Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. Sells 6,004 Shares of Ross Stores, Inc. $ROST

Key Points

• Resona Asset Management trimmed its Ross Stores position by 5.8% in the fourth quarter, selling 6,004 shares and leaving it with 97,489 shares valued at about $17.6 million.
• Ross Stores posted strong quarterly results, with EPS of $2.00 beating estimates by $0.10 and revenue of $6.64 billion topping expectations, while sales rose 12.2% year over year.
• Wall Street sentiment remains bullish, with multiple analysts raising targets or reaffirming buy ratings, and the stock also recently received a higher quarterly dividend of $0.445 per share.

Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. reduced its position in shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST - Free Report) by 5.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 97,489 shares of the apparel retailer's stock after selling 6,004 shares during the period. Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd.'s holdings in Ross Stores were worth $17,572,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Holocene Advisors LP acquired a new position in Ross Stores during the 3rd quarter valued at $351,763,000. Marshall Wace LLP raised its stake in Ross Stores by 1,908.8% during the 3rd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 1,816,763 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $276,857,000 after purchasing an additional 1,726,324 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE raised its stake in Ross Stores by 20.9% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 9,582,401 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $1,222,523,000 after purchasing an additional 1,657,008 shares during the last quarter. Scopus Asset Management L.P. acquired a new position in Ross Stores during the 2nd quarter valued at $102,281,000. Finally, Junto Capital Management LP raised its stake in Ross Stores by 184.6% during the 3rd quarter. Junto Capital Management LP now owns 968,290 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $147,558,000 after purchasing an additional 628,042 shares during the last quarter. 86.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Key Ross Stores News

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

Ross Stores Trading Up 0.8%

Shares of ROST stock opened at $212.68 on Wednesday. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 52-week low of $124.49 and a 52-week high of $231.16. The stock has a market cap 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. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a current ratio of 1.58. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $218.42 and a 200-day moving average of $195.95.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 3rd. The apparel retailer reported $2.00 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 company had revenue of $6.64 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.42 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.65 EPS. The business's 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 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ross Stores Increases Dividend

The company 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 represents a $1.78 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 13th. This is a positive change from Ross Stores's previous quarterly dividend of $0.41. Ross Stores's payout ratio is currently 26.93%.

Insider Transactions at Ross Stores

In other news, Director Patricia H. Mueller sold 1,881 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $213.13, for a total value of $400,897.53. Following the sale, the director owned 2,159 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $460,147.67. This represents a 46.56% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CMO Karen Sykes sold 5,506 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 25th. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at approximately $22,331,883.20. The trade was a 5.00% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 25,756 shares of company stock valued at $5,521,004. 2.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently commented on ROST. Guggenheim reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $290.00 target price on shares of Ross Stores in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $240.00 target price on shares of Ross Stores in a research note on Thursday, March 26th. Zacks Research cut shares of Ross Stores from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $205.00 to $221.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Ross Stores in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. Seventeen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price 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.

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