Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) Shares Acquired by Mechanics Bank Trust Department

Mechanics Bank Trust Department raised its position in shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) by 4.2% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 35,058 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,400 shares during the quarter. Mechanics Bank Trust Department’s holdings in Ross Stores were worth $5,303,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of ROST. State Street Corp lifted its position in shares of Ross Stores by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 14,137,281 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $2,127,802,000 after buying an additional 67,861 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Ross Stores by 0.4% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 8,152,045 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $1,222,915,000 after acquiring an additional 34,475 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC lifted its holdings in Ross Stores by 4.9% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 6,812,233 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $1,025,309,000 after acquiring an additional 316,652 shares during the last quarter. Marshfield Associates boosted its stake in Ross Stores by 0.4% in the third quarter. Marshfield Associates now owns 3,908,958 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $588,337,000 after acquiring an additional 14,193 shares during the period. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP grew its holdings in shares of Ross Stores by 64.0% during the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 3,862,684 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $581,373,000 after purchasing an additional 1,507,922 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.86% of the company’s stock.

Ross Stores Price Performance

NASDAQ:ROST opened at $149.15 on Monday. 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 business’s 50-day moving average price is $150.33 and its 200 day moving average price is $147.80. 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 $49.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.49, a PEG ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 1.10.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 21st. The apparel retailer reported $1.48 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 company had revenue of $5.10 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.15 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.33 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 3.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ross Stores Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 10th were given a dividend of $0.3675 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 10th. This represents a $1.47 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.99%. Ross Stores’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 23.15%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently issued reports on ROST. Citigroup downgraded Ross Stores from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their price target for the stock from $179.00 to $152.00 in a report on Tuesday, November 12th. TD Cowen cut their target price 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. Telsey Advisory Group restated a “market perform” rating and set a $175.00 price target on shares of Ross Stores in a research report on Monday, November 18th. Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on shares of Ross Stores from $170.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company restated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $165.00 target price on shares of Ross Stores in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $171.29.

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.