Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) Shares Sold by Ipswich Investment Management Co. Inc.

Ipswich Investment Management Co. Inc. lowered its position in shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) by 5.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 7,456 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock after selling 454 shares during the period. Ipswich Investment Management Co. Inc.’s holdings in Ross Stores were worth $1,128,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. ORG Partners LLC increased its stake in Ross Stores by 434.1% during the fourth quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 235 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 191 shares during the last quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ross Stores during the 4th quarter worth about $51,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in Ross Stores in the 3rd quarter valued at about $53,000. Oakworth Capital Inc. acquired a new position in Ross Stores in the fourth quarter valued at about $57,000. Finally, Banque Cantonale Vaudoise acquired a new position in Ross Stores in the third quarter valued at about $59,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.86% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Evercore ISI boosted their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $170.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company reissued an “equal weight” rating and issued a $165.00 target price on shares of Ross Stores in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Sanford C. Bernstein restated a “market perform” rating and set a $165.00 price target (down from $178.00) on shares of Ross Stores in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. StockNews.com raised Ross Stores from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, February 17th. Finally, TD Cowen lowered their target price on Ross Stores from $185.00 to $177.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $169.06.

Ross Stores Stock Down 1.8 %

ROST stock opened at $136.61 on Friday. The company’s 50 day moving average is $147.93 and its two-hundred day moving average is $147.80. Ross Stores, Inc. has a twelve month low of $127.53 and a twelve month high of $163.60. The company has a current ratio of 1.57, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The stock has a market cap of $45.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.51, a PEG ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 1.10.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 21st. The apparel retailer reported $1.48 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 company had revenue of $5.10 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.15 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.33 earnings per share. Ross Stores’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.6% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ross Stores 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.