Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) Stock Rating Upgraded by StockNews.com

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) was upgraded by equities research analysts at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note issued to investors on Thursday.

A number of other research firms have also commented on ROST. Evercore ISI boosted their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $155.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, May 24th. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated a “market perform” rating and set a $160.00 target price on shares of Ross Stores in a research report on Friday, June 14th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 24th. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $145.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, May 24th. Finally, Barclays upped their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $163.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 24th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $159.06.

Ross Stores Price Performance

Shares of Ross Stores stock opened at $151.73 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a current ratio of 1.54. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $141.78 and its 200-day simple moving average is $141.15. Ross Stores has a twelve month low of $108.35 and a twelve month high of $153.06. The firm has a market cap of $50.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 1.08.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 23rd. The apparel retailer reported $1.46 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.35 by $0.11. The firm had revenue of $4.86 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.83 billion. Ross Stores had a net margin of 9.60% and a return on equity of 42.24%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.09 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts expect that Ross Stores will post 5.97 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ross Stores

In other news, Director Patricia H. Mueller sold 941 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $138.37, for a total transaction of $130,206.17. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 973 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $134,634.01. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Riverview Trust Co acquired a new position in Ross Stores during the first quarter worth $26,000. Rise Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Ross Stores in the first quarter valued at $27,000. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its stake in Ross Stores by 52.9% in the fourth quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 240 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 83 shares during the last quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in Ross Stores by 41.8% in the fourth quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 251 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 74 shares during the last quarter. Finally, EntryPoint Capital LLC lifted its stake in Ross Stores by 154.5% in the first quarter. EntryPoint Capital LLC now owns 308 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $45,000 after acquiring an additional 187 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.86% of the company’s stock.

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.