Hutchens & Kramer Investment Management Group LLC Reduces Position in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST)

Hutchens & Kramer Investment Management Group LLC decreased its holdings in shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) by 21.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,372 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock after selling 373 shares during the quarter. Hutchens & Kramer Investment Management Group LLC’s holdings in Ross Stores were worth $208,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of the business. West Wealth Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Ross Stores by 3.5% during the fourth quarter. West Wealth Group LLC now owns 2,715 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $411,000 after buying an additional 91 shares in the last quarter. United Asset Strategies Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Ross Stores by 6.6% during the fourth quarter. United Asset Strategies Inc. now owns 5,467 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $827,000 after buying an additional 338 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Ross Stores by 58.8% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 3,836 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $577,000 after buying an additional 1,421 shares in the last quarter. Kingswood Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ross Stores during the fourth quarter worth $272,000. Finally, E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Ross Stores by 24,100.0% during the fourth quarter. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. now owns 484 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $73,000 after buying an additional 482 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.86% of the company’s stock.

Ross Stores Stock Down 2.2 %

Shares of ROST opened at $146.01 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $48.17 billion, a PE ratio of 22.99, a P/E/G ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 1.10. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 1 year low of $127.53 and a 1 year high of $163.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a current ratio of 1.57. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $151.12 and its 200-day simple moving average is $147.93.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 21st. The apparel retailer reported $1.48 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 business had revenue of $5.10 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.15 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.33 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 3.6% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts forecast that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ross Stores Announces Dividend

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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 10th. This represents a $1.47 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.01%. Ross Stores’s payout ratio is 23.15%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ROST has been the topic of several recent research reports. StockNews.com cut shares of Ross Stores from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Wells Fargo & Company reissued an “equal weight” rating and set a $165.00 price target on shares of Ross Stores in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Evercore ISI boosted their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $170.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Guggenheim reissued a “buy” rating and set a $180.00 price target on shares of Ross Stores in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target 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. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $169.06.

Ross Stores 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.