Ross Stores, Inc. (ROST)

In the past six months, Ross Stores' stock has been influenced by its Q2 2025 earnings report, which showed a 5% increase in sales and EPS of $1.56, exceeding guidance, but with a 1.9% decrease from the prior year. The company provided guidance for comparable store sales growth of 2% to 3% for Q3 and Q4 2025, with full-year EPS forecast between $6.08 and $6.21. Earlier in the year, the company noted a softening in consumer demand due to unseasonable weather and macroeconomic/geopolitical volatility, leading to a cautious outlook for Q1 2025. The stock traded down 9% following the Q1 2025 results, despite beating expectations, as its guidance for Q2 2025 fell short of analyst estimates. The company repurchased 1.9 million shares for $262 million in Q2 2025 and is on track to repurchase $1.05 billion in stock for the year. Insider selling has also occurred.

Demand for Ross Stores' products and services exhibits seasonality. The company experienced a "softening" in consumer demand in January and February 2025. Sales trends showed improvement towards the end of Q2 2025, particularly in July, linked to the back-to-school shopping season, suggesting stronger demand during key retail periods like back-to-school and potentially the holiday season.

Ross Stores, Inc. is an American off-price retail company offering branded and designer apparel, accessories, footwear, and home fashions at discounted prices. It operates under the Ross Dress for Less brand, targeting middle-income households with savings of 20% to 60%, and dd's DISCOUNTS, catering to moderate-income households with savings of 20% to 70%. Ross Stores operates within the Consumer Discretionary sector and the Apparel Retail industry.

As of August 2, 2025, Ross Stores, Inc. operates 1,873 Ross Dress for Less locations across 44 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, Guam, and Puerto Rico. Additionally, the company runs 360 dd's DISCOUNTS stores in 22 states. The company has been actively expanding its presence, with new Ross Dress for Less stores opening in various locations, including Willis, Texas, Southeast Gilbert, Arizona, and the Los Angeles area in October 2025.

In the past year, Ross Stores' brand reputation has seen mixed events. In March 2025, the company faced "diplomatic complications" due to "global perceptions on the security breach," indicating a negative impact on its reputation related to security issues. However, around the same time in March 2025, Ross Stores, Inc. was also recognized as one of the "Best Apparel Stocks to Invest In." The company also engages in community initiatives, such as making donations to local Boys & Girls Clubs in conjunction with new store openings.

Ross Stores, Inc. is a publicly traded company with a diverse ownership structure. Institutional investors hold a significant portion of the company's stock, ranging from approximately 80.74% to 90.62%. Major institutional holders include The Vanguard Group, Inc., BlackRock, Inc., T. Rowe Price Group, Inc., JP Morgan Asset Management, and State Street Global Advisors, Inc. Insiders own a smaller percentage, around 1.16% to 5.05% of the stock. George Orban is noted as a significant individual shareholder, owning 10.77 million shares, representing 3.31% of the company.