Capital Market Strategies LLC Takes Position in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST)

Capital Market Strategies LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 1,462 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $221,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. bought a new position in shares of Ross Stores during the 2nd quarter worth $27,000. Armstrong Advisory Group Inc. bought a new stake in Ross Stores during the 3rd quarter valued at $33,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ross Stores during the third quarter worth $53,000. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise purchased a new position in shares of Ross Stores in the third quarter valued at $59,000. Finally, AM Squared Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Ross Stores during the 3rd quarter valued at $60,000. 86.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Ross Stores Trading Up 0.9 %

NASDAQ:ROST traded up $1.38 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $155.63. 726,523 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,411,519. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $148.20 and a 200-day moving average price of $147.49. The firm has a market capitalization of $51.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.51, a PEG ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 1.10. 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, Inc. has a 12-month low of $127.53 and a 12-month high of $163.60.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 21st. The apparel retailer reported $1.48 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.41 by $0.07. Ross Stores had a net margin of 9.95% and a return on equity of 41.83%. The business had revenue of $5.10 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.15 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.33 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.17 earnings per share for the current year.

Ross Stores Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 10th were paid a $0.3675 dividend. This represents a $1.47 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.94%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 10th. Ross Stores’s payout ratio is presently 23.15%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have commented on ROST shares. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $175.00 to $165.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, November 14th. TD Cowen reduced their target price on Ross Stores from $185.00 to $177.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Guggenheim reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $180.00 price target on shares of Ross Stores in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on Ross Stores from $170.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reiterated a “market perform” rating and set a $175.00 target price on shares of Ross Stores in a research report on Monday, November 18th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $171.69.

Ross Stores 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.