Analysts Set Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) Target Price at $161.40

Shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) have been given a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” by the sixteen brokerages that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com 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 12-month price target among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $161.40.

Several equities analysts have commented on the stock. Barclays set a $150.00 price target on shares of Ross Stores in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. StockNews.com cut shares of Ross Stores from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Guggenheim reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $180.00 price target on shares of Ross Stores in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. UBS Group dropped their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $168.00 to $163.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Loop Capital lowered their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $190.00 to $175.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th.

Ross Stores Stock Up 1.8 %

ROST stock opened at $125.95 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $41.55 billion, a PE ratio of 19.83, a PEG ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 1.15. 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 firm’s 50 day moving average price is $141.13 and its 200-day moving average price is $146.01. Ross Stores has a one year low of $122.77 and a one year 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 for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.65 by $0.14. Ross Stores had a net margin of 9.95% and a return on equity of 41.83%. The firm had revenue of $5.91 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.95 billion. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Ross Stores will post 6.17 EPS for the current year.

Ross Stores Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 18th will be paid a dividend of $0.405 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 18th. This represents a $1.62 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.29%. This is an increase from Ross Stores’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.37. Ross Stores’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 25.63%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Ross Stores news, CMO Karen Fleming sold 5,339 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $125.73, for a total transaction of $671,272.47. Following the transaction, the chief marketing officer now owns 94,063 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,826,540.99. This trade represents a 5.37 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 2.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ross Stores

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of ROST. Members Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ross Stores in the fourth quarter worth $245,000. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH acquired a new stake in shares of Ross Stores in the fourth quarter worth $53,077,000. Polar Asset Management Partners Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Ross Stores in the fourth quarter worth $10,226,000. Ascent Group LLC increased its position in shares of Ross Stores by 9.1% in the fourth quarter. Ascent Group LLC now owns 9,987 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $1,511,000 after acquiring an additional 832 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Putney Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ross Stores in the fourth quarter worth $44,000. 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.