Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) Stock Holdings Cut by LGT Capital Partners LTD.

LGT Capital Partners LTD. reduced 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 firm owned 607,185 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock after selling 12,535 shares during the period. Ross Stores makes up approximately 3.5% of LGT Capital Partners LTD.’s portfolio, making the stock its 9th biggest position. LGT Capital Partners LTD.’s holdings in Ross Stores were worth $91,849,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC increased its stake in Ross Stores by 2.3% during the third quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 40,488 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $6,094,000 after purchasing an additional 908 shares during the period. Graypoint LLC increased its stake in Ross Stores by 4.7% during the third quarter. Graypoint LLC now owns 3,982 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $599,000 after purchasing an additional 179 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in Ross Stores by 8.3% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,965,695 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $295,857,000 after purchasing an additional 151,255 shares during the period. Portside Wealth Group LLC increased its stake in Ross Stores by 10.2% during the third quarter. Portside Wealth Group LLC now owns 2,324 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $350,000 after purchasing an additional 216 shares during the period. Finally, Bridges Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in Ross Stores by 7.5% during the third quarter. Bridges Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,641 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $397,000 after purchasing an additional 185 shares during the period. 86.86% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ROST has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Guggenheim reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $180.00 price target on shares of Ross Stores in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $140.00 to $130.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. Robert W. Baird cut their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $175.00 to $160.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on Ross Stores from $165.00 to $140.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Evercore ISI lowered their price objective on Ross Stores from $175.00 to $170.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $163.07.

Ross Stores Stock Performance

Shares of ROST opened at $135.96 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $145.37 and a 200 day moving average price 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. The company has a market capitalization of $44.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 1.15. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 52-week low of $127.53 and a 52-week high of $163.60.

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

Ross Stores Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 18th will be issued a $0.405 dividend. This is an increase from Ross Stores’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.37. This represents a $1.62 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.19%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 18th. Ross Stores’s dividend payout ratio is presently 25.63%.

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.