William Blair Decreases Earnings Estimates for Ross Stores

Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) – Stock analysts at William Blair dropped their Q3 2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for Ross Stores in a research note issued on Wednesday, March 5th. William Blair analyst D. Carden now anticipates that the apparel retailer will earn $1.51 per share for the quarter, down from their previous forecast of $1.58. The consensus estimate for Ross Stores’ current full-year earnings is $6.17 per share. William Blair also issued estimates for Ross Stores’ FY2026 earnings at $6.27 EPS.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 4th. The apparel retailer reported $1.79 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.65 by $0.14. Ross Stores had a return on equity of 41.83% and a net margin of 9.95%. The company had revenue of $5.91 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.95 billion.

Other research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the company. BMO Capital Markets dropped their price objective on Ross Stores from $168.00 to $156.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and set a $165.00 target price (down previously from $178.00) on shares of Ross Stores in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Telsey Advisory Group dropped their target price on Ross Stores from $175.00 to $150.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. Robert W. Baird dropped their target price on Ross Stores from $175.00 to $160.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, UBS Group dropped their target price on Ross Stores from $168.00 to $163.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Ross Stores currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $163.07.

Ross Stores Stock Down 1.4 %

Shares of NASDAQ:ROST opened at $135.96 on Friday. Ross Stores has a 52-week low of $127.53 and a 52-week high of $163.60. The stock has a market cap of $44.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 1.15. The business’s 50 day moving average is $145.37 and its 200 day moving average is $147.49. The company has a quick ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29.

Ross Stores Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 18th will be issued a dividend of $0.405 per share. This represents a $1.62 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.19%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 18th. This is a positive change from Ross Stores’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.37. Ross Stores’s dividend payout ratio is currently 25.63%.

Institutional Trading of Ross Stores

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in ROST. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH purchased a new position in Ross Stores in the 4th quarter worth $53,077,000. Polar Asset Management Partners Inc. acquired a new stake in Ross Stores during the 4th quarter worth about $10,226,000. Ascent Group LLC lifted its position in Ross Stores by 9.1% during the 4th quarter. Ascent Group LLC now owns 9,987 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $1,511,000 after acquiring an additional 832 shares during the period. Putney Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in Ross Stores during the 4th quarter worth about $44,000. Finally, Aurdan Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Ross Stores during the 4th quarter worth about $8,516,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.86% of the company’s stock.

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.