Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) have been given a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the eighteen brokerages that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 12 month target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $169.06.

A number of analysts have recently commented on the company. Morgan Stanley restated an “equal weight” rating and set a $140.00 price objective (down from $164.00) on shares of Ross Stores in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Citigroup lowered Ross Stores from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their price target for the stock from $179.00 to $152.00 in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th. StockNews.com downgraded Ross Stores from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday. Guggenheim reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $180.00 target price on shares of Ross Stores in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $171.00 to $173.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 22nd.

Ross Stores Stock Performance

Shares of ROST stock opened at $135.93 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $44.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $147.65 and a 200 day moving average price of $147.93. Ross Stores has a one year low of $127.53 and a one year high of $163.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a current ratio of 1.57.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ross Stores

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Ross Stores during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $649,318,000. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its holdings in Ross Stores by 25.7% in the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 19,515,891 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $2,952,170,000 after acquiring an additional 3,995,760 shares in the last quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC boosted its stake in Ross Stores by 8,209.0% during the 4th quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC now owns 2,381,201 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $360,204,000 after acquiring an additional 2,352,543 shares during the last quarter. Madison Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in Ross Stores during the 4th quarter valued at $230,204,000. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP grew its holdings in Ross Stores by 64.0% during the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 3,862,684 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $581,373,000 after acquiring an additional 1,507,922 shares in 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.