Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) Receives Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) has earned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the sixteen analysts that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, eleven have given a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 12-month target price among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $160.87.

A number of research analysts recently commented on ROST shares. Barclays set a $150.00 price target on Ross Stores in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Telsey Advisory Group decreased their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $175.00 to $150.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. UBS Group dropped their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $168.00 to $163.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on shares of Ross Stores from $166.00 to $161.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 14th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets cut their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $168.00 to $156.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th.

Ross Stores Stock Up 0.7 %

Shares of NASDAQ ROST opened at $141.47 on Tuesday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $133.64 and a 200 day moving average price of $142.40. The company has a current ratio of 1.57, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. Ross Stores has a 12-month low of $122.36 and a 12-month high of $163.60. The company has a market cap of $46.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.28, a P/E/G ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 1.17.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, March 4th. The apparel retailer reported $1.79 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.65 by $0.14. The business had revenue of $5.91 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.95 billion. Ross Stores had a return on equity of 41.83% and a net margin of 9.95%. Research analysts anticipate that Ross Stores will post 6.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ross Stores Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 18th were given a dividend of $0.405 per share. This represents a $1.62 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.15%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 18th. This is a positive change from Ross Stores’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.37. Ross Stores’s payout ratio is 25.63%.

Insider Transactions at Ross Stores

In other news, CMO Karen Fleming sold 5,339 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $125.73, for a total transaction of $671,272.47. Following the completion of the sale, the chief marketing officer now owns 94,063 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,826,540.99. This represents a 5.37 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Chairman Michael Balmuth sold 11,261 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $131.60, for a total value of $1,481,947.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman now owns 59,790 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,868,364. This trade represents a 15.85 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 34,398 shares of company stock valued at $4,439,950. 2.20% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ross Stores

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Ross Stores by 152.9% during the fourth quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 177 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 107 shares during the period. BOK Financial Private Wealth Inc. bought a new stake in Ross Stores during the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Ross Stores by 50.7% in the first quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 217 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares during the period. ORG Partners LLC increased its position in Ross Stores by 434.1% in the 4th quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 235 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 191 shares during the period. Finally, Tradewinds Capital Management LLC increased its position in Ross Stores by 36.6% during the first quarter. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC now owns 280 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 75 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.86% of the company’s stock.

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.