Amundi Has $687.20 Million Stock Holdings in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST)

Amundi trimmed its holdings in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) by 13.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,452,020 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock after selling 709,702 shares during the period. Amundi owned 1.35% of Ross Stores worth $687,199,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the business. Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp lifted its position in shares of Ross Stores by 1.8% during the third quarter. Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp now owns 3,910 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $588,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. Howe & Rusling Inc. raised its position in Ross Stores by 1.9% in the 3rd quarter. Howe & Rusling Inc. now owns 3,986 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $600,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares during the last quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. lifted its holdings in Ross Stores by 19.1% during the 3rd quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 473 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $71,000 after buying an additional 76 shares in the last quarter. Alhambra Investment Management LLC boosted its position in Ross Stores by 5.2% in the 4th quarter. Alhambra Investment Management LLC now owns 1,549 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $234,000 after buying an additional 76 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Key Financial Inc increased its stake in shares of Ross Stores by 13.2% in the 4th quarter. Key Financial Inc now owns 662 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $100,000 after buying an additional 77 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.86% of the company’s stock.

Ross Stores Stock Performance

Shares of Ross Stores stock opened at $135.96 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $44.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 1.15. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $145.37 and its 200-day moving average is $147.49. 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 one year low of $127.53 and a one year high of $163.60.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 4th. The apparel retailer reported $1.79 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 company had revenue of $5.91 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.95 billion. Equities analysts predict that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ross Stores Increases Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently commented on ROST. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Ross Stores from $171.00 to $173.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Loop Capital lowered their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $190.00 to $175.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. Telsey Advisory Group cut their price objective on shares of Ross Stores from $175.00 to $150.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday. 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 report on Wednesday. Finally, StockNews.com cut Ross Stores from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target 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.