Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. Sells 34,102 Shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST)

Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. lessened its stake in shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) by 68.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 15,674 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock after selling 34,102 shares during the period. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc.’s holdings in Ross Stores were worth $2,371,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of ROST. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its holdings in shares of Ross Stores by 5.4% in the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 4,587 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $694,000 after buying an additional 236 shares during the last quarter. Sarasin & Partners LLP bought a new stake in Ross Stores during the fourth quarter worth $86,732,000. Mechanics Bank Trust Department lifted its stake in Ross Stores by 4.2% in the fourth quarter. Mechanics Bank Trust Department now owns 35,058 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $5,303,000 after acquiring an additional 1,400 shares during the last quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Ross Stores in the 4th quarter valued at about $238,000. Finally, Oak Ridge Investments LLC increased its stake in shares of Ross Stores by 10.6% during the 4th quarter. Oak Ridge Investments LLC now owns 115,849 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $17,524,000 after purchasing an additional 11,060 shares during the last quarter. 86.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated a “market perform” rating and set a $165.00 price target (down previously from $178.00) on shares of Ross Stores in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Ross Stores from $171.00 to $173.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Telsey Advisory Group restated a “market perform” rating and issued a $175.00 price target on shares of Ross Stores in a research note on Monday, November 18th. TD Cowen reduced their price objective on shares of Ross Stores from $185.00 to $177.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reissued an “equal weight” rating and issued a $165.00 price objective on shares of Ross Stores in a research report on Friday, January 10th. 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $169.06.

Ross Stores Stock Performance

ROST opened at $148.61 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a current ratio of 1.57. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 52-week low of $127.53 and a 52-week high of $163.60. The firm has a market cap of $49.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 1.10. The business’s fifty day moving average is $150.83 and its 200-day moving average is $147.90.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last released its 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 firm had revenue of $5.10 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.15 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.33 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 3.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts expect that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ross Stores Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 10th were issued a $0.3675 dividend. This represents a $1.47 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.99%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 10th. Ross Stores’s dividend payout ratio is presently 23.15%.

About Ross Stores

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.