Dundas Partners LLP Sells 8,836 Shares of Ross Stores, Inc. $ROST

Key Points

• Dundas Partners LLP trimmed its stake by 3.2%, selling 8,836 shares and now owns 270,309 Ross shares (~$41.19M), which represents 2.9% of Dundas's portfolio and about 0.08% of Ross shares outstanding.
• Ross beat Q4 estimates with $2.00 EPS (vs. $1.90 expected) and $6.64B revenue, then boosted shareholder returns by raising the quarterly dividend to $0.445 (~10%) and expanding buybacks ~25%, prompting multiple analyst upgrades and a consensus "Moderate Buy" average price target of $208.29.
• The stock is trading near a 12‑month high but at a premium (P/E ~32, PEG ~3.1), which supports momentum-driven upside yet raises the risk of short-term consolidation if comps or margins cool.

Dundas Partners LLP trimmed its stake in shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST - Free Report) by 3.2% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 270,309 shares of the apparel retailer's stock after selling 8,836 shares during the period. Ross Stores accounts for 2.9% of Dundas Partners LLP's portfolio, making the stock its 18th largest holding. Dundas Partners LLP owned approximately 0.08% of Ross Stores worth $41,192,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. American National Bank & Trust bought a new position in shares of Ross Stores during the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,000. Grey Fox Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ross Stores in the third quarter worth about $29,000. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Ross Stores by 162.6% in the third quarter. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. now owns 239 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 148 shares in the last quarter. True Wealth Design LLC lifted its position in shares of Ross Stores by 152.0% in the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 257 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 155 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in Ross Stores during the second quarter valued at approximately $38,000. 86.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ROST has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $221.00 price target on Ross Stores in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Ross Stores from $205.00 to $235.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. Weiss Ratings restated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Ross Stores in a research report on Friday, January 9th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $205.00 price target on shares of Ross Stores in a research note on Monday, December 1st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Ross Stores from $215.00 to $232.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, February 23rd. Sixteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Ross Stores presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $208.29.

Ross Stores Trading Down 1.4%

Shares of ROST stock opened at $211.75 on Monday. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 1 year low of $122.36 and a 1 year high of $216.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a current ratio of 1.58 and a quick ratio of 1.04. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $193.33 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $172.35. The company has a market cap of $68.49 billion, a PE ratio of 32.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 0.97.

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, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.90 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $6.64 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.42 billion. Ross Stores had a return on equity of 36.70% and a net margin of 9.43%.The company's quarterly revenue was up 12.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.65 EPS. Research analysts predict that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.17 earnings per share for the current year.

Ross Stores Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Investors of record on Friday, March 13th will be given a $0.445 dividend. This is a boost 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%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 13th. Ross Stores's dividend payout ratio is 24.51%.

Key Stories Impacting Ross Stores

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 beat, raised dividend and bigger buybacks — Ross reported $6.64B revenue and $2.00 EPS, raised the quarterly dividend ~10% and expanded buybacks by ~25%, which supports EPS accretion and shareholder returns. MarketBeat Q4 analysis
• Positive Sentiment: Strong analyst momentum — several firms upgraded or lifted targets (Citigroup to $240, Goldman to $244, Telsey upgraded, Guggenheim bullish), reinforcing upside expectations after the results. Citigroup PT raise Goldman PT raise Telsey upgrade Guggenheim note
• Positive Sentiment: Technical/long-term momentum — ROST hit a 12‑month high and has outperformed benchmarks over the past year, supporting momentum-driven flows. 12-month high report Outperformance write-up
• Neutral Sentiment: Macro/sector tailwind — the "treasure hunt" or off‑price theme (value-seeking consumers) is lifting both Ross and TJX, suggesting favorable secular demand but not guaranteed sustained outsized growth. Treasure hunt thesis
• Negative Sentiment: Profit-taking / short-term consolidation risk — shares gave back a portion of the post-earnings pop and analysts/coverage notes flag possible consolidation or a pullback toward the low‑$200s if momentum cools. Price-action risk
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation and forward pacing — ROST trades at a premium (P/E ~32, PEG ~3.1) and management’s commentary implies the back half could slow, so upside now depends on persistent comp strength and margin maintenance. Valuation/Outlook piece

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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