Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) Shares Bought by Alhambra Investment Management LLC

Alhambra Investment Management LLC grew its position in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) by 5.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 1,549 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 76 shares during the period. Alhambra Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Ross Stores were worth $234,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. acquired a new position in Ross Stores in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Armstrong Advisory Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Ross Stores in the 3rd quarter valued at $33,000. ORG Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Ross Stores by 434.1% in the fourth quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 235 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 191 shares during the period. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ross Stores during the third quarter worth $53,000. Finally, Banque Cantonale Vaudoise acquired a new position in Ross Stores during the third quarter valued at $59,000. 86.86% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ross Stores Price Performance

Shares of ROST opened at $149.15 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $150.22 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $147.75. 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 1-year low of $127.53 and a 1-year high of $163.60. The stock has a market cap of $49.21 billion, a PE ratio of 23.49, a P/E/G ratio of 2.51 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 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 firm had revenue of $5.10 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.15 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.33 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts forecast that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.17 EPS for the current year.

Ross Stores Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced 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. This represents a $1.47 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.99%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 10th. Ross Stores’s payout ratio is 23.15%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on ROST shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Ross Stores from $171.00 to $173.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated a “market perform” rating and set a $175.00 price target on shares of Ross Stores in a research report on Monday, November 18th. TD Cowen lowered their price objective 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. StockNews.com lowered shares of Ross Stores from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reissued a “market perform” rating and set a $165.00 price target (down from $178.00) on shares of Ross Stores in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price 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.