Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Purchases 186,619 Shares of Ross Stores, Inc. $ROST

Key Points

• Jefferies Financial Group sharply increased its stake in Ross Stores, boosting its holdings by 744.8% in the fourth quarter to 211,676 shares, worth about $38.1 million.
• Ross Stores posted a strong quarter, with EPS of $2.02 and revenue of $6.01 billion, both beating estimates; revenue rose 20.6% year over year and the company raised its full-year and Q2 guidance.
• The stock has drawn mixed but generally positive attention from analysts, with several firms raising price targets, while Ross also announced a quarterly $0.445 dividend payable June 30.

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. raised its position in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST - Free Report) by 744.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 211,676 shares of the apparel retailer's stock after buying an additional 186,619 shares during the quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. owned about 0.07% of Ross Stores worth $38,131,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Bank of America Corp DE increased its holdings in Ross Stores by 1.9% in the 3rd quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 9,762,583 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $1,487,720,000 after buying an additional 180,182 shares during the period. Viking Global Investors LP increased its holdings in Ross Stores by 9.9% in the 2nd quarter. Viking Global Investors LP now owns 4,747,639 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $605,704,000 after buying an additional 426,370 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. increased its holdings in Ross Stores by 5.7% in the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 4,655,932 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $709,518,000 after buying an additional 252,284 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP increased its holdings in Ross Stores by 10.2% in the 3rd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 4,045,346 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $616,470,000 after buying an additional 375,470 shares during the period. Finally, Marshfield Associates increased its holdings in Ross Stores by 4.1% in the 3rd quarter. Marshfield Associates now owns 4,020,413 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $612,671,000 after buying an additional 157,385 shares during the period. 86.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ross Stores

In other Ross Stores news, COO Michael J. Hartshorn sold 15,813 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $214.91, for a total value of $3,398,371.83. Following the sale, the chief operating officer owned 116,028 shares in the company, valued at $24,935,577.48. This trade represents a 11.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CMO Karen Sykes sold 5,506 shares of the firm'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 owned 104,648 shares in the company, valued at $22,331,883.20. This represents a 5.00% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 25,756 shares of company stock worth $5,521,004 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 2.10% of the company's stock.

Ross Stores Stock Performance

Shares of Ross Stores stock opened at $234.81 on Friday. Ross Stores, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $124.49 and a fifty-two week high of $235.80. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $75.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.79, a P/E/G ratio of 3.11 and a beta of 0.87. The company's 50 day moving average price is $219.06 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $197.05.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The apparel retailer reported $2.02 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.73 by $0.29. Ross Stores had a net margin of 9.74% and a return on equity of 39.02%. The firm had revenue of $6.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.64 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.47 earnings per share. The company'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, equities analysts forecast that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 7.74 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 given a $0.445 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 9th. This represents a $1.78 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. Ross Stores's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 26.93%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have commented on ROST. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $261.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday. Zacks Research lowered shares of Ross Stores from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, March 2nd. 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 report on Monday, May 18th. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed a "market perform" rating and set a $230.00 price target on shares of Ross Stores in a report on Friday. Finally, Guggenheim reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $290.00 price target on shares of Ross Stores in a report on Monday, April 27th. Sixteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $230.88.

Key Headlines Impacting Ross Stores

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

• Positive Sentiment: Ross Stores reported Q1 EPS of $2.02, easily topping estimates, while revenue of $6.01 billion also exceeded forecasts; same-store sales jumped 17% and revenue rose 20.6% year over year. Ross Stores Reports Robust First Quarter Sales and Earnings Results, Significantly Exceeding Guidance
• Positive Sentiment: The company raised full-year EPS guidance to $7.50-$7.74 and increased its comparable-sales outlook to 6%-7%, signaling continued momentum after a strong quarter. Ross Stores Lifts Outlook as Sales Jump
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts turned more bullish after the beat, with Citigroup lifting its price target to $270 and other firms raising forecasts, reinforcing the post-earnings rally. These Analysts Boost Their Forecasts On Ross Stores After Better-Than-Expected Q1 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple market commentaries highlighted Ross Stores as a beneficiary of consumer demand for value and noted the stock hitting a 52-week high after the earnings release. Why Ross Stores Stock Climbed Today

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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