Oak Ridge Investments LLC Acquires 11,060 Shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST)

Oak Ridge Investments LLC boosted its stake in shares of Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST - Free Report) by 10.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 115,849 shares of the apparel retailer's stock after buying an additional 11,060 shares during the quarter. Ross Stores makes up approximately 1.4% of Oak Ridge Investments LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 14th largest holding. Oak Ridge Investments LLC's holdings in Ross Stores were worth $17,524,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. HB Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Ross Stores by 20.2% during the 4th quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC now owns 5,866 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $887,000 after buying an additional 986 shares during the last quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont raised its stake in Ross Stores by 4,200.0% in the 4th quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont now owns 645 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $98,000 after acquiring an additional 630 shares during the period. Sanibel Captiva Trust Company Inc. raised its stake in Ross Stores by 21.3% in the 4th quarter. Sanibel Captiva Trust Company Inc. now owns 3,519 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $532,000 after acquiring an additional 617 shares during the period. Alhambra Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in Ross Stores by 5.2% during the fourth quarter. Alhambra Investment Management LLC now owns 1,549 shares of the apparel retailer's stock valued at $234,000 after purchasing an additional 76 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Canoe Financial LP boosted its position in Ross Stores by 20.9% during the fourth quarter. Canoe Financial LP now owns 636,557 shares of the apparel retailer's stock worth $96,292,000 after purchasing an additional 110,234 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.86% of the company's stock.

Ross Stores Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ ROST traded up $0.15 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $149.15. 3,011,200 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,873,334. The company has a market capitalization of $49.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 1.10. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $150.33 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $147.80. The company has a quick ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. Ross Stores, Inc. has a 52-week low of $127.53 and a 52-week high of $163.60.

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

Ross Stores Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 10th were issued a $0.3675 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 10th. This represents a $1.47 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.99%. Ross Stores's dividend payout ratio is currently 23.15%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently commented on ROST shares. 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 research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Wells Fargo & Company restated an "equal weight" rating and set a $165.00 target price on shares of Ross Stores in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated a "market perform" rating and issued a $175.00 price target on shares of Ross Stores in a research report on Monday, November 18th. Guggenheim reissued a "buy" rating and set a $180.00 price objective on shares of Ross Stores in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, StockNews.com lowered Ross Stores from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $171.29.

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.