Quadrature Capital Ltd Raises Stock Holdings in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST)

Quadrature Capital Ltd increased its stake in Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST - Free Report) by 16.2% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 42,302 shares of the apparel retailer's stock after buying an additional 5,907 shares during the period. Quadrature Capital Ltd's holdings in Ross Stores were worth $6,367,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. purchased a new position in Ross Stores in the second quarter worth about $27,000. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. raised its holdings in Ross Stores by 262.1% in the 2nd quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 210 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 152 shares during the last quarter. Industrial Alliance Investment Management Inc. bought a new position in Ross Stores in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Armstrong Advisory Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Ross Stores during the 3rd quarter valued at $33,000. Finally, Crewe Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Ross Stores by 97.8% in the 2nd quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC now owns 275 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 136 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.86% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Ross Stores

In other Ross Stores news, COO Michael J. Hartshorn sold 8,366 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, September 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $155.64, for a total value of $1,302,084.24. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 103,049 shares in the company, valued at $16,038,546.36. The trade was a 7.51 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 2.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Ross Stores Stock Performance

Shares of ROST stock traded down $0.13 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $156.48. 3,692,153 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,343,146. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $145.58 and a 200 day moving average price of $145.88. The company has a market cap of $51.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.64, a P/E/G ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 1.57 and a quick ratio of 0.98. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 12-month low of $127.53 and a 12-month high of $163.60.

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 21st. The apparel retailer reported $1.48 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 3.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.33 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Ross Stores, Inc. will post 6.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ross Stores Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 10th will be given a dividend of $0.3675 per share. This represents a $1.47 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.94%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 10th. Ross Stores's dividend payout ratio is currently 23.15%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. StockNews.com downgraded Ross Stores from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Ross Stores from $165.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, August 23rd. Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on shares of Ross Stores from $162.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, August 23rd. TD Cowen dropped their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $185.00 to $177.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, Loop Capital lifted their target price on shares of Ross Stores from $170.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, August 23rd. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $171.69.

Ross Stores 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.