Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) Stock Rating Lowered by StockNews.com

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST - Get Free Report) was downgraded by analysts at StockNews.com from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note issued on Friday.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports on the stock. Gordon Haskett upgraded shares of Ross Stores to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, August 23rd. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $163.00 to $178.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, August 23rd. Robert W. Baird upped their price objective on Ross Stores from $162.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, August 23rd. Barclays raised their target price on Ross Stores from $165.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, August 23rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Ross Stores from $160.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, August 23rd. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $171.88.

Ross Stores Price Performance

ROST traded up $1.36 on Friday, reaching $143.40. 2,845,137 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,251,139. The stock has a market cap of $47.57 billion, a PE ratio of 23.13, a P/E/G ratio of 2.25 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 1.56 and a quick ratio of 1.05. Ross Stores has a twelve month low of $119.73 and a twelve month high of $163.60. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $147.21 and its 200-day moving average price is $143.80.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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 firm had revenue of $5.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.25 billion. Ross Stores had a return on equity of 42.43% and a net margin of 9.82%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 7.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.32 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts expect that Ross Stores will post 6.2 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Barbara Rentler sold 48,885 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 311,853 shares in the company, valued at approximately $48,003,532.29. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other news, Chairman Michael Balmuth sold 14,887 shares of Ross Stores stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $152.22, for a total transaction of $2,266,099.14. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman now directly owns 11,133 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,694,665.26. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction 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 stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $153.93, for a total value of $7,524,868.05. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 311,853 shares in the company, 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. In the last quarter, insiders sold 72,138 shares of company stock worth $11,093,051. 2.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Ross Stores

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of ROST. Norden Group LLC purchased a new stake in Ross Stores during the first quarter worth approximately $333,000. GSA Capital Partners LLP acquired a new position in shares of Ross Stores in the 1st quarter valued at $535,000. Empowered Funds LLC grew its position in shares of Ross Stores by 15.7% in the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 9,962 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $1,462,000 after buying an additional 1,352 shares during the last quarter. Capital Wealth Planning LLC acquired a new stake in Ross Stores during the 1st quarter worth $238,000. Finally, Forsta AP Fonden lifted its position in Ross Stores by 11.5% in the first quarter. Forsta AP Fonden now owns 68,729 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $10,087,000 after acquiring an additional 7,100 shares during the last quarter. 86.86% of the stock is 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.

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