Sarasin & Partners LLP Sells 47,661 Shares of Ross Stores, Inc. $ROST

Key Points

• Sarasin & Partners LLP trimmed its Ross Stores stake by 10.4%, selling 47,661 shares and now owning 409,742 shares worth about $73.81 million, while institutional investors hold roughly 86.86% of the stock.
• Q4 results beat: Ross reported $2.00 EPS vs. $1.90 expected and revenue of $6.64B (+12.2% Y/Y), and the company raised its quarterly dividend to $0.445 (annualized $1.78, yield 0.8%, DPR 26.93%; ex-dividend March 13, payable March 31).
• Positive analyst view: Sixteen analysts rate ROST a Buy vs. five Holds with a consensus target of $208.29, and several firms (including Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan) recently lifted price targets to $244 and $232 respectively.

Sarasin & Partners LLP decreased its position in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST - Free Report) by 10.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 409,742 shares of the apparel retailer's stock after selling 47,661 shares during the period. Sarasin & Partners LLP owned about 0.13% of Ross Stores worth $73,811,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. State Street Corp increased its position in Ross Stores by 0.4% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 13,974,551 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $1,782,873,000 after buying an additional 61,168 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its position in shares of Ross Stores by 1.9% during 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 last quarter. Viking Global Investors LP lifted its position in shares of Ross Stores by 9.9% during 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 last quarter. Invesco Ltd. grew its stake in shares of Ross Stores by 5.7% during the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 4,655,932 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $709,518,000 after acquiring an additional 252,284 shares during the period. Finally, EdgePoint Investment Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Ross Stores by 8.9% during the 2nd quarter. EdgePoint Investment Group Inc. now owns 4,414,920 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $563,255,000 after acquiring an additional 359,832 shares during the period. 86.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Ross Stores Stock Performance

NASDAQ:ROST opened at $211.19 on Friday. The business's fifty day moving average is $198.40 and its 200 day moving average is $176.51. The firm has a market cap of $68.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.95, a PEG ratio of 2.92 and a beta of 0.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a current ratio of 1.58. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 52-week low of $122.36 and a 52-week high of $216.80.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, March 3rd. The apparel retailer reported $2.00 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.90 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $6.64 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.42 billion. Ross Stores had a return on equity of 36.70% and a net margin of 9.43%.The firm's revenue was up 12.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.65 EPS. Research analysts predict that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.17 EPS for the current year.

Ross Stores Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 13th will be given a $0.445 dividend. This represents a $1.78 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. This is an increase from Ross Stores's previous quarterly dividend of $0.41. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 13th. Ross Stores's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 26.93%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Patricia H. Mueller sold 1,881 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $213.13, for a total transaction of $400,897.53. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 2,159 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $460,147.67. The trade was a 46.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CMO Karen Sykes sold 2,556 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $213.91, for a total transaction of $546,753.96. Following the sale, the chief marketing officer directly owned 103,945 shares in the company, valued at $22,234,874.95. This trade represents a 2.40% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 2.20% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ROST has been the topic of a number of research reports. UBS Group set a $208.00 price objective on Ross Stores in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. Barclays increased their target price 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. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $221.00 target price on shares of Ross Stores in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $215.00 to $232.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, February 23rd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $214.00 to $244.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. Sixteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $208.29.

More Ross Stores News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised multiple near‑term and multi‑year EPS forecasts (Q1–Q4 2027, FY2027, FY2028 and FY2029), which improves forward earnings visibility and supports higher target earnings power. Zacks still carries a "Hold" rating, so upside is driven mainly by estimate revisions. Zacks boosts EPS estimates for Ross Stores
• Positive Sentiment: Barron’s lists Ross among “defensive” retail names with favorable technicals and fundamentals — a recognition that can attract risk‑averse and momentum buyers into ROST. Walmart, Ross Stores, and Other ‘Defensive' Retail Stocks
• Positive Sentiment: Recent reported quarter (Mar. 3) beat estimates: $2.00 EPS vs. $1.90 consensus and revenue of $6.64B (+12.2% Y/Y). Strong margins and ROE plus above‑average intraday volume point to investor affirmation of execution. Ross Stores latest results and profile
• Neutral Sentiment: TV/market coverage (CNBC "Final Trades", Benzinga summary) mentioned ROST alongside other notable names — helpful for liquidity/flow but not a fundamental catalyst on its own. Zoom, Ross Stores and a big bank on CNBC's 'Final Trades' Benzinga: Zoom, Ross Stores And A Big Bank On CNBC's 'Final Trades'
• Neutral Sentiment: Some outlets note analyst disagreement on consumer cyclicals (Ross vs. peers like Kohl’s), which can mean higher volatility around updates but not necessarily a directional change. Analysts Conflicted on These Consumer Cyclical Names

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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