Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) Shares Sold by North Point Portfolio Managers Corp OH

North Point Portfolio Managers Corp OH lessened its position in shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) by 2.2% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 93,812 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock after selling 2,108 shares during the period. Ross Stores makes up approximately 2.5% of North Point Portfolio Managers Corp OH’s portfolio, making the stock its 14th largest position. North Point Portfolio Managers Corp OH’s holdings in Ross Stores were worth $14,191,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in ROST. Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp boosted its position in Ross Stores by 1.8% during the third quarter. Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp now owns 3,910 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $588,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. Howe & Rusling Inc. increased its position in Ross Stores by 1.9% during the third quarter. Howe & Rusling Inc. now owns 3,986 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $600,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares during the last quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. increased its position in shares of Ross Stores by 19.1% during the 3rd quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 473 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $71,000 after purchasing an additional 76 shares during the last quarter. Alhambra Investment Management LLC lifted its position in Ross Stores by 5.2% in the fourth quarter. Alhambra Investment Management LLC now owns 1,549 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $234,000 after buying an additional 76 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV boosted its stake in Ross Stores by 5.2% during the third quarter. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV now owns 1,735 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $261,000 after buying an additional 85 shares during the period. 86.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ross Stores Trading Up 0.5 %

NASDAQ ROST opened at $149.28 on Monday. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 52 week low of $127.53 and a 52 week high of $163.60. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $151.12 and a two-hundred day moving average of $147.93. The company has a quick ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The stock has a market capitalization of $49.25 billion, a PE ratio of 23.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 1.10.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, November 21st. The apparel retailer reported $1.48 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.41 by $0.07. Ross Stores had a return on equity of 41.83% and a net margin of 9.95%. The firm had revenue of $5.10 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.15 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.33 earnings per share. Ross Stores’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts expect that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ross Stores Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 10th were given a dividend of $0.3675 per share. This represents a $1.47 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.98%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 10th. Ross Stores’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 23.15%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ROST has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Ross Stores from $171.00 to $173.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 22nd. TD Cowen dropped their price objective on Ross Stores from $185.00 to $177.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. StockNews.com lowered Ross Stores from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and issued a $165.00 target price (down from $178.00) on shares of Ross Stores in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reiterated an “equal weight” rating and set a $165.00 price target on shares of Ross Stores in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Ross Stores has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $169.06.

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.