New Mexico Educational Retirement Board Has $2.40 Million Stock Holdings in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST)

New Mexico Educational Retirement Board decreased its holdings in shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) by 3.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 15,890 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock after selling 500 shares during the quarter. New Mexico Educational Retirement Board’s holdings in Ross Stores were worth $2,404,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp increased its position in Ross Stores by 1.8% during the 3rd quarter. Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp now owns 3,910 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $588,000 after buying an additional 70 shares during the period. Howe & Rusling Inc. increased its position in Ross Stores by 1.9% during the 3rd quarter. Howe & Rusling Inc. now owns 3,986 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $600,000 after buying an additional 73 shares during the period. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. increased its position in Ross Stores by 19.1% during the 3rd quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 473 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $71,000 after buying an additional 76 shares during the period. Alhambra Investment Management LLC increased its position in Ross Stores by 5.2% during the 4th quarter. Alhambra Investment Management LLC now owns 1,549 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $234,000 after buying an additional 76 shares during the period. Finally, Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV increased its position in Ross Stores by 5.2% during the 3rd quarter. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV now owns 1,735 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $261,000 after buying an additional 85 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 86.86% of the company’s stock.

Ross Stores Stock Performance

Shares of ROST stock opened at $138.76 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $149.53 and its 200-day moving average price is $147.88. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 12 month low of $127.53 and a 12 month high of $163.60. The firm has a market capitalization of $45.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.85, a PEG ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 1.10. 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 (NASDAQ:ROST) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 21st. The apparel retailer reported $1.48 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.41 by $0.07. Ross Stores had a return on equity of 41.83% and a net margin of 9.95%. The firm had revenue of $5.10 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.15 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.33 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.6% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts forecast that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.17 EPS 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.06%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 10th. Ross Stores’s dividend payout ratio is currently 23.15%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have weighed in on ROST shares. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated a “market perform” rating and set a $165.00 price objective (down previously from $178.00) on shares of Ross Stores in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Ross Stores from $171.00 to $173.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Telsey Advisory Group restated a “market perform” rating and issued a $175.00 price target on shares of Ross Stores in a research report on Monday, November 18th. StockNews.com cut Ross Stores from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, Guggenheim restated a “buy” rating and issued a $180.00 price target on shares of Ross Stores in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Ross Stores currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $169.06.

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.