William Blair Research Analysts Lower Earnings Estimates for Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST)

Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) – Investment analysts at William Blair cut their Q3 2025 earnings per share estimates for Ross Stores in a research note issued on Friday, May 24th. William Blair analyst D. Carden now expects that the apparel retailer will earn $1.34 per share for the quarter, down from their prior estimate of $1.37. The consensus estimate for Ross Stores’ current full-year earnings is $5.93 per share. William Blair also issued estimates for Ross Stores’ Q1 2026 earnings at $1.64 EPS, Q2 2026 earnings at $1.67 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $1.52 EPS and Q4 2026 earnings at $1.82 EPS.

A number of other research firms have also commented on ROST. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on Ross Stores from $143.00 to $163.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 6th. Guggenheim boosted their target price on Ross Stores from $165.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 24th. Robert W. Baird raised their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $145.00 to $162.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 6th. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $145.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, May 24th. Finally, Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $163.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 24th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $156.58.

Ross Stores Trading Down 3.2 %

NASDAQ ROST opened at $137.64 on Monday. Ross Stores has a 12 month low of $100.66 and a 12 month high of $151.12. The company has a current ratio of 1.54, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $136.63 and its 200-day moving average price is $138.00. The stock has a market cap of $46.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.21, a P/E/G ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 1.06.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 23rd. The apparel retailer reported $1.46 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.35 by $0.11. Ross Stores had a net margin of 9.60% and a return on equity of 42.24%. The business had revenue of $4.86 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.83 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.09 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 8.1% compared to the same quarter last year.

Ross Stores Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 11th will be paid a dividend of $0.3675 per share. This represents a $1.47 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.07%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 11th. Ross Stores’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 24.79%.

Ross Stores announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase plan on Tuesday, March 5th that allows the company to repurchase $2.10 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the apparel retailer to repurchase up to 4.3% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are usually an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Activity at Ross Stores

In related news, Director Patricia H. Mueller sold 2,265 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.38, for a total transaction of $329,285.70. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 1,914 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $278,257.32. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In other Ross Stores news, insider Michael K. Kobayashi sold 13,860 shares of Ross Stores stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $147.46, for a total transaction of $2,043,795.60. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 61,657 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,091,941.22. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Patricia H. Mueller sold 2,265 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.38, for a total transaction of $329,285.70. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 1,914 shares in the company, valued at approximately $278,257.32. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 71,097 shares of company stock valued at $10,396,178 over the last quarter. 2.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ross Stores

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Ross Stores by 1.2% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 28,916,192 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $4,243,740,000 after purchasing an additional 346,474 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its position in shares of Ross Stores by 3.4% in the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 4,931,795 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $682,511,000 after acquiring an additional 161,202 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its stake in shares of Ross Stores by 14.6% during the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 4,722,885 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $653,600,000 after acquiring an additional 601,031 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Ross Stores during the 4th quarter worth about $523,185,000. Finally, Northern Trust Corp grew its position in shares of Ross Stores by 1.9% during the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 3,677,191 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $415,339,000 after acquiring an additional 68,518 shares during the period. 86.86% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Ross Stores

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.