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

Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST - Get Free Report) has earned an average rating of "Moderate Buy" from the sixteen ratings firms that are covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price target among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $159.53.

Several research analysts recently issued reports on ROST shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Ross Stores from $141.00 to $154.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, June 13th. BMO Capital Markets dropped their price objective on Ross Stores from $168.00 to $156.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on Ross Stores from $155.00 to $150.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 23rd. UBS Group lowered their target price on Ross Stores from $168.00 to $163.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Barclays lowered their target price on Ross Stores from $157.00 to $156.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 23rd.

Insider Transactions at Ross Stores

In other news, Chairman Michael Balmuth sold 11,261 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $131.60, for a total value of $1,481,947.60. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman now owns 59,790 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,868,364. This trade represents a 15.85% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CMO Karen Fleming sold 5,270 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $127.70, for a total value of $672,979.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 93,126 shares of the company's stock, valued at $11,892,190.20. The trade was a 5.36% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 21,567 shares of company stock valued at $2,812,024 in the last quarter. 2.20% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Ross Stores

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in ROST. eCIO Inc. acquired a new stake in Ross Stores during the 1st quarter worth about $141,000. Invst LLC acquired a new stake in Ross Stores during the 1st quarter worth about $1,574,000. Strs Ohio acquired a new stake in Ross Stores during the 1st quarter worth about $27,986,000. Jacobi Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Ross Stores by 37.6% during the 1st quarter. Jacobi Capital Management LLC now owns 2,619 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $335,000 after acquiring an additional 716 shares during the period. Finally, Advisors Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Ross Stores by 8.6% during the 1st quarter. Advisors Capital Management LLC now owns 160,169 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $20,468,000 after acquiring an additional 12,723 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.86% of the company's stock.

Ross Stores Trading Up 0.4%

ROST opened at $128.33 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $41.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.27, a P/E/G ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 1.14. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $140.41 and its 200-day moving average price is $141.21. Ross Stores has a one year low of $122.36 and a one year high of $163.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a current ratio of 1.55.

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

Ross Stores Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 10th will be given a $0.405 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 10th. This represents a $1.62 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.26%. Ross Stores's payout ratio is 25.59%.

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.

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