Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) Given Average Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by Brokerages

Key Points

• Ross Stores, Inc. has received an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from 17 analysts, with 12 analysts issuing buy recommendations and one a strong buy recommendation.
• The company's stock has a 12-month target price of approximately $159.06 and has seen its shares trade between a low of $122.36 and a high of $163.60 in the past year.
• Ross Stores reported earnings per share of $1.47 for the last quarter, exceeding analysts' expectations and reflecting a 2.6% year-over-year revenue growth.

Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST - Get Free Report) has been given a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" by the seventeen analysts that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, twelve have issued a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $159.0625.

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $154.00 to $156.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, July 28th. Barclays cut their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $157.00 to $156.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 23rd. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated a "market perform" rating and set a $150.00 target price on shares of Ross Stores in a research report on Friday, May 23rd. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Ross Stores from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 21st. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $128.00 to $126.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 23rd.

Ross Stores Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:ROST opened at $150.28 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.95, a current ratio of 1.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. The firm has a market capitalization of $49.15 billion, a PE ratio of 23.74, a P/E/G ratio of 2.84 and a beta of 1.11. Ross Stores has a twelve month low of $122.36 and a twelve month high of $163.60. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $134.95 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $137.34.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 22nd. The apparel retailer reported $1.47 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.44 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $4.98 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.94 billion. Ross Stores had a net margin of 9.79% and a return on equity of 38.77%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 2.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.46 earnings per share. Equities analysts forecast that Ross Stores will post 6.17 EPS for the current year.

Ross Stores Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 30th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 10th were paid a $0.405 dividend. This represents a $1.62 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, June 10th. Ross Stores's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 25.59%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ross Stores

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Jump Financial LLC purchased a new stake in Ross Stores in the second quarter valued at approximately $7,949,000. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC raised its stake in Ross Stores by 3.2% in the second quarter. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 2,868 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $366,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares in the last quarter. Hendershot Investments Inc. raised its stake in Ross Stores by 4.4% in the second quarter. Hendershot Investments Inc. now owns 77,918 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $9,941,000 after purchasing an additional 3,271 shares in the last quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. raised its stake in Ross Stores by 31.2% in the second quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. now owns 71,775 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $9,157,000 after purchasing an additional 17,071 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP purchased a new stake in Ross Stores in the second quarter valued at approximately $11,538,000. 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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