and a return on equity of 39.29%. Ross Stores's revenue was up 13.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.56 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 8.13 earnings per share for the current year.

Ross Stores Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 8th will be issued a dividend of $0.445 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 8th. This represents a $1.78 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. Ross Stores's payout ratio is 21.55%.

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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