Natixis Advisors LLC Buys 70,124 Shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST)

Natixis Advisors LLC grew its position in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST - Free Report) by 10.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 736,574 shares of the apparel retailer's stock after buying an additional 70,124 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors LLC owned 0.22% of Ross Stores worth $111,422,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Wealthfront Advisers LLC increased its position in Ross Stores by 8,209.0% in the fourth quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC now owns 2,381,201 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $360,204,000 after purchasing an additional 2,352,543 shares during the period. Madison Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ross Stores during the 4th quarter worth approximately $230,204,000. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its position in shares of Ross Stores by 64.0% during the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 3,862,684 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $581,373,000 after buying an additional 1,507,922 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Ross Stores during the fourth quarter worth approximately $173,329,000. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB lifted its holdings in Ross Stores by 137.7% in the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 1,976,140 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $299,583,000 after buying an additional 1,144,774 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 86.86% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have commented on the stock. UBS Group dropped their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $168.00 to $163.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. TD Cowen cut their target price on Ross Stores from $185.00 to $177.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. Wells Fargo & Company restated a "negative" rating on shares of Ross Stores in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Loop Capital cut their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $190.00 to $175.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets decreased their price objective on shares of Ross Stores from $168.00 to $156.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $161.40.

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Ross Stores Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:ROST traded up $2.24 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $125.95. 5,331,164 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,398,132. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 12 month low of $122.77 and a 12 month high of $163.60. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $141.70 and a 200-day moving average price of $146.15. 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 firm has a market cap of $41.55 billion, a PE ratio of 19.83, a PEG ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 1.15.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, March 4th. The apparel retailer reported $1.79 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.65 by $0.14. The business 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 expect that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ross Stores Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 18th will be paid a $0.405 dividend. This is a boost from Ross Stores's previous quarterly dividend of $0.37. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 18th. This represents a $1.62 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.29%. Ross Stores's payout ratio is 25.63%.

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.