Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) Shares Pass Above 200-Day Moving Average – Time to Sell?

Shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) passed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Monday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $147.38 and traded as high as $152.26. Ross Stores shares last traded at $151.50, with a volume of 1,703,041 shares changing hands.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ROST has been the topic of several research reports. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of Ross Stores from $175.00 to $165.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, November 14th. StockNews.com lowered Ross Stores from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. Evercore ISI increased their price target on Ross Stores from $170.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Citigroup cut shares of Ross Stores from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $179.00 to $152.00 in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group restated a “market perform” rating and issued a $175.00 target price on shares of Ross Stores in a research note on Monday, November 18th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Ross Stores has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $171.69.

Ross Stores Price Performance

The company has a market cap of $49.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $147.61 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $147.38. 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) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 21st. The apparel retailer reported $1.48 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.41 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $5.10 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.15 billion. Ross Stores had a net margin of 9.95% and a return on equity of 41.83%. The firm’s revenue was up 3.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.33 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ross Stores Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 10th will be paid a $0.3675 dividend. This represents a $1.47 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.97%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 10th. Ross Stores’s payout ratio is currently 23.15%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ross Stores

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Retirement Systems of Alabama boosted its stake in shares of Ross Stores by 251.7% during the third quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama now owns 260,126 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $39,152,000 after acquiring an additional 186,161 shares during the last quarter. Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp grew its holdings in shares of Ross Stores by 1.8% during the third quarter. Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp now owns 3,910 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $588,000 after buying an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB grew its holdings in shares of Ross Stores by 231.1% during the third quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 8,161 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $1,228,000 after buying an additional 5,696 shares in the last quarter. Arvest Bank Trust Division purchased a new stake in shares of Ross Stores during the third quarter worth about $244,000. Finally, Sanctuary Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Ross Stores by 24.6% in the third quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 20,307 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $2,967,000 after buying an additional 4,008 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.86% of the company’s stock.

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.