Crawford Investment Counsel Inc. Purchases 2,623 Shares of Ross Stores, Inc. $ROST

Crawford Investment Counsel Inc. increased its position in shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) by 0.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 455,451 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock after buying an additional 2,623 shares during the period. Ross Stores accounts for 1.3% of Crawford Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 28th biggest holding. Crawford Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings in Ross Stores were worth $82,045,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. raised its stake in Ross Stores by 7,000.0% during the fourth quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 142 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 140 shares during the last quarter. Hilton Head Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in Ross Stores in the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Bard Associates Inc. bought a new stake in Ross Stores in the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. City Holding Co. increased its stake in Ross Stores by 1,080.0% in the fourth quarter. City Holding Co. now owns 177 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 162 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Virtus Advisers LLC bought a new stake in Ross Stores in the fourth quarter valued at $32,000. Institutional investors own 86.86% of the company’s stock.

Ross Stores Stock Down 1.0%

Ross Stores stock opened at $234.49 on Wednesday. Ross Stores, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $124.49 and a fifty-two week high of $242.81. The stock has a market cap of $75.22 billion, a PE ratio of 32.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.66 and a beta of 0.86. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $225.59 and its 200 day simple moving average is $205.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a current ratio of 1.54.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The apparel retailer reported $2.02 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.73 by $0.29. Ross Stores had a net margin of 9.74% and a return on equity of 38.42%. The business had revenue of $6.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.64 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.47 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 20.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Ross Stores has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.500-7.740 EPS and its Q2 2026 guidance at 1.850-1.930 EPS. Research analysts predict that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 7.74 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ross Stores Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 9th will be issued a dividend of $0.445 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 9th. This represents a $1.78 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. Ross Stores’s payout ratio is 24.86%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on ROST shares. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $242.00 to $260.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 26th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Ross Stores in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $270.00 price target on shares of Ross Stores in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Ross Stores from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, June 6th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $257.00 price target on shares of Ross Stores in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $233.18.

Insider Activity

In related news, COO Michael J. Hartshorn sold 15,813 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $214.91, for a total transaction of $3,398,371.83. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 116,028 shares in the company, valued at approximately $24,935,577.48. The trade was a 11.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CMO Karen Sykes sold 5,506 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $213.40, for a total transaction of $1,174,980.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief marketing officer owned 104,648 shares in the company, valued at approximately $22,331,883.20. The trade was a 5.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 2.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.