Entropy Technologies LP Makes New $4.38 Million Investment in Ross Stores, Inc. $ROST

Key Points

• Entropy Technologies LP opened a new position in Ross Stores during the fourth quarter, buying 24,328 shares valued at about $4.38 million.
• Ross Stores reported strong quarterly results, with EPS of $2.02 beating estimates and revenue of $6.01 billion, up 20.6% year over year.
• Analysts remain broadly positive on the stock, with a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $233.18; the shares recently traded above that level at $240.13.

Entropy Technologies LP purchased a new position in shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 24,328 shares of the apparel retailer's stock, valued at approximately $4,382,000.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. raised its stake in shares of Ross Stores by 7,000.0% in the 4th quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 142 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 140 shares during the period. Hilton Head Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ross Stores in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Bard Associates Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Ross Stores in the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. City Holding Co. raised its stake in shares of Ross Stores by 1,080.0% in the 4th quarter. City Holding Co. now owns 177 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 162 shares during the period. Finally, Virtus Advisers LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ross Stores in the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.86% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ross Stores

In related news, CMO Karen Sykes sold 5,506 shares of Ross Stores stock in a transaction 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 sale, the chief marketing officer 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 transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, COO Michael J. Hartshorn sold 15,813 shares of Ross Stores stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $214.91, for a total transaction of $3,398,371.83. Following the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 116,028 shares in the company, valued at $24,935,577.48. This trade represents a 11.99% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders own 2.10% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ROST has been the topic of a number of research reports. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $242.00 to $260.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 26th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Ross Stores from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, June 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $248.00 to $251.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, May 18th. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued a "market perform" rating and issued a $230.00 target price on shares of Ross Stores in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. Finally, UBS Group reissued a "neutral" rating on shares of Ross Stores in a research note on Wednesday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Ross Stores presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $233.18.

Ross Stores Stock Performance

Ross Stores stock opened at $240.13 on Monday. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 12-month low of $124.49 and a 12-month high of $242.81. The company has a market capitalization of $77.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12, a current ratio of 1.54 and a quick ratio of 0.94. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $224.97 and its 200 day moving average price is $204.55.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results 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. Ross Stores had a net margin of 9.74% and a return on equity of 38.42%. The firm had revenue of $6.01 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.64 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.47 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue 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, research analysts forecast that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 7.74 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ross Stores Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 9th will be paid 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 0.7%. Ross Stores's payout ratio is 24.86%.

Ross Stores Company 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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