Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) Shares Sold by Beacon Investment Advisory Services Inc.

Beacon Investment Advisory Services Inc. decreased its position in shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) by 0.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 205,852 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock after selling 147 shares during the period. Ross Stores accounts for approximately 1.3% of Beacon Investment Advisory Services Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 22nd biggest holding. Beacon Investment Advisory Services Inc. owned about 0.06% of Ross Stores worth $31,139,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ROST. State Street Corp increased its position in Ross Stores by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 14,137,281 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $2,127,802,000 after acquiring an additional 67,861 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Ross Stores by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 8,152,045 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $1,222,915,000 after purchasing an additional 34,475 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC increased its holdings in shares of Ross Stores by 4.9% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 6,812,233 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $1,025,309,000 after purchasing an additional 316,652 shares during the period. Marshfield Associates raised its stake in shares of Ross Stores by 0.4% during the third quarter. Marshfield Associates now owns 3,908,958 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $588,337,000 after purchasing an additional 14,193 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its holdings in shares of Ross Stores by 64.0% during the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 3,862,684 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $581,373,000 after purchasing an additional 1,507,922 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.86% of the company’s stock.

Ross Stores Stock Performance

NASDAQ ROST opened at $149.79 on Thursday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $150.83 and its 200 day moving average price is $147.90. The company has a current ratio of 1.57, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. Ross Stores, Inc. has a twelve month low of $127.53 and a twelve month high of $163.60. The company has a market capitalization of $49.42 billion, a PE ratio of 23.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 1.10.

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 the consensus estimate of $1.41 by $0.07. Ross Stores had a net margin of 9.95% and a return on equity of 41.83%. The business had revenue of $5.10 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.15 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.33 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 3.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts predict that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.17 earnings per share for the current year.

Ross Stores Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 10th were given a $0.3675 dividend. This represents a $1.47 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.98%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 10th. Ross Stores’s payout ratio is currently 23.15%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently weighed in on ROST shares. 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. StockNews.com cut Ross Stores from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Guggenheim reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $180.00 price target on shares of Ross Stores in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating and set a $165.00 price objective on shares of Ross Stores in a report on Friday, January 10th. Finally, 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. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Ross Stores presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $169.06.

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.