Erste Asset Management GmbH Invests $11.82 Million in Ross Stores, Inc. $ROST

Key Points

• Erste Asset Management GmbH opened a new position in Ross Stores during the fourth quarter, buying 65,417 shares valued at about $11.82 million.
• Ross Stores recently reported strong quarterly results, with earnings of $2.02 per share versus estimates of $1.73 and revenue of $6.01 billion, up 20.6% year over year.
• The company also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.445 per share, while analysts remain broadly positive with an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $233.18.

Erste Asset Management GmbH acquired a new position in shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 65,417 shares of the apparel retailer's stock, valued at approximately $11,824,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Ross Stores by 7,000.0% during the 4th quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 142 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 140 shares during the period. Hilton Head Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Ross Stores during the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. City Holding Co. lifted its holdings in shares of Ross Stores by 1,080.0% during the 4th quarter. City Holding Co. now owns 177 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 162 shares during the period. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Ross Stores by 42.6% during the 4th quarter. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 211 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 63 shares during the period. Finally, Fideuram Asset Management Ireland dac bought a new position in shares of Ross Stores during the 4th quarter worth about $38,000. 86.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Ross Stores Trading Down 1.3%

Shares of NASDAQ ROST opened at $227.42 on Tuesday. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 1-year low of $124.49 and a 1-year high of $237.41. The company has a market cap of $72.95 billion, a PE ratio of 31.76, a P/E/G ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 0.86. The company has a current ratio of 1.54, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12. The company has a 50-day moving average of $223.30 and a two-hundred day moving average of $202.64.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The apparel retailer reported $2.02 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.73 by $0.29. Ross Stores had a net margin of 9.74% and a return on equity of 38.42%. The company had revenue of $6.01 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.64 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.47 earnings per share. The company's 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. As a group, equities analysts expect that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 7.73 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ross Stores Announces Dividend

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ROST has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Ross Stores from $248.00 to $251.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, May 18th. UBS Group lifted 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, May 22nd. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a "buy" rating and set a $270.00 price target on shares of Ross Stores in a report on Friday, May 22nd. Guggenheim reissued a "buy" rating and set a $290.00 price target on shares of Ross Stores in a report on Monday, April 27th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $242.00 to $260.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 26th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $233.18.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CMO Karen Sykes sold 5,506 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, COO Michael J. Hartshorn sold 15,813 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 of the company's stock, valued at approximately $24,935,577.48. This trade represents a 11.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders own 2.10% of the company's stock.

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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