Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) Position Reduced by LGT Capital Partners LTD.

LGT Capital Partners LTD. lessened its stake in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) by 2.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 607,185 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock after selling 12,535 shares during the period. Ross Stores comprises approximately 3.5% of LGT Capital Partners LTD.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 9th largest holding. LGT Capital Partners LTD. owned 0.18% of Ross Stores worth $91,849,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of ROST. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its position in Ross Stores by 64.0% in the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 3,862,684 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $581,373,000 after purchasing an additional 1,507,922 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Ross Stores during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $173,329,000. Nordea Investment Management AB lifted its position in shares of Ross Stores by 137.7% during the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 1,976,140 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $299,583,000 after buying an additional 1,144,774 shares in the last quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board lifted its position in shares of Ross Stores by 4,787.8% during the 3rd quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 629,744 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $94,783,000 after buying an additional 616,860 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sarasin & Partners LLP purchased a new position in shares of Ross Stores during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $86,732,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.86% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ROST has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Ross Stores from $171.00 to $173.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. TD Cowen decreased their target price on Ross Stores from $185.00 to $177.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Telsey Advisory Group decreased their target price on Ross Stores from $175.00 to $150.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. Robert W. Baird decreased their target price on Ross Stores from $175.00 to $160.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Loop Capital decreased their target price on Ross Stores from $190.00 to $175.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $163.07.

Ross Stores Stock Down 1.4 %

Shares of ROST opened at $135.96 on Friday. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 52-week low of $127.53 and a 52-week high of $163.60. The company has a market capitalization of $44.86 billion, a PE ratio of 21.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 1.15. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $145.37 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $147.49. 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 issued its earnings results on Tuesday, March 4th. The apparel retailer reported $1.79 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.65 by $0.14. Ross Stores had a return on equity of 41.83% and a net margin of 9.95%. The business had revenue of $5.91 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.95 billion. As a group, equities analysts forecast 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 paid a $0.405 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 18th. This is an increase from Ross Stores’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.37. This represents a $1.62 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.19%. Ross Stores’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 25.63%.

Ross Stores Company 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.