Sarasin & Partners LLP Makes New Investment in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST)

Sarasin & Partners LLP acquired a new stake in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 573,358 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $86,732,000. Ross Stores makes up about 1.0% of Sarasin & Partners LLP’s portfolio, making the stock its 28th largest position. Sarasin & Partners LLP owned approximately 0.17% of Ross Stores at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. bought a new position in shares of Ross Stores in the second quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Armstrong Advisory Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of Ross Stores in the third quarter valued at approximately $33,000. ORG Partners LLC boosted its holdings 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 valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 191 shares in the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in shares of Ross Stores in the third quarter valued at approximately $53,000. Finally, Banque Cantonale Vaudoise bought a new position in shares of Ross Stores in the third quarter valued at approximately $59,000. 86.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Guggenheim reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $180.00 price objective on shares of Ross Stores in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Telsey Advisory Group restated a “market perform” rating and set a $175.00 target price on shares of Ross Stores in a report on Monday, November 18th. Citigroup cut shares of Ross Stores from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their target price for the stock from $179.00 to $152.00 in a report on Tuesday, November 12th. Wells Fargo & Company restated an “equal weight” rating and set a $165.00 target price on shares of Ross Stores in a report on Friday, January 10th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $171.00 to $173.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $171.29.

Ross Stores Stock Up 0.1 %

ROST stock opened at $149.15 on Monday. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 12-month low of $127.53 and a 12-month high of $163.60. The company has a quick ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The company has a market cap of $49.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.49, a PEG ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a 50 day moving average of $150.33 and a two-hundred day moving average of $147.80.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last released its earnings results on Thursday, November 21st. The apparel retailer reported $1.48 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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%. The company’s revenue was up 3.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.33 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ross Stores Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 10th were issued a dividend of $0.3675 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 10th. This represents a $1.47 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.99%. Ross Stores’s dividend payout ratio is currently 23.15%.

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.