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

Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) has been given an average rating of “Moderate Buy” by the seventeen research firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and fourteen have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price target among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $159.06.

Several analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Guggenheim lifted their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $165.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 24th. Evercore ISI boosted their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $155.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, May 24th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 24th. TD Cowen boosted their price objective on Ross Stores from $173.00 to $176.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 24th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Ross Stores from $159.00 to $161.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, May 24th.

Insider Activity at Ross Stores

In other Ross Stores news, Director Patricia H. Mueller sold 941 shares of Ross Stores stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $138.37, for a total value of $130,206.17. Following the sale, the director now owns 973 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $134,634.01. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 2.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Ross Stores

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. American International Group Inc. increased its holdings in Ross Stores by 2.4% in the 4th quarter. American International Group Inc. now owns 124,424 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $17,219,000 after acquiring an additional 2,969 shares during the last quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. raised its position in shares of Ross Stores by 93.0% in the fourth quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 14,593 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $2,019,000 after purchasing an additional 7,033 shares during the period. HTLF Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Ross Stores during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $1,094,000. Commerce Bank boosted its holdings in Ross Stores by 232.6% in the 4th quarter. Commerce Bank now owns 32,182 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $4,454,000 after buying an additional 22,506 shares during the period. Finally, National Pension Service grew its stake in Ross Stores by 2.9% in the 4th quarter. National Pension Service now owns 782,739 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $108,323,000 after buying an additional 21,984 shares in the last quarter. 86.86% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ross Stores Price Performance

ROST stock opened at $139.22 on Friday. Ross Stores has a 1 year low of $108.35 and a 1 year high of $153.06. The stock has a market capitalization of $46.44 billion, a PE ratio of 23.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 1.08. The company’s 50-day moving average is $144.69 and its 200-day moving average is $141.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 1.54 and a quick ratio of 1.03.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 23rd. The apparel retailer reported $1.46 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.35 by $0.11. Ross Stores had a return on equity of 42.24% and a net margin of 9.60%. The business had revenue of $4.86 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.83 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.09 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 8.1% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect that Ross Stores will post 5.97 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ross Stores Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 28th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 11th were paid a dividend of $0.3675 per share. This represents a $1.47 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.06%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, June 11th. Ross Stores’s payout ratio is 24.79%.

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.