ProShare Advisors LLC Purchases 155,245 Shares of Ross Stores, Inc. $ROST

Key Points

• ProShare Advisors LLC increased its Ross Stores stake by 37.9% in the fourth quarter, buying 155,245 additional shares and bringing its total holding to 564,517 shares worth about $101.7 million.
• Ross Stores reported strong quarterly results, with EPS of $2.00 beating estimates and revenue of $6.64 billion topping forecasts, while sales rose 12.2% year over year.
• The company also raised its quarterly dividend to $0.445 per share, and analyst sentiment remains broadly positive with several firms lifting price targets and maintaining buy/overweight ratings.

ProShare Advisors LLC raised its stake in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST - Free Report) by 37.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 564,517 shares of the apparel retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 155,245 shares during the period. ProShare Advisors LLC owned approximately 0.17% of Ross Stores worth $101,692,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. increased its holdings in 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 last quarter. Grey Fox Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Ross Stores in the 3rd quarter valued at $29,000. City Holding Co. increased its holdings in 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 last quarter. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Ross Stores by 42.6% in the 4th quarter. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 211 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 63 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Salomon & Ludwin LLC increased its holdings in Ross Stores by 89.0% in the 4th quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 223 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $42,000 after acquiring an additional 105 shares during the last quarter. 86.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Ross Stores

In related news, COO Michael J. Hartshorn sold 15,813 shares of Ross Stores stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 116,028 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $24,935,577.48. The trade was a 11.99% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Patricia H. Mueller sold 1,881 shares of Ross Stores stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $213.13, for a total transaction of $400,897.53. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 2,159 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $460,147.67. This represents a 46.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 25,756 shares of company stock worth $5,521,004 in the last three months. Insiders own 2.10% of the company's stock.

Ross Stores Stock Performance

Ross Stores stock opened at $212.68 on Wednesday. The company's 50-day moving average price is $218.42 and its 200-day moving average price is $195.95. Ross Stores, Inc. has a twelve month low of $124.49 and a twelve month high of $231.16. The company has a quick ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 1.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16. The company has a market cap of $68.51 billion, a PE ratio of 32.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 0.87.

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

Ross Stores Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 13th were issued a $0.445 dividend. This is a boost from Ross Stores's previous quarterly dividend of $0.41. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 13th. This represents a $1.78 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. Ross Stores's payout ratio is presently 26.93%.

Key Stories Impacting Ross Stores

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have issued reports on the stock. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $205.00 to $221.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, March 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $248.00 to $251.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $208.00 to $227.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Ross Stores from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, March 2nd. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein set a $200.00 price target on shares of Ross Stores in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. Seventeen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $218.56.

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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding ROST? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.