Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) Receives Consensus Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from Analysts

Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST - Get Free Report) has received an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the seventeen brokerages that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $169.71.

Several analysts have recently weighed in on ROST shares. TD Cowen boosted their price target on Ross Stores from $173.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, August 23rd. Gordon Haskett upgraded shares of Ross Stores to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, August 23rd. Loop Capital lifted their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $170.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, August 23rd. UBS Group increased their price objective on Ross Stores from $147.00 to $167.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, August 23rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Ross Stores from $163.00 to $178.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, August 23rd.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, 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 transaction of $1,302,084.24. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 103,049 shares of the company's stock, valued at $16,038,546.36. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. In related news, CEO Barbara Rentler sold 48,885 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 27th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at approximately $48,003,532.29. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, COO Michael J. Hartshorn sold 8,366 shares of the business's 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 transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 103,049 shares in the company, valued at $16,038,546.36. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 72,138 shares of company stock worth $11,093,051 in the last quarter. Insiders own 2.10% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in Ross Stores by 1.2% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 28,916,192 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $4,243,740,000 after buying an additional 346,474 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in Ross Stores by 11.7% during the second quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 3,310,364 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $481,062,000 after purchasing an additional 347,006 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc increased its position in Ross Stores by 10.3% in the second quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 2,737,042 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $397,747,000 after buying an additional 254,720 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its stake in shares of Ross Stores by 15.5% in the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,477,142 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $359,991,000 after buying an additional 331,996 shares during the period. Finally, Los Angeles Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Ross Stores by 68.8% during the 2nd quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 2,391,856 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $347,585,000 after buying an additional 975,190 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.86% of the company's stock.

Ross Stores Price Performance

Shares of ROST stock traded up $0.71 on Friday, hitting $149.90. 4,003,344 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,235,262. The company has a 50 day moving average of $149.00 and a 200 day moving average of $143.23. Ross Stores has a 12 month low of $112.39 and a 12 month high of $163.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 1.56 and a quick ratio of 1.05. The stock has a market cap of $49.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.33 and a beta of 1.09.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 22nd. The apparel retailer reported $1.59 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.50 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $5.29 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.25 billion. Ross Stores had a net margin of 9.82% and a return on equity of 42.43%. The firm's revenue was up 7.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.32 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Ross Stores will post 6.2 EPS for the current year.

Ross Stores Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed 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. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 10th. This represents a $1.47 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.98%. Ross Stores's dividend payout ratio 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.