GAMMA Investing LLC Raises Stake in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST)

GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) by 31.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 4,875 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,180 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC’s holdings in Ross Stores were worth $737,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC increased its position in Ross Stores by 2.2% during the 2nd quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 18,217 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $2,647,000 after buying an additional 391 shares in the last quarter. TD Asset Management Inc increased its holdings in shares of Ross Stores by 4.3% during the second quarter. TD Asset Management Inc now owns 571,309 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $83,023,000 after acquiring an additional 23,599 shares in the last quarter. Arizona State Retirement System raised its position in shares of Ross Stores by 0.6% in the 2nd quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 97,208 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $14,126,000 after purchasing an additional 596 shares during the last quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC raised its position in shares of Ross Stores by 3.4% in the 2nd quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 9,741 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $1,416,000 after purchasing an additional 324 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Savant Capital LLC boosted its stake in Ross Stores by 66.2% in the 2nd quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 24,127 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $3,506,000 after purchasing an additional 9,610 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.86% of the company’s stock.

Ross Stores Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:ROST opened at $154.25 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $50.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.29, a P/E/G ratio of 2.54 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 firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $148.20 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $147.51. 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 (NASDAQ:ROST) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, November 21st. The apparel retailer reported $1.48 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.41 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $5.10 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.15 billion. Ross Stores had a net margin of 9.95% and a return on equity of 41.83%. Ross Stores’s quarterly revenue was up 3.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.33 EPS. Research analysts expect that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ross Stores Dividend Announcement

The firm 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. This represents a $1.47 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.95%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 10th. Ross Stores’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 23.15%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ROST has been the subject of several analyst reports. 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. Citigroup cut Ross Stores from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $179.00 to $152.00 in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th. TD Cowen lowered their price target on Ross Stores from $185.00 to $177.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. StockNews.com downgraded Ross Stores from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and set a $175.00 price target on shares of Ross Stores in a report on Monday, November 18th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $171.69.

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.