Poinciana Advisors Group LLC Invests $316,000 in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST)

Poinciana Advisors Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 2,089 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $316,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Postrock Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ross Stores during the 4th quarter worth approximately $2,688,000. Intact Investment Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Ross Stores during the 4th quarter worth approximately $2,466,000. LBP AM SA purchased a new position in shares of Ross Stores during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,128,000. Madison Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ross Stores during the 4th quarter worth approximately $230,204,000. Finally, Commonwealth Equity Services LLC increased its stake in shares of Ross Stores by 6.4% during the 4th quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 19,180 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $2,901,000 after purchasing an additional 1,160 shares in the last quarter. 86.86% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ross Stores Stock Performance

NASDAQ:ROST opened at $124.21 on Friday. Ross Stores, Inc. has a twelve month low of $122.77 and a twelve month high of $163.60. The company has a current ratio of 1.57, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The firm has a market capitalization of $40.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.56, a PEG ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 1.15. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $142.85 and its 200 day simple moving average is $146.60.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 4th. The apparel retailer reported $1.79 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.65 by $0.14. Ross Stores had a net margin of 9.95% and a return on equity of 41.83%. The firm had revenue of $5.91 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.95 billion. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ross Stores Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 18th will be issued a $0.405 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 18th. This represents a $1.62 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.30%. This is a positive change from Ross Stores’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.37. Ross Stores’s payout ratio is currently 25.63%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have commented on ROST. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $171.00 to $173.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. StockNews.com cut shares of Ross Stores from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. BMO Capital Markets lowered their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $168.00 to $156.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. UBS Group lowered their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $168.00 to $163.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $140.00 to $130.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Ross Stores currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $161.40.

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.