Q2 Earnings Forecast for Ross Stores Issued By William Blair

Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST - Free Report) - Research analysts at William Blair decreased their Q2 2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for Ross Stores in a research report issued on Friday, May 23rd. William Blair analyst D. Carden now forecasts that the apparel retailer will post earnings per share of $1.49 for the quarter, down from their previous forecast of $1.64. The consensus estimate for Ross Stores' current full-year earnings is $6.17 per share. William Blair also issued estimates for Ross Stores' Q3 2026 earnings at $1.41 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $1.60 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $5.96 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $1.63 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $1.68 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $1.66 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $1.82 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $6.79 EPS.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 22nd. The apparel retailer reported $1.47 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.44 by $0.03. Ross Stores had a net margin of 9.95% and a return on equity of 41.83%. The business had revenue of $4.98 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.94 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.46 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 2.6% on a year-over-year basis.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently issued reports on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on shares of Ross Stores from $161.00 to $141.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $155.00 to $150.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 23rd. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price objective on Ross Stores from $168.00 to $156.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Citigroup upgraded Ross Stores from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $146.00 price target for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 3rd. Finally, Barclays lowered their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $157.00 to $156.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 23rd. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Ross Stores presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $158.67.

Ross Stores Stock Performance

NASDAQ:ROST traded down $0.05 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $138.88. The company had a trading volume of 307,361 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,105,621. The firm has a market cap of $45.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.89, a PEG ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 1.17. The company has a current ratio of 1.57, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $139.27 and its 200-day moving average price is $142.88. Ross Stores has a 52 week low of $122.36 and a 52 week high of $163.60.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ross Stores

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Ross Stores by 17.0% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 34,121,706 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $4,360,413,000 after acquiring an additional 4,946,101 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Ross Stores during the 4th quarter worth $649,318,000. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lifted its position in shares of Ross Stores by 25.7% during the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 19,515,891 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $2,952,170,000 after purchasing an additional 3,995,760 shares during the last quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC lifted its position in shares of Ross Stores by 8,209.0% during the fourth quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC now owns 2,381,201 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $360,204,000 after purchasing an additional 2,352,543 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Madison Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Ross Stores in the fourth quarter worth about $230,204,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.86% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Ross Stores

In other Ross Stores news, COO Michael J. Hartshorn sold 7,492 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $127.69, for a total transaction of $956,653.48. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 139,091 shares in the company, valued at approximately $17,760,529.79. This represents a 5.11% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CMO Karen Fleming sold 5,270 shares of Ross Stores stock in a transaction on Monday, March 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $127.70, for a total value of $672,979.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 93,126 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $11,892,190.20. This represents a 5.36% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 34,398 shares of company stock worth $4,439,950 in the last three months. Insiders own 2.20% of the company's stock.

Ross Stores Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 10th will be given a dividend of $0.405 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 10th. This represents a $1.62 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.17%. Ross Stores's payout ratio is 25.59%.

Ross Stores Company Profile

Ross Stores, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, operates off-price retail apparel and home fashion stores under the Ross Dress for Less and dd's DISCOUNTS brand names in the United States. Its stores primarily offer apparel, accessories, footwear, and home fashions. The company's Ross Dress for Less stores sell its products at department and specialty stores to middle income households; and dd's DISCOUNTS stores sell its products at department and discount stores for households with moderate income.