Czech National Bank Buys 3,981 Shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST)

Czech National Bank raised its stake in shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST - Free Report) by 5.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 71,933 shares of the apparel retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 3,981 shares during the quarter. Czech National Bank's holdings in Ross Stores were worth $10,881,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. acquired a new position in Ross Stores during the 2nd quarter worth about $27,000. Armstrong Advisory Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Ross Stores during the third quarter worth approximately $33,000. ORG Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Ross Stores by 434.1% during the fourth quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 235 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 191 shares during the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ross Stores in the third quarter valued at approximately $53,000. Finally, Banque Cantonale Vaudoise bought a new position in Ross Stores in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $59,000. 86.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Ross Stores Stock Down 1.3 %

ROST traded down $2.04 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $149.12. The company had a trading volume of 1,961,393 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,183,505. The company has a market cap of $49.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.48, a PEG ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 1.10. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 12 month low of $127.53 and a 12 month high of $163.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 1.57 and a quick ratio of 0.98. The business's fifty day moving average price is $149.73 and its 200 day moving average price is $147.70.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST - Get Free Report) 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. The firm had revenue of $5.10 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.15 billion. Ross Stores had a return on equity of 41.83% and a net margin of 9.95%. The company's revenue was up 3.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.33 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.17 EPS for the current year.

Ross Stores Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently commented on ROST. TD Cowen lowered their target price on Ross Stores from $185.00 to $177.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. Citigroup lowered Ross Stores from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $179.00 to $152.00 in a research report on Tuesday, November 12th. Sanford C. Bernstein restated a "market perform" rating and set a $165.00 target price (down from $178.00) on shares of Ross Stores in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Guggenheim reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $180.00 price target on shares of Ross Stores in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $171.00 to $173.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $171.29.

About Ross Stores

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.