Handelsbanken Fonder AB Has $30.20 Million Position in Ross Stores, Inc. $ROST

Handelsbanken Fonder AB lowered its stake in shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST - Free Report) by 12.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 167,651 shares of the apparel retailer's stock after selling 24,598 shares during the period. Handelsbanken Fonder AB owned approximately 0.05% of Ross Stores worth $30,201,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Holocene Advisors LP acquired a new position in Ross Stores in the third quarter worth about $351,763,000. Marshall Wace LLP raised its position in Ross Stores by 1,908.8% in the third quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 1,816,763 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $276,857,000 after purchasing an additional 1,726,324 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE raised its position in Ross Stores by 20.9% in the second quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 9,582,401 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $1,222,523,000 after purchasing an additional 1,657,008 shares in the last quarter. Scopus Asset Management L.P. acquired a new position in Ross Stores in the second quarter worth about $102,281,000. Finally, Junto Capital Management LP raised its position in Ross Stores by 184.6% in the third quarter. Junto Capital Management LP now owns 968,290 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $147,558,000 after purchasing an additional 628,042 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.86% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, COO Michael J. Hartshorn sold 15,813 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 25th. The shares were 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 $24,935,577.48. This represents a 11.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CMO Karen Sykes sold 5,506 shares of the 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 sale, the chief marketing officer directly owned 104,648 shares in the company, valued at $22,331,883.20. This trade represents a 5.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 25,756 shares of company stock valued at $5,521,004. 2.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Ross Stores Price Performance

Shares of Ross Stores stock opened at $212.68 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.58, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16. The stock has a market capitalization of $68.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.18, a P/E/G ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 0.87. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 1-year low of $124.49 and a 1-year high of $231.16. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $218.42 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $195.95.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 3rd. The apparel retailer reported $2.00 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.90 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $6.64 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.42 billion. Ross Stores had a net margin of 9.43% and a return on equity of 36.70%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 12.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.65 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 7.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ross Stores Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 13th were paid a dividend of $0.445 per share. This is a positive change from Ross Stores's previous quarterly dividend of $0.41. This represents a $1.78 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 13th. Ross Stores's payout ratio is currently 26.93%.

Ross Stores News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan Chase raised its price target on Ross Stores (ROST) to $251 from $248 and kept an overweight rating, reinforcing expectations for further upside. Ross Stores NASDAQ: ROST Price Target Raised to $251.00 at JPMorgan Chase & Co.
• Positive Sentiment: Truist Securities initiated coverage of Ross Stores (ROST) with a buy rating and a $270 price target, signaling strong confidence in the retailer’s growth outlook and valuation. Truist Securities initiates coverage of Ross Stores (ROST) with buy recommendation
• Positive Sentiment: Another Truist note called Ross Stores and TJX top names in an attractive discount retail sector, which supports the bull case for the stock. TJX Companies, Ross Stores top names in an attractive vertical—Truist Securities
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and Zacks previews suggest Ross Stores may deliver solid Q1 results, with expectations for double-digit sales and EPS growth driven by traffic, merchandising, and store expansion. Ross Stores Gears Up to Report Q1 Earnings: Is a Beat in Store?
• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street remains optimistic on ROST, with additional coverage highlighting it as a GARP-style stock and a potentially attractive value play versus peers. Add These 4 GARP Stocks to Your Portfolio to Receive Handsome Returns
• Neutral Sentiment: Several recent articles compare Ross Stores with other discount retailers or discuss analyst-rating trends, but they largely reinforce the existing bullish narrative rather than adding new company-specific catalysts. DG or ROST: Which Is the Better Value Stock Right Now?
• Neutral Sentiment: Estimate revisions for FY2027 EPS also point to improving sentiment, though this is more of a long-term valuation signal than an immediate trading catalyst. Ross Stores FY2027 EPS Estimate Boosted by Erste Group Bank

Analyst Ratings Changes

ROST has been the subject of several recent research reports. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $205.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. Weiss Ratings reissued a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Ross Stores in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $214.00 to $244.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $205.00 to $221.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Finally, UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $208.00 to $227.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday. Seventeen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Ross Stores currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $218.56.

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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