Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) Stake Reduced by Hartford Investment Management Co.

Hartford Investment Management Co. cut its holdings in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) by 2.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 20,485 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock after selling 518 shares during the quarter. Hartford Investment Management Co.’s holdings in Ross Stores were worth $3,099,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of ROST. ORG Partners LLC increased its stake in Ross Stores by 434.1% in the 4th quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 235 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 191 shares in the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new position in Ross Stores during the 3rd quarter valued at about $53,000. Oakworth Capital Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Ross Stores during the 4th quarter valued at about $57,000. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise acquired a new stake in shares of Ross Stores during the 3rd quarter valued at about $59,000. Finally, AM Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Ross Stores during the 3rd quarter valued at about $60,000. 86.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Ross Stores Stock Down 1.2 %

ROST stock opened at $139.55 on Thursday. Ross Stores, Inc. has a twelve month low of $127.53 and a twelve month high of $163.60. 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 stock’s 50 day moving average is $150.50 and its 200-day moving average is $148.01. The firm has a market capitalization of $46.04 billion, a PE ratio of 21.98, a P/E/G ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 1.10.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last released its earnings results on Thursday, November 21st. The apparel retailer reported $1.48 earnings per share (EPS) 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 business had revenue of $5.10 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.15 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.33 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.6% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts expect that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ross Stores Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 10th were paid a dividend of $0.3675 per share. This represents a $1.47 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.05%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 10th. Ross Stores’s dividend payout ratio is 23.15%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ROST has been the subject of several analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company restated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $165.00 target price on shares of Ross Stores in a report on Friday, January 10th. Telsey Advisory Group restated a “market perform” rating and set a $175.00 price objective on shares of Ross Stores in a research report on Monday, November 18th. Evercore ISI upped their price target on Ross Stores from $170.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Citigroup cut Ross Stores from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $179.00 to $152.00 in a report on Tuesday, November 12th. Finally, Morgan Stanley restated an “equal weight” rating and set a $140.00 target price (down previously from $164.00) on shares of Ross Stores in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Ross Stores has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus 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.