Ross Stores, Inc. $ROST Shares Purchased by Diversified Trust Co

Key Points

• Diversified Trust Co increased its stake in Ross Stores by 32.6% in the first quarter, adding 4,482 shares to bring its total to 18,245 shares worth about $3.95 million.
• Insider selling was reported by two executives: COO Michael J. Hartshorn sold 15,813 shares and CMO Karen Sykes sold 5,506 shares, trimming their holdings by 11.99% and 5.00%, respectively.
• Ross Stores beat earnings and revenue estimates in its latest quarter, and analysts remain broadly positive with a consensus Moderate Buy rating and an average price target of $233.18.

Diversified Trust Co boosted its position in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST - Free Report) by 32.6% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 18,245 shares of the apparel retailer's stock after buying an additional 4,482 shares during the period. Diversified Trust Co's holdings in Ross Stores were worth $3,952,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. J. Derek Lewis & Associates Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Ross Stores in the 4th quarter valued at $411,000. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. increased its stake in shares of Ross Stores by 39.5% in the fourth quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 46,918 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $8,452,000 after acquiring an additional 13,273 shares during the period. World Investment Advisors purchased a new position in shares of Ross Stores during the fourth quarter worth $250,000. Meadowbrook Advisors Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ross Stores during the fourth quarter worth $2,253,000. Finally, Hsbc Holdings PLC raised its holdings in shares of Ross Stores by 1.5% during the fourth quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 673,254 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $121,398,000 after purchasing an additional 10,175 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.86% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other Ross Stores news, COO Michael J. Hartshorn sold 15,813 shares of the 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 transaction, the chief operating officer owned 116,028 shares in the company, valued at approximately $24,935,577.48. This represents a 11.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 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 value 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 2.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have commented on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $235.00 to $245.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, May 22nd. Weiss Ratings reissued a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Ross Stores in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Ross Stores from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed a "market perform" rating and set a $230.00 target price on shares of Ross Stores in a report on Friday, May 22nd. Finally, Barclays lifted their price target on Ross Stores from $242.00 to $260.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 26th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $233.18.

Ross Stores Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ ROST opened at $232.80 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $74.68 billion, a PE ratio of 32.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 0.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a current ratio of 1.54. The company's fifty day moving average price is $226.33 and its 200 day moving average price is $206.55. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 1 year low of $124.49 and a 1 year high of $242.81.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data 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. The company had revenue of $6.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.64 billion. Ross Stores had a net margin of 9.74% and a return on equity of 38.42%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 20.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.47 earnings per share. 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, research analysts predict that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 7.74 earnings per share for the current year.

Ross Stores Announces Dividend

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

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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