40,800 Shares in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) Purchased by Jensen Investment Management Inc.

Jensen Investment Management Inc. bought a new position in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm bought 40,800 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $6,172,000.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Pollock Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ross Stores in the fourth quarter worth about $988,000. Natixis Advisors LLC raised its position in Ross Stores by 10.5% during the fourth quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 736,574 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $111,422,000 after purchasing an additional 70,124 shares during the period. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC raised its position in Ross Stores by 2.6% during the fourth quarter. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC now owns 3,105 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $470,000 after purchasing an additional 79 shares during the period. Poinciana Advisors Group LLC purchased a new stake in Ross Stores during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $316,000. Finally, Postrock Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Ross Stores during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $2,688,000. 86.86% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ross Stores Stock Up 0.7 %

Shares of NASDAQ:ROST opened at $124.21 on Monday. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 52-week low of $122.77 and a 52-week high of $163.60. The stock has a market cap of $40.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 1.15. The business’s 50 day moving average is $142.85 and its 200 day moving average is $146.53. The company has a quick ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 4th. The apparel retailer reported $1.79 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.65 by $0.14. The company had revenue of $5.91 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.95 billion. Ross Stores had a return on equity of 41.83% and a net margin of 9.95%. Sell-side analysts predict that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.17 EPS for the current year.

Ross Stores Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 18th will be given a dividend of $0.405 per share. This represents a $1.62 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.30%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 18th. This is a boost from Ross Stores’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.37. Ross Stores’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 25.63%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have issued reports on ROST. StockNews.com downgraded Ross Stores from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Sanford C. Bernstein restated a “market perform” rating and set a $165.00 price objective (down from $178.00) on shares of Ross Stores in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Telsey Advisory Group decreased their price objective on Ross Stores from $175.00 to $150.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. UBS Group decreased their price objective on Ross Stores from $168.00 to $163.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Guggenheim restated a “buy” rating and set a $180.00 price objective on shares of Ross Stores in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Ross Stores has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $161.40.

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.