Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) Given Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) has been given a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” by the nineteen analysts that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and fourteen have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $162.6667.

Several research firms have recently issued reports on ROST. BTIG Research began coverage on shares of Ross Stores in a research report on Tuesday, October 14th. They issued a “neutral” rating for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $156.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 22nd. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on Ross Stores from $160.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, August 22nd. UBS Group raised their price objective on Ross Stores from $144.00 to $147.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, August 22nd. Finally, Barclays upped their target price on Ross Stores from $156.00 to $164.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 22nd.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Ross Stores news, CMO Karen Sykes sold 4,000 shares of Ross Stores stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $151.76, for a total transaction of $607,040.00. Following the sale, the chief marketing officer directly owned 106,413 shares in the company, valued at $16,149,236.88. The trade was a 3.62% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Stephen C. Brinkley sold 6,437 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $150.97, for a total value of $971,793.89. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 57,012 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,607,101.64. The trade was a 10.15% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 52,720 shares of company stock worth $7,761,212 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 2.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ROST. Aspect Partners LLC lifted its position 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 worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 146 shares during the last quarter. American National Bank & Trust acquired a new stake in Ross Stores during the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in Ross Stores by 50.7% during the 1st quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 217 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 73 shares during the last quarter. Banque Transatlantique SA bought a new position in Ross Stores during the 1st quarter worth approximately $29,000. Finally, Grey Fox Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ross Stores in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $29,000. 86.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ross Stores Price Performance

Shares of Ross Stores stock opened at $161.20 on Tuesday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $152.16 and its 200 day moving average price is $143.68. Ross Stores has a twelve month low of $122.36 and a twelve month high of $161.95. The company has a current ratio of 1.58, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. The stock has a market capitalization of $52.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.59, a PEG ratio of 3.04 and a beta of 1.18.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 21st. The apparel retailer reported $1.56 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.54 by $0.02. Ross Stores had a return on equity of 37.37% and a net margin of 9.60%.The company had revenue of $5.53 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.54 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.59 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Ross Stores will post 6.17 earnings per share for the current year.

Ross Stores Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 9th were issued a $0.405 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, September 9th. This represents a $1.62 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.0%. Ross Stores’s dividend payout ratio is currently 25.71%.

Ross Stores Company Profile

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.