Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) Shares Acquired by Nisa Investment Advisors LLC

Nisa Investment Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) by 0.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 105,325 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 555 shares during the period. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Ross Stores were worth $15,933,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. purchased a new stake in Ross Stores during the 2nd quarter worth about $27,000. Armstrong Advisory Group Inc. acquired a new position in Ross Stores in the third quarter valued at approximately $33,000. ORG Partners LLC increased its stake in 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 purchasing an additional 191 shares during the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in Ross Stores during the third quarter worth approximately $53,000. Finally, Banque Cantonale Vaudoise purchased a new stake in shares of Ross Stores during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $59,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.86% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently commented on ROST shares. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and issued a $165.00 target price (down from $178.00) on shares of Ross Stores in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “equal weight” rating and set a $140.00 target price (down previously from $164.00) on shares of Ross Stores in a research report on Tuesday. TD Cowen dropped their price target on Ross Stores from $185.00 to $177.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. Guggenheim reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $180.00 price objective on shares of Ross Stores in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $171.00 to $173.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $169.06.

Ross Stores Price Performance

Shares of ROST opened at $149.79 on Thursday. 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’s 50 day moving average is $150.64 and its two-hundred day moving average is $147.88. Ross Stores, Inc. has a twelve month low of $127.53 and a twelve month high of $163.60. The firm has a market capitalization of $49.42 billion, a PE ratio of 23.59, a P/E/G ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 1.10.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 21st. The apparel retailer reported $1.48 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.41 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $5.10 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.15 billion. Ross Stores had a return on equity of 41.83% and a net margin of 9.95%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.33 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.17 earnings per share for the current year.

Ross Stores Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 10th were issued a $0.3675 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 10th. This represents a $1.47 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.98%. Ross Stores’s dividend payout ratio is presently 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.