International Assets Investment Management LLC Buys New Shares in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST)

International Assets Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 6,415 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $979,000.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of ROST. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. acquired a new stake in Ross Stores in the second quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Armstrong Advisory Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Ross Stores during the 3rd quarter worth $33,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new position in Ross Stores in the third quarter valued at $53,000. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise acquired a new stake in Ross Stores in the third quarter valued at $59,000. Finally, AM Squared Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Ross Stores during the 3rd quarter worth about $60,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.86% of the company’s stock.

Ross Stores Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:ROST opened at $154.63 on Friday. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 52 week low of $127.53 and a 52 week high of $163.60. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $149.29 and a 200 day moving average price of $147.66. The company has a market cap of $51.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.35, a PEG ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 1.10. 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 Thursday, November 21st. The apparel retailer reported $1.48 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.41 by $0.07. Ross Stores had a return on equity of 41.83% and a net margin of 9.95%. The business had revenue of $5.10 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.15 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.33 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 3.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.17 earnings per share for the current year.

Ross Stores Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 10th were paid a $0.3675 dividend. This represents a $1.47 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.95%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 10th. Ross Stores’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 23.15%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on ROST shares. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Ross Stores from $175.00 to $165.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, November 14th. Guggenheim reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $180.00 price target on shares of Ross Stores in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Ross Stores from $171.00 to $173.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Citigroup downgraded Ross Stores from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their target price for the company from $179.00 to $152.00 in a report on Tuesday, November 12th. Finally, TD Cowen dropped their price target on Ross Stores from $185.00 to $177.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $171.29.

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.