4,000 Shares in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) Bought by Board of the Pension Protection Fund

Board of the Pension Protection Fund purchased a new stake in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 4,000 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $605,000.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. acquired a new position in Ross Stores in the second quarter worth about $27,000. Armstrong Advisory Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Ross Stores in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $33,000. ORG Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Ross Stores by 434.1% in the 4th quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 235 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 191 shares in the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in shares of Ross Stores during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $53,000. Finally, Banque Cantonale Vaudoise acquired a new stake in Ross Stores in the 3rd quarter valued at $59,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.86% of the company’s stock.

Ross Stores Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:ROST opened at $149.12 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.57, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 1-year low of $127.53 and a 1-year high of $163.60. The stock has a market capitalization of $49.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.48, a P/E/G ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 1.10. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $149.87 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $147.73.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 21st. The apparel retailer reported $1.48 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.15 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.33 earnings per share. Ross Stores’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts predict that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.17 earnings per share for the current year.

Ross Stores Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 10th were paid a dividend of $0.3675 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 10th. This represents a $1.47 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.99%. Ross Stores’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 23.15%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have issued reports on ROST shares. Wells Fargo & Company reiterated an “equal weight” rating and set a $165.00 price objective on shares of Ross Stores in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Citigroup downgraded shares of Ross Stores from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their price target for the company from $179.00 to $152.00 in a report on Tuesday, November 12th. Guggenheim reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $180.00 price objective on shares of Ross Stores in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $171.00 to $173.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, TD Cowen decreased their price target on Ross Stores from $185.00 to $177.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $171.29.

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.