Fifth Third Bancorp Buys 1,979 Shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST)

Fifth Third Bancorp lifted its holdings in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST - Free Report) by 11.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 19,644 shares of the apparel retailer's stock after buying an additional 1,979 shares during the quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp's holdings in Ross Stores were worth $2,972,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of ROST. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. bought a new stake in Ross Stores during the second quarter worth approximately $27,000. Armstrong Advisory Group Inc. acquired a new position in Ross Stores in the third quarter worth approximately $33,000. ORG Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Ross Stores by 434.1% during the 4th quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 235 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 191 shares during the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ross Stores during the 3rd quarter worth $53,000. Finally, Banque Cantonale Vaudoise acquired a new position in shares of Ross Stores in the 3rd quarter worth $59,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.86% of the company's stock.

Ross Stores Trading Up 0.6 %

ROST traded up $0.89 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $146.90. 1,048,582 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,272,450. The company's fifty day moving average price is $151.22 and its 200-day moving average price is $147.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a current ratio of 1.57. The firm has a market capitalization of $48.47 billion, a PE ratio of 23.13, a P/E/G ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 1.10. Ross Stores, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $127.53 and a fifty-two week high of $163.60.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 21st. The apparel retailer reported $1.48 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.41 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $5.10 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.15 billion. Ross Stores had a net margin of 9.95% and a return on equity of 41.83%. Ross Stores's revenue for the quarter was up 3.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.33 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast 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 paid a $0.3675 dividend. This represents a $1.47 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.00%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 10th. Ross Stores's dividend payout ratio is 23.15%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the company. StockNews.com lowered Ross Stores from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. Citigroup downgraded Ross Stores from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and reduced their price objective for the stock from $179.00 to $152.00 in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th. Sanford C. Bernstein restated a "market perform" rating and set a $165.00 price target (down from $178.00) on shares of Ross Stores in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Wells Fargo & Company reiterated an "equal weight" rating and issued a $165.00 target price on shares of Ross Stores in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Finally, TD Cowen cut their price objective on Ross Stores from $185.00 to $177.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Ross Stores currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $169.06.

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.