Ross Stores (ROST) Scheduled to Post Earnings on Thursday

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) is set to release its earnings data after the market closes on Thursday, November 21st. Analysts expect Ross Stores to post earnings of $1.41 per share for the quarter. Persons that are interested in registering for the company’s earnings conference call can do so using this link.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 22nd. The apparel retailer reported $1.59 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.50 by $0.09. Ross Stores had a net margin of 9.82% and a return on equity of 42.43%. The company had revenue of $5.29 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.25 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.32 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.1% on a year-over-year basis. 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 Up 0.4 %

Shares of NASDAQ:ROST opened at $141.30 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 1.56 and a quick ratio of 1.05. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $145.99 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $144.42. Ross Stores has a 1 year low of $127.53 and a 1 year high of $163.60. The firm has a market capitalization of $46.88 billion, a PE ratio of 22.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.09.

Ross Stores Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 30th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 10th were issued a dividend of $0.3675 per share. This represents a $1.47 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.04%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 10th. Ross Stores’s payout ratio is currently 23.71%.

Insider Activity at Ross Stores

In other news, COO Michael J. Hartshorn sold 8,366 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the chief operating officer now owns 103,049 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,038,546.36. The trade was a 7.51 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Barbara Rentler sold 48,885 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $153.93, for a total transaction of $7,524,868.05. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 311,853 shares in the company, valued at approximately $48,003,532.29. This trade represents a 13.55 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 72,138 shares of company stock valued at $11,093,051 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently weighed in on ROST. Barclays lifted their target price on Ross Stores from $165.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 23rd. TD Cowen lifted their price objective on shares of Ross Stores from $173.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 23rd. Loop Capital upped their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $170.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 23rd. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $162.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, August 23rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on Ross Stores from $175.00 to $165.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, November 14th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Ross Stores presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average 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.