Avanza Fonder AB Purchases Shares of 33,903 Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST)

Avanza Fonder AB purchased a new position in shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 33,903 shares of the apparel retailer's stock, valued at approximately $5,129,000.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. bought a new position in shares of Ross Stores in the second quarter valued at $27,000. Armstrong Advisory Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of Ross Stores in the third quarter valued at $33,000. ORG Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Ross Stores by 434.1% in the fourth quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 235 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 191 shares in the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in shares of Ross Stores in the third quarter valued at $53,000. Finally, Banque Cantonale Vaudoise bought a new position in shares of Ross Stores in the third quarter valued at $59,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.86% of the company's stock.

Ross Stores Trading Up 0.1 %

Shares of NASDAQ:ROST traded up $0.15 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $149.15. 3,011,200 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,873,334. The business's 50-day moving average price is $150.33 and its 200 day moving average price is $147.77. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 12 month low of $127.53 and a 12 month high of $163.60. The stock has a market capitalization of $49.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.49, a P/E/G ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 1.10. 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 (NASDAQ:ROST - Get Free Report) last announced 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 return on equity of 41.83% and a net margin of 9.95%. The business had revenue of $5.10 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.15 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.33 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 3.6% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.17 earnings per share for the current year.

Ross Stores Announces Dividend

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Ross Stores from $171.00 to $173.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. TD Cowen dropped their target price on Ross Stores from $185.00 to $177.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued a "market perform" rating and set a $165.00 target price (down previously from $178.00) on shares of Ross Stores in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Guggenheim reissued a "buy" rating and set a $180.00 target price on shares of Ross Stores in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded Ross Stores from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $171.29.

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.