Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) Shares Sold by Machina Capital S.A.S.

Machina Capital S.A.S. lessened its holdings in shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) by 90.4% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 1,353 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock after selling 12,712 shares during the period. Machina Capital S.A.S.’s holdings in Ross Stores were worth $205,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. ORG Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Ross Stores by 434.1% during the fourth quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 235 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 191 shares in the last quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ross Stores during the fourth quarter worth about $51,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ross Stores during the third quarter worth about $53,000. Oakworth Capital Inc. acquired a new stake in Ross Stores in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $57,000. Finally, Banque Cantonale Vaudoise acquired a new stake in Ross Stores in the third quarter valued at approximately $59,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.86% of the company’s stock.

Ross Stores Stock Performance

Shares of ROST opened at $135.96 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 1.57, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The firm has a market cap of $44.86 billion, a PE ratio of 21.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 1.15. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $145.37 and its 200-day simple moving average is $147.45. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 12-month low of $127.53 and a 12-month high of $163.60.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, March 4th. The apparel retailer reported $1.79 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.65 by $0.14. The business had revenue of $5.91 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.95 billion. Ross Stores had a net margin of 9.95% and a return on equity of 41.83%. As a group, equities analysts predict that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.17 EPS for the current year.

Ross Stores Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 18th will be given a dividend of $0.405 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 18th. This is a positive change 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 1.19%. Ross Stores’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 25.63%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently weighed in on ROST. UBS Group reduced their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $168.00 to $163.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $165.00 to $140.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. StockNews.com cut shares of Ross Stores from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $140.00 to $130.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and issued a $165.00 target price (down previously from $178.00) on shares of Ross Stores in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. 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 company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $163.07.

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.