Ross Stores (ROST) to Release Quarterly Earnings on Thursday

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST – Get Rating) is scheduled to be releasing its earnings data after the market closes on Thursday, May 18th. Analysts expect Ross Stores to post earnings of $1.06 per share for the quarter. Persons interested in listening to the company’s earnings conference call can do so using this link.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST – Get Rating) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 28th. The apparel retailer reported $1.31 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.23 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $5.21 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.14 billion. Ross Stores had a net margin of 8.09% and a return on equity of 36.40%. The firm’s revenue was up 3.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.04 EPS. On average, analysts expect Ross Stores to post $5 EPS for the current fiscal year and $5 EPS for the next fiscal year.

Ross Stores Trading Down 2.0 %

NASDAQ:ROST opened at $101.95 on Thursday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $105.01 and a 200-day simple moving average of $109.30. Ross Stores has a 1 year low of $69.24 and a 1 year high of $122.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57, a quick ratio of 1.34 and a current ratio of 1.90. The stock has a market cap of $34.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.22, a P/E/G ratio of 2.02 and a beta of 0.97.

Ross Stores Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 14th were given a dividend of $0.335 per share. This is an increase from Ross Stores’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. This represents a $1.34 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.31%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 13th. Ross Stores’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 30.52%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on ROST shares. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on Ross Stores from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 1st. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated a “market perform” rating and set a $120.00 price target on shares of Ross Stores in a research report on Wednesday, March 1st. Barclays cut their price target on Ross Stores from $139.00 to $122.00 in a research note on Tuesday, May 2nd. Citigroup lifted their price objective on Ross Stores from $116.00 to $133.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 21st. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their price target on Ross Stores from $121.00 to $120.00 in a report on Wednesday, March 1st. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $119.53.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Michael K. Kobayashi sold 12,221 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $106.00, for a total transaction of $1,295,426.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 96,486 shares in the company, valued at $10,227,516. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In other Ross Stores news, insider Michael K. Kobayashi sold 12,221 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $106.00, for a total transaction of $1,295,426.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 96,486 shares in the company, valued at $10,227,516. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, COO Michael J. Hartshorn sold 20,529 shares of Ross Stores stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $112.37, for a total transaction of $2,306,843.73. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 127,659 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,345,041.83. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 36,047 shares of company stock worth $3,947,565 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 1.90% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ross Stores

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in Ross Stores in the fourth quarter valued at about $603,000. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Ross Stores during the fourth quarter worth $250,000. CreativeOne Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of Ross Stores during the fourth quarter worth $271,000. Resurgent Financial Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Ross Stores in the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Finally, State of Wyoming bought a new stake in Ross Stores in the 4th quarter valued at $329,000. 89.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Ross Stores

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Ross Stores, Inc engages in the operation of off-price retail apparel and home accessories stores. Its products include branded and designer apparel, accessories, footwear, and home fashions through the Dress for Less and dd’s DISCOUNTS brands. The company was founded by Stuart G. Moldaw in 1957 and is headquartered in Dublin, CA.