Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) Shares Sold by Vinva Investment Management Ltd

Vinva Investment Management Ltd cut its stake in shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) by 28.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 65,129 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock after selling 25,922 shares during the period. Vinva Investment Management Ltd’s holdings in Ross Stores were worth $9,867,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of ROST. Larson Financial Group LLC raised its position in shares of Ross Stores by 152.9% during the fourth quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 177 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 107 shares during the period. BOK Financial Private Wealth Inc. acquired a new position in Ross Stores during the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. ORG Partners LLC raised its position in Ross Stores by 434.1% during the fourth quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 235 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 191 shares during the period. Kestra Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Ross Stores during the fourth quarter valued at $51,000. Finally, Oakworth Capital Inc. acquired a new position in Ross Stores during the fourth quarter valued at $57,000. 86.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ross Stores Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:ROST opened at $123.71 on Wednesday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $141.70 and a 200 day moving average price of $146.15. Ross Stores, Inc. has a twelve month low of $122.77 and a twelve month high of $163.60. The company has a market cap of $40.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.48, a PEG ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 1.15. The company has a quick ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last posted its quarterly 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 firm 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%. Research analysts predict that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.17 earnings per share for the current year.

Ross Stores Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced 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. 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 1.31%. Ross Stores’s dividend payout ratio is presently 25.63%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently weighed in on ROST shares. Evercore ISI dropped their price target on Ross Stores from $175.00 to $170.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on Ross Stores from $140.00 to $130.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. StockNews.com lowered Ross Stores from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Barclays set a $150.00 target price on Ross Stores in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Guggenheim restated a “buy” rating and issued a $180.00 target price on shares of Ross Stores in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $161.40.

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.