5,226 Shares in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) Purchased by Argentarii LLC

Argentarii LLC acquired a new position in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 5,226 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $790,000.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Hahn Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Ross Stores by 40.9% during the 4th quarter. Hahn Capital Management LLC now owns 74,059 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $11,203,000 after purchasing an additional 21,500 shares in the last quarter. Sovran Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ross Stores during the 4th quarter worth about $269,000. Oak Ridge Investments LLC raised its stake in shares of Ross Stores by 10.6% during the 4th quarter. Oak Ridge Investments LLC now owns 115,849 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $17,524,000 after purchasing an additional 11,060 shares in the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB raised its stake in shares of Ross Stores by 137.7% during the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 1,976,140 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $299,583,000 after purchasing an additional 1,144,774 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Czech National Bank raised its stake in shares of Ross Stores by 5.9% during the 4th quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 71,933 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $10,881,000 after purchasing an additional 3,981 shares in the last quarter. 86.86% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ross Stores Stock Down 1.4 %

NASDAQ ROST opened at $135.96 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $145.37 and a 200-day moving average of $147.49. The stock has a market capitalization of $44.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 1.15. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 52 week low of $127.53 and a 52 week 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.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, March 4th. The apparel retailer reported $1.79 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.65 by $0.14. The company had revenue of $5.91 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.95 billion. Ross Stores had a return on equity of 41.83% and a net margin of 9.95%. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.17 EPS for the current year.

Ross Stores Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 18th will be paid a dividend of $0.405 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 18th. This is a boost from Ross Stores’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.37. This represents a $1.62 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.19%. Ross Stores’s payout ratio is 25.63%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. UBS Group cut their price target on Ross Stores from $168.00 to $163.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Ross Stores from $171.00 to $173.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 22nd. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price objective on Ross Stores from $168.00 to $156.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday. Citigroup lowered Ross Stores from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $179.00 to $152.00 in a report on Tuesday, November 12th. Finally, Robert W. Baird lowered their price objective on Ross Stores from $175.00 to $160.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Ross Stores presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $163.07.

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.