Postrock Partners LLC Acquires New Stake in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST)

Postrock Partners LLC bought a new position in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 17,767 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $2,688,000. Ross Stores makes up approximately 1.3% of Postrock Partners LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 14th biggest holding.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of ROST. Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its stake in Ross Stores by 152.9% in the 4th quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 177 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 107 shares in the last quarter. BOK Financial Private Wealth Inc. purchased a new position in Ross Stores in the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. ORG Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Ross Stores by 434.1% in the fourth quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 235 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 191 shares in the last quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ross Stores during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $51,000. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ross Stores during the third quarter valued at approximately $53,000. 86.86% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have commented on ROST. Loop Capital cut their target price on Ross Stores from $190.00 to $175.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Barclays set a $150.00 price target on Ross Stores in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. TD Cowen reduced their price objective on Ross Stores from $185.00 to $177.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. Evercore ISI lowered their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $175.00 to $170.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $171.00 to $173.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Ross Stores currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $161.40.

Ross Stores Stock Performance

NASDAQ:ROST opened at $123.30 on Friday. 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 stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $143.45 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $146.81. The firm has a market capitalization of $40.68 billion, a PE ratio of 19.42, a P/E/G ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 1.15. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 52-week low of $123.01 and a 52-week high of $163.60.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 4th. The apparel retailer reported $1.79 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.65 by $0.14. Ross Stores had a return on equity of 41.83% and a net margin of 9.95%. The company had revenue of $5.91 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.95 billion. Analysts forecast that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.17 EPS for the current year.

Ross Stores Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed 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. This represents a $1.62 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.31%. This is an increase from Ross Stores’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.37. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 18th. Ross Stores’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 25.63%.

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.