International Assets Investment Management LLC Acquires Shares of 6,415 Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST)

International Assets Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 6,415 shares of the apparel retailer's stock, valued at approximately $979,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ROST. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. acquired a new stake in shares of Ross Stores during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Armstrong Advisory Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Ross Stores during the third quarter worth $33,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in Ross Stores in the third quarter valued at $53,000. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise acquired a new position in shares of Ross Stores in the 3rd quarter valued at $59,000. Finally, AM Squared Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Ross Stores during the 3rd quarter worth $60,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.86% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently issued reports on ROST shares. Sanford C. Bernstein restated a "market perform" rating and issued a $165.00 price objective (down from $178.00) on shares of Ross Stores in a report on Tuesday. Guggenheim restated a "buy" rating and issued a $180.00 price objective on shares of Ross Stores in a report on Friday, November 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $171.00 to $173.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, November 22nd. 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. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded Ross Stores from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $171.29.

Ross Stores Stock Down 1.9 %

NASDAQ:ROST traded down $2.89 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $151.74. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,809,602 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,229,684. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 52-week low of $127.53 and a 52-week high of $163.60. The company has a current ratio of 1.57, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The stock has a market capitalization of $50.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 1.10. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $149.29 and a 200-day moving average of $147.66.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, November 21st. The apparel retailer reported $1.48 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.41 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $5.10 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.15 billion. Ross Stores had a return on equity of 41.83% and a net margin of 9.95%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 3.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.33 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.17 earnings per share for the current year.

Ross Stores Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 10th were given a $0.3675 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 10th. This represents a $1.47 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.97%. Ross Stores's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 23.15%.

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.