Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) Given Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

28 Apr 2026, 11:34 by Amy Steele · The Cerbat Gem

Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST – Get Free Report) has been given a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the twenty-one ratings firms that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1 year price target among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $212.0588.

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on ROST shares. 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 report on Monday, March 2nd. Zacks Research cut shares of Ross Stores from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $224.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. Telsey Advisory Group restated an “outperform” rating and set a $240.00 target price on shares of Ross Stores in a research note on Thursday, March 26th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $221.00 target price on shares of Ross Stores in a research note on Thursday, January 8th.

View Our Latest Report on Ross Stores

Ross Stores Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:ROST traded down $0.39 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $225.78. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 284,878 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,475,073. The company has a 50-day moving average of $213.92 and a 200-day moving average of $189.69. Ross Stores has a 12 month low of $124.49 and a 12 month high of $230.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a current ratio of 1.58 and a quick ratio of 1.04. The firm has a market cap of $72.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.16, a P/E/G ratio of 3.08 and a beta of 0.92.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 3rd. The apparel retailer reported $2.00 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.90 by $0.10. Ross Stores had a net margin of 9.43% and a return on equity of 36.70%. The firm had revenue of $6.64 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.42 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.65 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 12.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Ross Stores will post 7.32 earnings per share for the current year.

Ross Stores Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 13th were paid a dividend of $0.445 per share. This represents a $1.78 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 13th. This is a positive change from Ross Stores’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.41. Ross Stores’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 26.93%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Ross Stores news, Director Patricia H. Mueller sold 1,881 shares of the firm’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 sale, the director owned 2,159 shares in the company, valued at approximately $460,147.67. This trade represents a 46.56% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, COO Michael J. Hartshorn sold 15,813 shares of the firm’s 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 sale, the chief operating officer owned 116,028 shares in the company, valued at approximately $24,935,577.48. The trade was a 11.99% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 25,756 shares of company stock worth $5,521,004. Company insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ross Stores

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of ROST. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Ross Stores during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $868,360,000. Holocene Advisors LP bought a new stake in shares of Ross Stores during the third quarter valued at approximately $351,763,000. Marshall Wace LLP raised its position in shares of Ross Stores by 1,908.8% during the third quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 1,816,763 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $276,857,000 after buying an additional 1,726,324 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE raised its position in shares of Ross Stores by 20.9% during the second 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 buying an additional 1,657,008 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Viking Global Investors LP raised its position in shares of Ross Stores by 56.5% during the fourth quarter. Viking Global Investors LP now owns 3,167,479 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $570,590,000 after buying an additional 1,143,611 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.86% of the company’s stock.

About Ross Stores

(Get Free Report)

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.