Vest Financial LLC Has $47.65 Million Position in Ross Stores, Inc. $ROST

Vest Financial LLC increased its stake in shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) by 12.0% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 312,673 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 33,480 shares during the quarter. Vest Financial LLC’s holdings in Ross Stores were worth $47,648,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Aspect Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Ross Stores by 251.7% during the second quarter. Aspect Partners LLC now owns 204 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 146 shares during the period. American National Bank & Trust bought a new stake in Ross Stores in the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,000. Grey Fox Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Ross Stores during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $29,000. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. raised its stake in Ross Stores by 162.6% during the 3rd quarter. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. now owns 239 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 148 shares during the period. Finally, Ameritas Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in Ross Stores in the second quarter worth approximately $38,000. 86.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently commented on ROST. Bank of America boosted their price objective on Ross Stores from $175.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 21st. Guggenheim raised shares of Ross Stores to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. BTIG Research began coverage on shares of Ross Stores in a report on Tuesday, October 14th. They set a “neutral” rating on the stock. Barclays reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $205.00 price objective on shares of Ross Stores in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Finally, Erste Group Bank started coverage on shares of Ross Stores in a report on Friday, October 31st. They issued a “buy” rating on the stock. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $186.41.

Ross Stores Price Performance

ROST opened at $190.75 on Wednesday. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 1 year low of $122.36 and a 1 year high of $194.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a current ratio of 1.52 and a quick ratio of 0.90. The company has a market capitalization of $61.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.81, a P/E/G ratio of 3.67 and a beta of 1.01. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $179.62 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $159.00.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, November 20th. The apparel retailer reported $1.58 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.38 by $0.20. Ross Stores had a net margin of 9.47% and a return on equity of 36.75%. The company had revenue of $5.60 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.38 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.48 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.4% on a year-over-year basis. Ross Stores has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.380-6.46 EPS and its Q4 2025 guidance at 1.770-1.85 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ross Stores Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 9th were paid a $0.405 dividend. This represents a $1.62 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 9th. Ross Stores’s payout ratio is presently 25.31%.

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.