UBS Group Lowers Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) Price Target to $163.00

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST - Free Report) had its price objective cut by UBS Group from $168.00 to $163.00 in a report published on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a neutral rating on the apparel retailer's stock.

Several other analysts have also commented on ROST. Robert W. Baird lowered their price objective on shares of Ross Stores from $175.00 to $160.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. Loop Capital lowered their price objective on shares of Ross Stores from $190.00 to $175.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. Evercore ISI lowered their price objective on shares of Ross Stores from $175.00 to $170.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed a "market perform" rating and issued a $165.00 price objective (down previously from $178.00) on shares of Ross Stores in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, Guggenheim reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $180.00 price objective on shares of Ross Stores in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $163.07.

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Ross Stores Stock Down 1.4 %

Ross Stores stock traded down $1.93 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $135.96. 4,252,671 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,583,287. Ross Stores has a 52-week low of $127.53 and a 52-week high of $163.60. The stock has a market capitalization of $44.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 1.15. The business's 50-day moving average price is $145.37 and its 200-day moving average price is $147.49. The company has a quick ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, March 4th. The apparel retailer reported $1.79 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.65 by $0.14. Ross Stores had a net margin of 9.95% and a return on equity of 41.83%. The business had revenue of $5.91 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.95 billion. On average, research analysts expect that Ross Stores will post 6.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ross Stores Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 18th will be paid a $0.405 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 18th. This is a boost from Ross Stores's previous quarterly dividend of $0.37. This represents a $1.62 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.19%. Ross Stores's dividend payout ratio is currently 25.63%.

Institutional Trading of Ross Stores

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its stake in Ross Stores by 152.9% in the 4th quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 177 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 107 shares in the last quarter. BOK Financial Private Wealth Inc. purchased a new stake in Ross Stores in the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. ORG Partners LLC lifted its stake 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 purchasing an additional 191 shares in the last quarter. Putney Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in Ross Stores in the 4th quarter worth approximately $44,000. Finally, Cary Street Partners Financial LLC purchased a new stake in Ross Stores in the 4th quarter worth approximately $48,000. 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.