Alhambra Investment Management LLC Boosts Holdings in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST)

Alhambra Investment Management LLC grew its position in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) by 5.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,549 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 76 shares during the quarter. Alhambra Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Ross Stores were worth $234,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in ROST. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. purchased a new stake in Ross Stores in the 2nd quarter worth about $27,000. Armstrong Advisory Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of Ross Stores during the third quarter valued at approximately $33,000. ORG Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Ross Stores by 434.1% during the fourth quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 235 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 191 shares during the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ross Stores in the third quarter worth approximately $53,000. Finally, Banque Cantonale Vaudoise bought a new stake in shares of Ross Stores during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $59,000. Institutional investors own 86.86% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have commented on ROST. Citigroup downgraded Ross Stores from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their price objective for the company from $179.00 to $152.00 in a research report on Tuesday, November 12th. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and issued a $165.00 price target (down previously from $178.00) on shares of Ross Stores in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated a “market perform” rating and set a $175.00 price objective on shares of Ross Stores in a report on Monday, November 18th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Ross Stores from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $171.00 to $173.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $171.29.

Ross Stores Stock Up 0.1 %

Shares of Ross Stores stock opened at $149.15 on Friday. 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 P/E ratio of 23.49, a PEG ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 1.10. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $150.22 and its 200-day moving average price is $147.75. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 52-week low of $127.53 and a 52-week high of $163.60.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 21st. The apparel retailer reported $1.48 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.15 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.33 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 3.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ross Stores Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 10th were given a $0.3675 dividend. This represents a $1.47 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.99%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 10th. Ross Stores’s payout ratio is currently 23.15%.

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.