Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) Stock Rating Lowered by Citigroup

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST - Get Free Report) was downgraded by stock analysts at Citigroup from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a report released on Tuesday, Marketbeat Ratings reports. They presently have a $152.00 target price on the apparel retailer's stock, down from their prior target price of $179.00. Citigroup's price target would suggest a potential upside of 7.60% from the company's current price.

Several other analysts also recently commented on ROST. TD Cowen increased their price objective on shares of Ross Stores from $173.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, August 23rd. Gordon Haskett upgraded Ross Stores to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, August 23rd. Barclays lifted their price objective on Ross Stores from $165.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, August 23rd. Robert W. Baird raised their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $162.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, August 23rd. Finally, 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 research report on Friday, August 23rd. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $170.63.

Ross Stores Stock Down 0.8 %

ROST traded down $1.09 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $141.27. The company had a trading volume of 1,787,375 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,253,291. Ross Stores has a one year low of $119.73 and a one year high of $163.60. The company has a market capitalization of $46.87 billion, a PE ratio of 22.96, a PEG ratio of 2.33 and a beta of 1.09. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $147.04 and its 200 day moving average price is $144.03. The company has a quick ratio of 1.05, a current ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 22nd. The apparel retailer reported $1.59 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.50 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $5.29 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.25 billion. Ross Stores had a net margin of 9.82% and a return on equity of 42.43%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 7.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.32 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts expect that Ross Stores will post 6.2 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Barbara Rentler sold 48,885 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $153.93, for a total value of $7,524,868.05. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 311,853 shares of the company's stock, valued at $48,003,532.29. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other Ross Stores news, COO Michael J. Hartshorn sold 8,366 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $155.64, for a total value of $1,302,084.24. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 103,049 shares of the company's stock, valued at $16,038,546.36. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Barbara Rentler sold 48,885 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $153.93, for a total transaction of $7,524,868.05. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 311,853 shares of the company's stock, valued at $48,003,532.29. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 72,138 shares of company stock worth $11,093,051. 2.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. acquired a new stake in shares of Ross Stores during the second quarter worth $27,000. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. increased its stake in Ross Stores by 262.1% during the 2nd quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 210 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 152 shares during the period. Industrial Alliance Investment Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Ross Stores during the 2nd quarter valued at about $32,000. Armstrong Advisory Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of Ross Stores during the 3rd quarter valued at about $33,000. Finally, Crewe Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Ross Stores by 97.8% in the second quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC now owns 275 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 136 shares during the period. 86.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.