Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) Given New $200.00 Price Target at JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) had its price objective upped by JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $188.00 to $200.00 in a research report released on Friday,Benzinga reports. They currently have an overweight rating on the apparel retailer’s stock.

Several other equities analysts have also issued reports on ROST. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Ross Stores from $128.00 to $130.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, August 22nd. Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on Ross Stores from $175.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday. Barclays upped their target price on Ross Stores from $164.00 to $183.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $171.00 to $188.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, Cowen reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Ross Stores in a report on Friday, August 22nd. Fourteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Ross Stores currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $174.07.

Ross Stores Stock Performance

ROST traded up $13.50 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $174.00. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 7,819,841 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,950,839. Ross Stores has a twelve month low of $122.36 and a twelve month high of $174.86. The stock has a market cap of $56.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.62, a PEG ratio of 3.04 and a beta of 1.16. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $155.63 and a 200 day simple moving average of $145.84. The company has a current ratio of 1.58, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 20th. The apparel retailer reported $1.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.38 by $0.20. Ross Stores had a net margin of 9.60% and a return on equity of 37.37%. The business had revenue of $5.60 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.38 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.48 earnings per share. Ross Stores’s quarterly revenue was up 10.4% on a year-over-year basis. Ross Stores has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.380-6.46 EPS. Q4 2025 guidance at 1.770-1.85 EPS. Research analysts expect that Ross Stores will post 6.17 earnings per share for the current year.

Ross Stores Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 9th will be given a $0.405 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 9th. This represents a $1.62 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.9%. Ross Stores’s payout ratio is 25.71%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CMO Karen Fleming sold 2,932 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $149.09, for a total transaction of $437,131.88. Following the completion of the sale, the chief marketing officer owned 88,335 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $13,169,865.15. This trade represents a 3.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CMO Karen Sykes sold 4,000 shares of Ross Stores stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $151.76, for a total transaction of $607,040.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief marketing officer owned 106,413 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $16,149,236.88. This trade represents a 3.62% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 52,720 shares of company stock valued at $7,761,212 over the last three months. 2.20% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ROST. American National Bank & Trust acquired a new stake in Ross Stores in the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,000. Grey Fox Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ross Stores in the third quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Aspect Partners LLC raised its position in Ross Stores by 251.7% in the 2nd quarter. Aspect Partners LLC now owns 204 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 146 shares during the last quarter. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. lifted its holdings in Ross Stores by 162.6% during the 3rd quarter. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. now owns 239 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 148 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bayforest Capital Ltd boosted its position in Ross Stores by 372.5% in the 1st quarter. Bayforest Capital Ltd now owns 241 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 190 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.