Analysts Set Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) PT at $171.69

Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST - Get Free Report) has received a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the seventeen research firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, twelve have given a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $171.69.

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the company. StockNews.com lowered Ross Stores from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. UBS Group lifted their target price 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. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $163.00 to $178.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, August 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Ross Stores from $171.00 to $173.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, Guggenheim restated a "buy" rating and set a $180.00 target price on shares of Ross Stores in a report on Friday, November 22nd.

Ross Stores Price Performance

ROST stock traded down $0.13 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $156.48. The company had a trading volume of 3,692,153 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,192,596. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $145.58 and a 200-day moving average price of $145.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 1.57 and a quick ratio of 0.98. The company has a market capitalization of $51.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.64, a P/E/G ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 1.10. Ross Stores has a 1 year low of $127.53 and a 1 year high of $163.60.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, November 21st. The apparel retailer reported $1.48 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.41 by $0.07. Ross Stores had a return on equity of 41.83% and a net margin of 9.95%. The business had revenue of $5.10 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.15 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.33 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 3.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts anticipate that Ross Stores will post 6.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ross Stores Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 10th will be given a dividend of $0.3675 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 10th. This represents a $1.47 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.94%. Ross Stores's payout ratio is 23.15%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, COO Michael J. Hartshorn sold 8,366 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $155.64, for a total transaction 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. The trade was a 7.51 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Company insiders own 2.10% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ross Stores

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp raised its stake in Ross Stores by 1.8% during the third quarter. Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp now owns 3,910 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $588,000 after buying an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. Howe & Rusling Inc. raised its position in shares of Ross Stores by 1.9% in the 3rd quarter. Howe & Rusling Inc. now owns 3,986 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $600,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares during the last quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. boosted its stake in Ross Stores by 19.1% in the 3rd quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 473 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $71,000 after purchasing an additional 76 shares in the last quarter. Quotient Wealth Partners LLC grew its position in Ross Stores by 4.0% during the 2nd quarter. Quotient Wealth Partners LLC now owns 2,197 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $319,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV increased its stake in Ross Stores by 5.2% during the 3rd quarter. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV now owns 1,735 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $261,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares in the last quarter. 86.86% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.