Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ Boosts Stake in Ross Stores, Inc. $ROST

Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ raised its stake in shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) by 2.7% during the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 67,917 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,760 shares during the period. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ’s holdings in Ross Stores were worth $8,665,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in ROST. Aspect Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Ross Stores by 251.7% during the 2nd quarter. Aspect Partners LLC now owns 204 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 146 shares during the last quarter. Banque Transatlantique SA purchased a new position in Ross Stores in the first quarter valued at about $29,000. Bayforest Capital Ltd raised its holdings in Ross Stores by 372.5% in the first quarter. Bayforest Capital Ltd now owns 241 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 190 shares in the last quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ross Stores during the second quarter valued at about $38,000. Finally, Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ross Stores during the second quarter valued at about $38,000. 86.86% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Ross Stores

In related news, CEO James Grant Conroy sold 39,351 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $146.00, for a total value of $5,745,246.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 157,153 shares in the company, valued at approximately $22,944,338. This represents a 20.03% 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 Sykes sold 4,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $151.76, for a total transaction of $607,040.00. Following the transaction, the chief marketing officer directly owned 106,413 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $16,149,236.88. This represents a 3.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 52,720 shares of company stock worth $7,761,212 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 2.20% of the company’s stock.

Ross Stores Trading Down 0.8%

NASDAQ:ROST opened at $176.33 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $57.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.99, a PEG ratio of 3.04 and a beta of 1.16. The company has a current ratio of 1.58, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 12 month low of $122.36 and a 12 month high of $178.19. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $158.63 and a 200-day simple moving average of $146.96.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, November 20th. The apparel retailer reported $1.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.38 by $0.20. Ross Stores had a return on equity of 37.37% and a net margin of 9.60%.The company had revenue of $5.60 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.38 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.48 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 10.4% on a year-over-year basis. Ross Stores has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.380-6.46 EPS. Q4 2025 guidance at 1.770-1.85 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.17 earnings per share for the current year.

Ross Stores Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 9th will be issued a dividend of $0.405 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 9th. This represents a $1.62 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.9%. Ross Stores’s payout ratio is 25.31%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ROST has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. TD Cowen lifted their price objective on shares of Ross Stores from $170.00 to $174.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, November 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $188.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, November 21st. Evercore ISI lifted their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $175.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, November 21st. Barclays upped their price target on Ross Stores from $164.00 to $183.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 21st. Finally, Cowen reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Ross Stores in a research report on Friday, August 22nd. Fourteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $174.07.

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.