AlphaMark Advisors LLC Increases Stake in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST)

AlphaMark Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) by 4.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 4,307 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 192 shares during the quarter. AlphaMark Advisors LLC’s holdings in Ross Stores were worth $652,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp increased its holdings in shares of Ross Stores by 1.8% in the third quarter. Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp now owns 3,910 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $588,000 after buying an additional 70 shares during the period. Howe & Rusling Inc. grew its position in Ross Stores by 1.9% during the 3rd quarter. Howe & Rusling Inc. now owns 3,986 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $600,000 after acquiring an additional 73 shares during the last quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. increased its stake in Ross Stores by 19.1% in the 3rd quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 473 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $71,000 after purchasing an additional 76 shares during the period. Alhambra Investment Management LLC lifted its position in Ross Stores by 5.2% in the fourth quarter. Alhambra Investment Management LLC now owns 1,549 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $234,000 after purchasing an additional 76 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV boosted its stake in shares of Ross Stores by 5.2% during the third quarter. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV now owns 1,735 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $261,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.86% of the company’s stock.

Ross Stores Price Performance

Shares of ROST opened at $149.28 on Friday. Ross Stores, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $127.53 and a fifty-two week high of $163.60. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $151.12 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $147.92. The stock has a market cap of $49.25 billion, a PE ratio of 23.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 1.10. 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 announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 21st. The apparel retailer reported $1.48 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.41 by $0.07. Ross Stores had a return on equity of 41.83% and a net margin of 9.95%. The business had revenue of $5.10 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.15 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.33 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 3.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ross Stores Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 10th were paid a dividend of $0.3675 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 10th. This represents a $1.47 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.98%. Ross Stores’s dividend payout ratio is currently 23.15%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently commented on the stock. Guggenheim reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $180.00 target price on shares of Ross Stores in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Ross Stores from $171.00 to $173.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company reiterated an “equal weight” rating and set a $165.00 target price on shares of Ross Stores in a report on Friday, January 10th. Evercore ISI upped their price target on Ross Stores from $170.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, TD Cowen reduced their target price on Ross Stores from $185.00 to $177.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Ross Stores has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $169.06.

About Ross Stores

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.