Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) Receives $171.88 Consensus PT from Analysts

Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) has received a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the seventeen analysts that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $170.00.

ROST has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $147.00 to $167.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, August 23rd. TD Cowen boosted their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $173.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 23rd. Gordon Haskett raised Ross Stores to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 23rd. StockNews.com cut Ross Stores from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, November 8th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $175.00 to $165.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday.

Insider Activity at Ross Stores

In related news, Chairman Michael Balmuth sold 14,887 shares of Ross Stores stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $152.22, for a total value of $2,266,099.14. Following the sale, the chairman now directly owns 11,133 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,694,665.26. The trade was a 57.21 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, COO Michael J. Hartshorn sold 8,366 shares of Ross Stores stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $155.64, for a total value of $1,302,084.24. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 103,049 shares in the company, valued at $16,038,546.36. This represents a 7.51 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 72,138 shares of company stock worth $11,093,051. 2.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ross Stores

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. True Wealth Design LLC increased its position in Ross Stores by 4,186.7% during the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 643 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $97,000 after purchasing an additional 628 shares during the last quarter. Edgestream Partners L.P. lifted its position in Ross Stores by 101.5% in the third quarter. Edgestream Partners L.P. now owns 5,761 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $867,000 after buying an additional 2,902 shares during the last quarter. Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec lifted its holdings in shares of Ross Stores by 478.4% in the 3rd quarter. Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec now owns 400,204 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $60,235,000 after acquiring an additional 331,007 shares during the last quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors raised its position in Ross Stores by 0.3% in the third quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 31,460 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $4,735,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares during the period. Finally, Vinva Investment Management Ltd raised its holdings in shares of Ross Stores by 370.0% in the 3rd quarter. Vinva Investment Management Ltd now owns 91,051 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $13,800,000 after buying an additional 71,677 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.86% of the company’s stock.

Ross Stores Stock Up 1.3 %

Shares of NASDAQ ROST opened at $142.33 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $47.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.74, a P/E/G ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.09. Ross Stores has a 12-month low of $119.73 and a 12-month high of $163.60. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $146.59 and its 200-day moving average price is $144.05. The company has a current ratio of 1.56, a quick ratio of 1.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 22nd. The apparel retailer reported $1.59 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.50 by $0.09. Ross Stores had a net margin of 9.82% and a return on equity of 42.43%. The company had revenue of $5.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.25 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.32 earnings per share. Ross Stores’s quarterly revenue was up 7.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Ross Stores will post 6.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ross Stores Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 10th were issued a dividend of $0.3675 per share. This represents a $1.47 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.03%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 10th. Ross Stores’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 23.71%.

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.