Ross Stores (ROST) to Release Quarterly Earnings on Thursday

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST - Get Free Report) will announce its earnings results after the market closes on Thursday, November 21st. Analysts expect the company to announce earnings of $1.41 per share for the quarter. Persons interested in listening to the company's earnings conference call can do so using this link.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 22nd. The apparel retailer reported $1.59 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.50 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $5.29 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.25 billion. Ross Stores had a net margin of 9.82% and a return on equity of 42.43%. Ross Stores's revenue was up 7.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.32 EPS. On average, analysts expect Ross Stores to post $6 EPS for the current fiscal year and $7 EPS for the next fiscal year.

Ross Stores Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ ROST traded up $1.87 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $142.33. The company had a trading volume of 3,134,668 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,269,253. The company has a current ratio of 1.56, a quick ratio of 1.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30. The company has a market capitalization of $47.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.74, a P/E/G ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.09. Ross Stores has a 1 year low of $119.73 and a 1 year high of $163.60. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $146.59 and its 200-day moving average price is $144.05.

Ross Stores Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 30th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 10th were paid a dividend of $0.3675 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 10th. This represents a $1.47 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.03%. Ross Stores's dividend payout ratio is currently 23.71%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ross Stores

In other news, 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 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 approximately $16,038,546.36. The trade was a 7.51 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other Ross Stores news, Chairman Michael Balmuth sold 14,887 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $152.22, for a total value of $2,266,099.14. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman now owns 11,133 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,694,665.26. This trade represents a 57.21 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, COO Michael J. Hartshorn sold 8,366 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 103,049 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,038,546.36. This represents a 7.51 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 72,138 shares of company stock worth $11,093,051 over the last 90 days. 2.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently weighed in on ROST. Bank of America upped their price objective on shares of Ross Stores from $170.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, August 23rd. Loop Capital raised their price objective on shares of Ross Stores from $170.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, August 23rd. StockNews.com lowered shares of Ross Stores from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, November 8th. Gordon Haskett upgraded Ross Stores to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, August 23rd. Finally, Robert W. Baird upped their price objective on Ross Stores from $162.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, August 23rd. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $170.00.

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.