Analysts Set Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) Price Target at $213.29

Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) has been given a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” by the twenty-two research firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seventeen have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $218.5556.

Several brokerages recently issued reports on ROST. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on Ross Stores from $214.00 to $244.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. UBS Group increased their price objective on Ross Stores from $208.00 to $227.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $200.00 price objective on Ross Stores in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. Barclays increased their price objective on Ross Stores from $205.00 to $221.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Finally, Citigroup increased their price objective on Ross Stores from $240.00 to $261.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 12th.

Ross Stores News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Ross Stores this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Truist Securities initiated coverage of Ross Stores (ROST) with a Buy rating and a $270 price target, highlighting the retailer as one of its favored names in the off-price/vertical retail space. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan raised its price target on Ross Stores (ROST) to $251 from $248 and kept an Overweight rating, implying further upside if earnings remain solid. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and preview articles say Ross Stores is heading into Q1 results with expectations for double-digit sales and EPS growth, supported by strong traffic, merchandising execution, and store expansion. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Wall Street is also focusing on the upcoming earnings release, with investors watching key metrics for confirmation that momentum in the business is continuing. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Erste Group Bank reportedly boosted its FY2027 EPS estimate for Ross Stores (ROST), adding to the generally constructive analyst backdrop, though this is less immediately market-moving than the new buy ratings. Article Title

Ross Stores Trading Down 0.8%

Shares of NASDAQ ROST opened at $211.08 on Friday. Ross Stores has a 12 month low of $124.49 and a 12 month high of $231.16. The company has a market cap of $68.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.93, a P/E/G ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 0.87. The company has a quick ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 1.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $218.41 and a 200-day simple moving average of $195.57.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 3rd. The apparel retailer reported $2.00 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.90 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $6.64 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.42 billion. Ross Stores had a return on equity of 36.70% and a net margin of 9.43%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.65 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Ross Stores will post 7.33 EPS for the current year.

Ross Stores Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Investors of record on Friday, March 13th were paid a $0.445 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 13th. This represents a $1.78 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. This is an increase from Ross Stores’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.41. Ross Stores’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 26.93%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Ross Stores news, COO Michael J. Hartshorn sold 15,813 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $214.91, for a total value of $3,398,371.83. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 116,028 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $24,935,577.48. This represents a 11.99% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CMO Karen Sykes sold 5,506 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $213.40, for a total value of $1,174,980.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief marketing officer directly owned 104,648 shares in the company, valued at approximately $22,331,883.20. The trade was a 5.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 25,756 shares of company stock valued at $5,521,004 in the last three months. Insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. increased its position in Ross Stores by 7,000.0% in the 4th quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 142 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 140 shares during the last quarter. Hilton Head Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in Ross Stores in the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Bard Associates Inc. acquired a new position in Ross Stores in the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. City Holding Co. increased its position in Ross Stores by 1,080.0% in the 4th quarter. City Holding Co. now owns 177 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 162 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Virtus Advisers LLC acquired a new position in Ross Stores in the 4th quarter worth about $32,000. 86.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ross Stores Company Profile

Ross Stores, Inc (NASDAQ: ROST) is an American off‑price retailer headquartered in Dublin, California, that operates the Ross Dress for Less and dd’s DISCOUNTS store formats. The company sells a broad assortment of apparel, footwear, home fashions, accessories and other soft goods, positioning itself as a value-oriented destination for brand‑name and fashion merchandise at reduced prices.

Ross’s business model centers on opportunistic buying of excess inventory, closeouts, cancelled orders and overstocks from manufacturers, department stores and other suppliers.