Barclays Boosts Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) Price Target to $157.00

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) had its price objective raised by Barclays from $150.00 to $157.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Monday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an “overweight” rating on the apparel retailer’s stock. Barclays‘s price target would suggest a potential upside of 5.14% from the company’s current price.

Other equities analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price objective on shares of Ross Stores from $168.00 to $156.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Citigroup upgraded Ross Stores from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $146.00 target price for the company in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. Telsey Advisory Group dropped their price objective on shares of Ross Stores from $175.00 to $150.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Loop Capital cut their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $190.00 to $175.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut their target price on Ross Stores from $130.00 to $128.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $161.20.

Ross Stores Trading Up 0.0%

Shares of ROST opened at $149.33 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $49.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 1.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 1.57 and a quick ratio of 0.98. Ross Stores has a 1 year low of $122.36 and a 1 year high of $163.60. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $134.47 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $142.40.

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. The company had revenue of $5.91 billion during 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%. On average, equities analysts expect that Ross Stores will post 6.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CMO Karen Fleming sold 5,339 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $125.73, for a total transaction of $671,272.47. Following the sale, 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, COO Michael J. Hartshorn sold 7,492 shares of Ross Stores stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $127.69, for a total value of $956,653.48. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 139,091 shares in the company, valued at $17,760,529.79. This trade represents a 5.11% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 34,398 shares of company stock worth $4,439,950 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 2.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Larson Financial Group LLC grew its holdings in Ross Stores by 152.9% in the fourth quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 177 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 107 shares during the last quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Ross Stores by 50.7% in the 1st quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 217 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares in the last quarter. BOK Financial Private Wealth Inc. purchased a new position in Ross Stores during the 4th quarter worth $31,000. Bayforest Capital Ltd grew its stake in Ross Stores by 372.5% during the 1st quarter. Bayforest Capital Ltd now owns 241 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 190 shares during the last quarter. Finally, ORG Partners LLC increased its position in Ross Stores by 434.1% during the 4th quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 235 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 191 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors 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.