Ross Stores falls 5.5% as investors de-risk ahead of upcoming earnings amid ongoing tariff and consumer-demand uncertainty

Ross Stores, Inc. (ROST) is down 5.5% today. Here is some analysis on what might have caused this price movement.

Analysis: The move appears tied less to a single headline and more to positioning ahead of the company’s next earnings report, with investors reassessing near-term margin risk. This could be because Ross has recently highlighted a dynamic macro backdrop where tariffs and consumer uncertainty can pressure profitability, making the stock more sensitive to risk-off trading into results.

Details:

The company has scheduled its first-quarter fiscal 2026 earnings release and conference call for May 21, 2026 after market close.

In its most recent quarterly update, Ross reported results above its prior guidance and also discussed a challenging and uncertain macro environment that included tariff impacts and consumer uncertainty.

Ross has previously cited tariff-related pressure as a meaningful factor for profitability and forecasting confidence, which can elevate sensitivity to any shifts in expectations ahead of an earnings print.

This drop may also reflect short-term profit-taking after a strong run into May, as traders reduce exposure before the next company update (speculation).

Sources:

Ross Stores Investor Relations, PR Newswire, Investing.com

Disclaimer: This price movement analysis was generated with the help of AI. Please double-check the information provided for mistakes.

$ROST Insider Trading Activity

$ROST insiders have traded $ROST stock on the open market 8 times in the past 6 months. Of those trades, 0 have been purchases and 8 have been sales.

Here’s a breakdown of recent trading of $ROST stock by insiders over the last 6 months:

MICHAEL J. HARTSHORN (GROUP PRESIDENT, COO) has made 0 purchases and 2 sales selling 21,874 shares for an estimated $4,698,514.
KAREN SYKES (PRESIDENT, CMO DD'S DISCOUNTS) has made 0 purchases and 2 sales selling 8,062 shares for an estimated $1,721,738.
KAREN FLEMING (PRES, CMO ROSS DRESS FOR LESS) sold 7,000 shares for an estimated $1,489,285
WILLIAM W II SHEEHAN (EVP, CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER) sold 4,883 shares for an estimated $1,059,367
STEPHEN C BRINKLEY (PRESIDENT, OPERATIONS) sold 4,154 shares for an estimated $884,428
PATRICIA H MUELLER sold 1,881 shares for an estimated $400,897

To track insider transactions, check out Quiver Quantitative's insider trading dashboard. You can access data on insider stock transactions through the Quiver Quantitative API insider transaction endpoint.

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$ROST Hedge Fund Activity

We have seen 669 institutional investors add shares of $ROST stock to their portfolio, and 465 decrease their positions in their most recent quarter.

Here are some of the largest recent moves:

UBS AM, A DISTINCT BUSINESS UNIT OF UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC removed 4,955,867 shares (-73.2%) from their portfolio in Q4 2025, for an estimated $892,749,881
JPMORGAN CHASE & CO removed 3,151,541 shares (-24.5%) from their portfolio in Q4 2025, for an estimated $567,718,595
T. ROWE PRICE INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT, INC. removed 2,257,597 shares (-56.1%) from their portfolio in Q4 2025, for an estimated $406,683,523
MARSHFIELD ASSOCIATES removed 1,306,074 shares (-32.5%) from their portfolio in Q4 2025, for an estimated $235,276,170
CITADEL ADVISORS LLC added 1,231,532 shares (+78.1%) to their portfolio in Q4 2025, for an estimated $221,848,174
VIKING GLOBAL INVESTORS LP added 1,143,611 shares (+56.5%) to their portfolio in Q4 2025, for an estimated $206,010,085
BANK OF MONTREAL /CAN/ added 1,134,186 shares (+357.4%) to their portfolio in Q4 2025, for an estimated $204,312,266

To track hedge funds' stock portfolios, check out Quiver Quantitative's institutional holdings dashboard. You can access data on hedge funds moves and 13F filings through the Quiver Quantitative API 13F endpoint.

$ROST Analyst Ratings

Wall Street analysts have issued reports on $ROST in the last several months. We have seen 8 firms issue buy ratings on the stock, and 0 firms issue sell ratings.

Here are some recent analyst ratings:

Citigroup issued a "Buy" rating on 02/10/2026
Wells Fargo issued a "Overweight" rating on 12/16/2025
Guggenheim issued a "Buy" rating on 12/10/2025
Baird issued a "Outperform" rating on 11/21/2025
B of A Securities issued a "Buy" rating on 11/21/2025
JP Morgan issued a "Overweight" rating on 11/21/2025
Evercore ISI Group issued a "Outperform" rating on 11/21/2025

To track analyst ratings and price targets for $ROST, check out Quiver Quantitative's $ROST forecast page.

$ROST Price Targets

Multiple analysts have issued price targets for $ROST recently. We have seen 12 analysts offer price targets for $ROST in the last 6 months, with a median target of $233.5.

Here are some recent targets:

Dana Telsey from Telsey Advisory Group set a target price of $240.0 on 03/26/2026
Simeon Siegel from Guggenheim set a target price of $226.0 on 03/04/2026
Brooke Roach from Goldman Sachs set a target price of $244.0 on 03/04/2026
Ike Boruchow from Wells Fargo set a target price of $235.0 on 03/04/2026
Adrienne Yih from Barclays set a target price of $242.0 on 03/04/2026
Michael Binetti from Evercore ISI Group set a target price of $245.0 on 03/04/2026
Paul Lejuez from Citigroup set a target price of $240.0 on 03/04/2026

This article is not financial advice. See Quiver Quantitative's disclaimers for more information. Note that there may be inaccuracies due to mistakes in ticker-mapping, and other anomalies.