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

Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) has been given a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” by the sixteen brokerages that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 1 year price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $161.40.

Several research firms have issued reports on ROST. BMO Capital Markets lowered their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $168.00 to $156.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued a “market perform” rating and issued a $165.00 target price (down from $178.00) on shares of Ross Stores in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Ross Stores from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. TD Cowen reduced their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $185.00 to $177.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, Barclays set a $150.00 target price on shares of Ross Stores in a report on Wednesday, March 5th.

Ross Stores Price Performance

ROST opened at $124.21 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a current ratio of 1.57. The stock has a market capitalization of $40.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.56, a P/E/G ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 1.15. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $142.85 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $146.53. Ross Stores has a 52-week low of $122.77 and a 52-week high of $163.60.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, March 4th. The apparel retailer reported $1.79 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.65 by $0.14. The business had revenue of $5.91 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.95 billion. Ross Stores had a net margin of 9.95% and a return on equity of 41.83%. As a group, analysts predict that Ross Stores will post 6.17 EPS for the current year.

Ross Stores Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 18th will be issued a $0.405 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 18th. This is a positive change from Ross Stores’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.37. This represents a $1.62 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.30%. Ross Stores’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 25.63%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Larson Financial Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Ross Stores by 152.9% in the fourth quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 177 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 107 shares in the last quarter. BOK Financial Private Wealth Inc. bought a new stake in Ross Stores in the fourth quarter worth $31,000. ORG Partners LLC lifted its position in Ross Stores by 434.1% in the fourth quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 235 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 191 shares during the last quarter. Putney Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in Ross Stores in the fourth quarter worth $44,000. Finally, Cary Street Partners Financial LLC bought a new stake in Ross Stores in the fourth quarter worth $48,000. 86.86% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.