Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) Shares Sold by Sather Financial Group Inc

Sather Financial Group Inc lowered its holdings in shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) by 0.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 431,838 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock after selling 3,023 shares during the quarter. Ross Stores makes up 4.1% of Sather Financial Group Inc’s holdings, making the stock its 7th largest position. Sather Financial Group Inc’s holdings in Ross Stores were worth $65,324,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Armstrong Advisory Group Inc. purchased a new position in Ross Stores in the 3rd quarter valued at about $33,000. ORG Partners LLC lifted its position 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 acquired a new stake in shares of Ross Stores in the third quarter worth approximately $53,000. Oakworth Capital Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Ross Stores during the fourth quarter worth approximately $57,000. Finally, Banque Cantonale Vaudoise acquired a new position in Ross Stores in the 3rd quarter valued at $59,000. 86.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ross Stores Stock Down 0.6 %

Shares of NASDAQ:ROST opened at $141.27 on Wednesday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $150.75 and its two-hundred day moving average is $148.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 1.57 and a quick ratio of 0.98. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 1 year low of $127.53 and a 1 year high of $163.60. The firm has a market capitalization of $46.61 billion, a PE ratio of 22.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 1.10.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 21st. The apparel retailer reported $1.48 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 analysts’ expectations of $5.15 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.33 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 3.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.17 EPS for the current year.

Ross Stores Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 10th were given a $0.3675 dividend. This represents a $1.47 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.04%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 10th. Ross Stores’s dividend payout ratio is currently 23.15%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on ROST shares. Evercore ISI upped their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $170.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Citigroup lowered Ross Stores from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their price target for the company from $179.00 to $152.00 in a research report on Tuesday, November 12th. Sanford C. Bernstein restated a “market perform” rating and issued a $165.00 target price (down from $178.00) on shares of Ross Stores in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Ross Stores from $171.00 to $173.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, Guggenheim reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $180.00 price objective on shares of Ross Stores in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $169.06.

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.