Saudi Central Bank Boosts Holdings in Ross Stores, Inc. $ROST

Key Points

• Saudi Central Bank increased its Ross Stores stake by 84.3% in the second quarter, holding 22,001 shares valued at approximately $4.7 million. Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 86.86% of the company.
• Ross Stores reported strong quarterly results, with revenue rising 13.3% year over year to $6.26 billion and EPS of $2.66, beating the $1.95 analyst consensus.
• Analyst sentiment remains generally positive, with an average “Moderate Buy” rating and a $263.76 price target, although Zacks maintains a “Hold” rating. The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.445 per share, representing a 0.8% annualized yield.

Saudi Central Bank lifted its position in shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST - Free Report) by 84.3% during the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 22,001 shares of the apparel retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 10,062 shares during the period. Saudi Central Bank's holdings in Ross Stores were worth $4,683,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Ross Stores in the second quarter valued at approximately $5,938,711,000. State Street Corp lifted its stake in shares of Ross Stores by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 13,911,953 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $2,506,099,000 after purchasing an additional 99,975 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its stake in shares of 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 worth $1,222,523,000 after acquiring an additional 1,657,008 shares in the last quarter. Primecap Management Co. CA purchased a new stake in Ross Stores during the second quarter worth $1,937,995,000. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP grew its stake in Ross Stores by 89.2% in the 2nd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 6,615,682 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $1,408,148,000 after acquiring an additional 3,118,591 shares during the last quarter. 86.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ross Stores Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ ROST opened at $230.69 on Monday. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $234.52 and its 200 day simple moving average is $224.91. The company has a quick ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 1.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12. The stock has a market capitalization of $73.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.93, a PEG ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 0.85. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 52-week low of $143.39 and a 52-week high of $257.00.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 20th. The apparel retailer reported $2.66 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.95 by $0.71. The company had revenue of $6.26 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.16 billion. Ross Stores had a net margin of 10.85% and a return on equity of 39.29%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 13.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.56 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 8.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ross Stores Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 8th will be given a dividend of $0.445 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 8th. This represents a $1.78 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. Ross Stores's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 21.55%.

More Ross Stores News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks raised its earnings forecasts across multiple future periods. Estimates increased for Q3 2027 through Q4 2028, Q1 2029, and FY2028. The FY2028 EPS forecast rose to $8.84 from $8.33, while the Q4 2028 estimate increased to $2.48 from $2.34. These revisions suggest analysts see better-than-expected earnings potential for Ross Stores. MarketBeat Ross Stores analyst estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Recent operating results provide support for the bullish estimate revisions. In its latest reported quarter, Ross Stores generated $6.26 billion in revenue, up 13.3% year over year, and posted $2.66 in EPS versus the $1.95 consensus estimate. The earnings beat and strong revenue growth indicate continued resilience in the off-price retail model.
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks maintained a “Hold” rating. Although its forecasts improved, the unchanged rating signals that the analyst does not yet see enough risk-adjusted upside to recommend buying the shares. The current full-year EPS consensus remains $8.15. Zacks Ross Stores growth stock analysis
• Neutral Sentiment: The Q2 2026 earnings call transcript offers additional management commentary on sales trends, margins, inventory, store expansion and the outlook, but no specific new guidance details are provided in the article listing. Ross Stores Q2 2026 earnings call transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation and limited analyst conviction remain headwinds. Ross Stores trades at roughly 28 times earnings, while its shares are below the 50-day moving average. With Zacks still at Hold and no fresh near-term catalyst, investors may be taking profits after the strong earnings performance.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ROST has been the subject of several recent research reports. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on Ross Stores from $265.00 to $285.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, August 21st. Zacks Research downgraded Ross Stores from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Ross Stores from $262.00 to $272.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, August 21st. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on Ross Stores from $231.00 to $234.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, August 21st. Finally, Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $250.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, August 21st. Fifteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $263.76.

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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